The National Summer Teacher Institute is an intense but highly-rewarding professional development opportunity.
The institute combines experiential training tools, practices, and project-based learning models in a rigorous hands-on atmosphere. Presentation speakers and hands-on workshop instructors include experts from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), noted scientists and engineers, entrepreneurs, and representatives from other federal government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
A typical NSTI week follows the basic schedule outlined below:
Sunday: Welcome and orientation
Monday: "Maker" Monday ("Making Connections," student showcase, Introduction to Invention Challenge)
Tuesday: Patents and searching, problem-solving methodologies
Wednesday: Trademarks and searching, models for entrepreneurship
Thursday: Copyrights and applications to learning
Friday: Invention challenge pitches and reflections