Donors to the ARRL Education & Technology Program (ETP) fund have made it possible to offer seven sessions of the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology this summer. According to Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, she is receiving applications for the Teachers Institute daily, but seats are still available in most sessions: "If you are a teacher -- or you know one who may be interested in exploring the world of wireless technology in their classroom -- now is the time to apply!"

This year, Teachers Institute sessions will be offered in Roswell, New Mexico (May 26-29); Rocklin, California (June 15-18); Tucson, Arizona (June 15-18); Viera, Florida (June 23-26); Berrien Springs, Michigan (June 29-July 2); Dayton, Ohio (July 6-9), and Newington, Connecticut (July 27-30). Educators interested in the New Mexico, California and Arizona sessions need to apply no later than April 15, while those interested in the sessions in Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Connecticut have until May 15 to apply.

Johnson said that wireless technologies "underpin so many areas of daily life. It is increasingly important for today's education to include at least some basic understanding of the technology involved," she said. "One of ARRL's goals for the Education & Technology Program, and the professional development opportunity that we have developed with the Teachers Institute, is to build wireless technology literacy among America's citizens. It's equally essential to provide an opportunity at an early age for students who will become tomorrow's scientists and engineers to engage their imagination with the fascinating world of radio science."

Teachers who are interested in exploring the basic principles of electronics, satellite communications (including communications with weather satellites), radio signals and radio science, radio astronomy, scientific data collection, microcontroller technology and robotics -- and who want to gain a transmissible understanding of the wireless technologies that are so vital to so many areas of everyday life -- will want to investigate this opportunity. The instruction and resources presented in the seminar provide the tools to engage with subject matter in core classroom curricula in science, math, geography and language arts. The resources offered at the Teachers Institute can be adapted to engage students in the primary levels through university. Applicants do not need to be licensed radio amateurs. Teachers need to complete an application for this 4 day, expenses-paid seminar. Check the ARRL Web site for more information.

For the first time this year, Johnson said that the ARRL is offering an Advanced Teachers Institute, open to six graduates of the TI program that will focus on satellite communications. "This opportunity has been enthusiastically received and is at full enrollment," she said. "As demonstrated by the application response, we are pleased that the teachers who have participated in the past see the value of the resources that the ARRL offers through this program and are eager to take their exploration of wireless technology to the next level."

If you would like to contribute to this very important educational outreach of the ARRL to students in classrooms across the US, you can find more information here.