Teacher Fellowships

2013 Teacher Fellows Positions

Click here to download the 2013 Teacher Fellow Flyer! 

Download the 2013 Teacher Fellow Application: [.pdf version here]

Note: For 2013, only the following clusters will be accepting teacher applications: Clusters 2, 5 and 6. Teachers with a background Physics are recommended to apply for Clusters 2 and/or 5. Teachers with a background in Chemistry are recommended to apply for Cluster 6.

The Teacher Fellows program provides an opportunity for outstanding high school teachers to participate in COSMOS at UCSD. Teachers apply to the program and indicate the academic cluster in which they would like to participate. Each cluster is led by a UCSD faculty team who are offering the courses.

Program Highlights

• COSMOS 2013 will run from Sunday, July 7th - Saturday, August 3th, 2013
• Teachers participate in training & logistics meetings in May and July
• Applications must be postmarked by February 1, 2013 
• Stipend: $4,600.00 (full five-week participation required)
• Free lunch provided to teachers Mondays-Fridays on campus during program dates.
• Opportunity to apply for a grant for equipment for your high school classroom (Max of $1,400.00).
• High school teachers who are interested in participating in COSMOS may also request an application for the COSMOS Teacher Fellows position by contacting cosmos@ucsd.edu or calling 858-822-4361.

Teacher Fellows serve as the pedagogical bridge between high school student learning and university faculty teaching. They directly participate in all classroom, laboratory and field work and serve as a liaison between the residential and academic programs. Teacher Fellows also are trained to teach the COSMOS Science Communication Course curriculum, which provides students with oral and written presentation skills; review and interpretation of scientific research; and final group project preparation.

Teacher Fellows may also be called upon to consult with faculty on course design, provide supplemental instruction, mentor students and supervise course projects. COSMOS provides the opportunity for Teacher Fellows to work with gifted and talented high school students from all over the state, form relationships with university researchers and scientists, exposure to the distinguished guest speakers as they share cutting-edge research in our weekly lecture series, gain access to university resources and learn the latest information regarding UC admission and financial aid criteria.

All Teacher Fellows will be required to undergo a background check.

Although lunch is provided for teachers on weekdays (Monday through Friday), other meals and lodging are not provided by the program. On-campus parking is also provided by the program.

To read about other Teacher Fellows and their COSMOS experiences we invite you to visit the main UCOP website by going to www.ucop.edu/cosmos.

Here's what some of our past Teacher Fellows are saying about the program:

Joseph H.: "Being a teacher fellow with COSMOS gives educators the unique opportunity of working with renowned researchers, university faculty, graduate and undergraduate college students, a hard working and organized staff, and most importantly, a group of diverse, intelligent, and motivated high school students. My experience gave me insight to the world of STEM education, ideas for my own curriculum, and insight to how to improve my teaching practice."

Shirley M.: "Being a Teacher Fellow has given me ideas to inspire my students with. I have had the opportunity to see first-hand how life-changing COSMOS is for students and highly encourage my own students to apply. It has changed my students lives - the ones that go to COSMOS and those that are in my classes by my own participation. I continually get new and fresh ideas - every year is different and inspiring!"

My-Nga I.: "COSMOS was the BEST experience I have had in summer professional growth! Although it seems like a contradiction, I learned more during this summer than I've learned in the last few years doing professional growth in my district. The opportunity to work with university professors was remarkable. We shared many stories during the month which gave me a window into what the professors experience with students I ultimately send to them. The material I learned and can now bring to my students because of the grant brings a whole new level of excitement for me as a teacher. I'm starting to reach out even further to try to bring the material to my classroom. I had no idea there were so many resources out there for molecular biology!"

Brinn B.: "The best summer teaching experience available."