Posted on August 12, 2025
VICKSBURG, Miss. – After spending four weeks learning alongside engineers and scientists at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), 18 teachers are heading back to the classroom with a renewed love for science and technology.
Established in 2004, the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) provides accessible STEM opportunities that develop and mentor the next generation through real-world experiences, competitions and paid internships. As a partner of AEOP since its beginning, ERDC led the Army with the most student teachers enrolled in the Research Experiences for STEM Educators and Teachers (RESET) program – a division of the AEOP.
RESET provides high-school and middle-school teachers a summer experience working with world-class scientists and engineers at participating Army Research Centers, which has proven to not only renew the teachers’ love for science and technology, but also enrich the work happening at ERDC.
For four weeks this summer, student teachers immersed themselves in ERDC’s research and experiments.
“Having people in the labs that are enthusiastic about the work that we are doing is always very helpful – it is good for me, good for the research and good for ERDC,” said Luke Gurtowski, a research chemical engineer in ERDC’s Environmental Lab (EL).
Gurtowski has been involved in the AEOP program for five years. This year, EL had five student teachers who are not only receiving valuable hands-on experience, but also forming relationships with researchers like Gurtowski, who stay connected throughout the year.
“This is my summer home,” said Tiska Rodgers, a teacher from Missouri who has spent the last five years working as a student teacher through the RESET program.
“This experience reminds you that it’s a big world and allows you to bring some of the things that you are learning back to your students,” Rodgers said when asked why she chooses to come back to ERDC each summer.
“I’ve been able to help my students in their research projects because of the connections that I’ve made through RESET,” added Rodgers, who is entering her 23rd year of teaching.
While filling Falcon tubes with a stock solution, another teacher said that being in the lab at ERDC is like “reigniting the spark.”
“You teach consecutively for 45-minute blocks, so you get burned out with the same curriculum,” said Keishelle Pete, a chemistry and forensic science teacher in Houston, Texas. “Being in the lab reignites the spark and it helps teachers get excited about learning again.”
For the last two months, six of ERDC’s seven labs hosted student teachers from all different backgrounds.
Suneetha Panda, who spent 12 years teaching in India and 10 years in the United States, spent her first summer at ERDC with the Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL). When she returns to her high-school students in Georgia, Panda wants to show them what real research looks like.
“After seeing the projects that are happening here, I want to incorporate hydroponics in my classroom to teach my students how to propagate their own food without soil and a ton of space – I want to show them how you can even use fish that enhance the water with nitrates,” said Panda. “I want to teach my students about sustainability and inspire them to do something for society through science.”
“As a former educator, I see the RESET program as a fantastic opportunity to showcase the wide range of STEM career paths available at ERDC,” said Tracy Gordon, who serves as the coordinator for ERDC’s integration and STEM outreach in the Directorate of Human Capital.
“Hands-on experience with real-world research helps improve classroom teaching and better prepares students for STEM careers,” said Gordon. “ERDC is also able to strengthen its connections with schools and play an important role in developing future scientists and engineers.”
