The role of retired engineers in pre-college science and mathematics education

RE-SEED (Retirees Enhancing Science Education through Experiments and Demonstrations) is a program that prepares retired science and engineering professionals to work as volunteers in middle school science classrooms. After participating in a 50-hour training program, RE-SEED volunteers assist middle school science teachers with teaching the basic concepts and principles of the physical sciences, the branch of sciences in which the teachers are trained the least. Participants volunteer once a week for at least one academic year. More than 320 RE-SEED volunteers have worked in schools in nine states throughout the country, offering more than 200,000 hours of their time. The rigorous training the volunteers receive and the long time commitment that they offer sets this program apart from any volunteer science education program involving scientists and engineers. RE-SEED is a Northeastern University program that started in 1991 under a National Science Foundation grant.