Requirements for application:

• Must be a student in science, mathematics/statistics, computer science, or engineering.
• Must be a full time undergraduate who has earned at least 60 credit hrs with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, OR be a full time graduate student in those (or related) fields.
• Must be a citizen, national or permanent resident of the United States. Foreign students who hold student visas are not eligible.
• Must provide his/her own transportation to local schools.

Deadline: Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. To be considered for the 2006/2007 school year, please apply by June 15, 2006.

Participant Training : Training for 2006/2007 TASK participants will be held in Chapman 104:

• Friday 8/25, 6-9pm
• Saturday 8/26, 8:30am - 5pm
• Sunday 8/28, 10am - 5pm?

Please reserve these dates, as this training is mandatory for all participants in the TASK program, including returning fellows and teachers!

Application Procedure: Interested students should submit the following:

• TASK application form
• A statement of interest (1 page) explaining their interest in this program, their goals for the fellowship, their philosophy of teaching, previous K-12 outreach experiences and their future career plans.
• Vita or resume
• UAF graduate or undergraduate transcript as applicable (unofficial transcripts are acceptable to apply - you may be asked to provide an official transcript during final stages of selection),
• A letter of recommendation from a faculty member who can address the potential for success in this program.

Submit application materials to:
TASK GK-12 Program
210 Chapman Building
PO Box 756670
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6670
Fax: 907-474-5030
Email: fytask@uaf.edu

Stipend: Graduate Fellows receive $30,000 plus tuition support up to $10,500, paid over 12 months for the Fall 2006 and Spring/Summer 2007 academic semesters. Undergraduate Fellows receive $10,000, also paid over 12 months.

Criteria for selection: In addition to a strong academic background, selection of fellows will be based on the potential for a successful partnership. A fellow must be knowledgeable of his/her subject, have good inter-personal skills, be able to communicate effectively, and have the maturity and problem-solving skills to contribute to the partnership. Students who have prior teaching experience (formal or informal) and demonstrated success in OR evidence of potential success teaching at the K-12 level are desired. Advanced standing as either an undergraduate or graduate student is preferred. Grades and letters of recommendation will be used as indicators of success and as a balance against rigid selection criteria. Applicants must have the ability to meet Fairbanks North Star Borough School District hiring standards. Selection will also be based on a demonstrated need for the fellow and the resulting partnership based on school district grade-level and content demand.

What is expected of Fellows

This program will place Fellows in a single school for at least a semester, and preferably a full academic year. Fellows will expand on the introductory teaching information provided to them in training workshops. Fellows will have summer responsibilities assigned. In addition, Fellows may be asked to travel to rural school districts (Bethel and/or Denali Borough area) periodically for brief visits to present materials to community members or school groups. These visits will be arranged in advance and will not interfere with coursework.

In addition to the required activities listed below, there will be opportunities to participate in after-school programs and extra-curricular activities such as Math Counts, Legorobotics, Future Farmers of America, the FIRST program, and the Alaska Statewide High School Science Symposium.

Although the program will be customized for each Fellow/Teacher team, a normal responsibility load is likely to be similar to the following:

Minimum Requirements:

1. Spend a minimum of 7-10 hours per week providing direct assistance to the school. This includes

a. Up to 1 hour planning with the Partner Teacher(s)
b. Approximately 7 hours providing direct assistance in the Partner Teachers’ classroom,
c. Balance of time can be spent with the Partner Teacher(s) or helping other teachers with science, mathematics and technology instruction.

2. Spend an average of 5 hours in preparation for school-based activities. This includes

a. Finding, adapting, adopting, and developing experiments, demonstrations, projects and other hands-on activities that support the Partner Teachers’ lesson plan.
b. To the extent possible, these activities should include examples to provide the motivation for learning science, mathematics/statistics, computer science/technology, and engineering.

3. Participate in a 1-2 hour project start-up meeting prior to beginning training.

4. Participate in 2-5 full day workshops spaced throughout the semester (first semester only, with ongoing training as deemed necessary). Initial workshops (1-2 days) will be held in late August or early September, 2006.

5. Participate in bi-weekly workshops/support meetings offered in the evening during Fall & Spring semesters. Time requirement will be 3 hours every other week.

6. Meet with other fellows and a mentor once each week or every other week (1 hour) to discuss progress.

7. Successfully complete other components of the TASK training program (workshops, program evaluation, etc.)

8. Make satisfactory progress towards graduate degree.

9. Complete summer requirements as assigned.