Program Goals

Providing secondary science teachers with opportunities to work on innovative science, and thus to revitalize their teaching and help them to appreciate the use of inquiry-based methods in the teaching of science, is a primary goal of the Partners in Science awards.

The program enables teachers (Partners) and academic scientists (Mentors) to collaborate in the advancement of science, with the goal that both will grow professionally in the process. The Partners begin to see themselves as scientists as well as being an integral part of the scientific community. They will be a part of a cohort of teachers that will form a professional learning community and will present their research at a science conference in January after each summer of research. Faculty Mentors benefit not only from research assistance, but from contact with those shaping their future students. All partners develop a broader understanding of the linkages between high school and college science education. 

After the two summers of research are completed, secondary goals of the Partners in Science Program are:

• Invigorate teachers in their teaching careers
• Develop new teaching strategies that help their students also see themselves as scientists
• Foster long-term scholarly collaborations which lead to teachers who are active in science and committed to their classrooms

Eligibility

Partners in Science grants are made to colleges, universities, and other qualified research institutions within the Trust’s funding region to enable secondary science teachers to participate in full-time research for eight weeks during the summer for two consecutive summers.

Institutions: 

Proposals must be submitted through a college or university or other qualified research institution which accepts responsibility for the administration of the grant.

Principal Investigators (Mentors):

Mentors must have an active research program as evidenced by grants and/or publications and hold an appointment in a natural science department.

Science Teachers (Partners):

Applicants must fall into one of the below:

• Secondary Science Teachers: Middle school and high school teachers should possess academic qualifications in appropriate disciplines, in most cases a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent in chemistry, physics, biology, or earth science. Must be a full-time science teacher. 
• Pre-service Science Teachers: College students who are in a program to become a middle or high school science teacher.

Partners in Science 2.0 Grant Application Process

Please note – Institutions apply for the grant through the Murdock Trust while partners directly apply through the grantee institutions.

1. Read the Guidelines for the Partners in Science 2.0 application.
2. Thoroughly read through the Partners in Science 2.0 Grant Application Instructions and Checklist.
3. Use the invite link in the Request for Proposal (by invitation only) email to access the grants portal. Once you log in, complete the Eligibility form. If accepted, you will be invited to complete an application.
4. Log in to the grants portal to complete the application and upload the required attachments. Please use these templates: Partners 2.0 Proposal Narrative (Sections A-H) Please note: the proposal narrative should be downloaded in .docx format to preserve the correct formatting, Scientific Research app Suggested Reviewers
5. Submit your application in the grants portal.

Deadline: September 1st (this program enrolls on a yearly basis)

Awards Announced: Early spring

Partners in Science Supplemental Program

The final year for Supplemental grant applications to the Trust will be 2024 for those Partners in Science participants who are completing their second summer research experience this summer. (This valuable part of the program will be continued as Classroom Innovation Grants through the new Partners in Science 2.0 program.) 

Application Process

1. Read the Guidelines for the Partners in Science Supplemental application.
2. Thoroughly read through the Partners in Science Supplemental Grant Application Instructions and Checklist.
3. Use the invite link in the Request for Proposal (by invitation only) email to access the grants portal. Once you log in, complete the Eligibility form. If accepted, you will be invited to complete an application.
4. Log in to the grants portal to complete the application and upload the required attachments. Please use this template: Budget and Save the Date
5. Submit your application in the grants portal.

Deadline: December 1st (this program enrolls on a yearly basis)

Awards Announced: Early spring

Partners in Science Program History

Research Corporation for Science Advancement, a foundation for the advancement of science with headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, initiated this program in 1988 as an experimental venture to improve science education and increase the number of students choosing science as a career. In 1990 the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust joined Research Corporation in funding the program in the Pacific Northwest and providing some additional support services to partners in that region. When Research Corporation chose to withdraw from administering this program in order to focus their energies on other priorities, the Murdock Trust accepted the challenge of continuing the program in the Pacific Northwest. Under this arrangement, those applications submitted in fall 1999 were the first to be administered solely by the Trust. Learn more about the history of the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust ›