IISME Details: Summer Activities Variety of Job Assignments. IISME Fellows find themselves doing many kinds of things, and in virtually all functional areas within a company - manufacturing, management information systems, training and human resources, engineering, programming, software development, finance and statistics, sales and marketing, etc. They need not be directly related to science or engineering, as long as they are challenging and informative for teachers. Here is collection of sample IISME summer assignments that illustrate the range and diversity of assignments: Advanced Micro Devices Job Requirements: Science, Math, MS Word, Excel Job Description: Determine best method for getting broad involvement in the yield improvement process so that technicians can contribute to improving yield. Alexia Brothers Hospital Job Requirements: Word processing, fluency in Spanish Job Description: Using interviews, perform needs assessment to determine efficiency of outreach programs. Teach health/prenatal care. Applied Biosystems Job Requirements: Biology, Genetics, Macintosh Job Description: Work with "Catalyst" product R&D team to evaluate robotic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) performance; prepare samples and evaluate PCR with gel electrophoresis. Canon Research Job Requirements: Math, IBM, Windows Job Description: Work with research team to develop document processing software and algorithms for character recognition, document identification, and text search and retrieval. Collagen Job Requirements: Biology, biochemistry, automated lab equipment Job Description: Prepare and evaluate highly purified bovine collagen antibodies; document experiments. GE Nuclear Energy Job Requirements: Mathematics, differential equations, IBM Job Description: Assist engineers in performing calculations to analyze boiling water reactor phenomena. Hewlett-Packard Job Requirements: DOS, Telecommunications Job Description: Create the HP 3000's portion of new Internet Mosaic electronic communication forum; assist in production of the customer audio conference. IBM Job Requirements: Turbo Pascal programming Job Description: Perform thin-film magnetic tests. Write turbo Pascal software code for data acquisition and analysis. Intel Job Requirements: Biology Job Description: Work with certified industrial hygienist to determine potential chemical exposure during operation, cleaning and maintenance of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Lockheed Missiles & Space Job Requirements: Chemistry, IBM, dBase IV, WordPerfect Job Description: Review Toxic Substances Control Act for regulatory requirements applicable to chemical use within facilities. Set up database to automate review process. New United Motor Manufacturing Job Requirements: Math, IBM/PC, Foxpro Job Description: Set up math/trigonometry training for Quality Control Department; set up database for Personnel Department. Roche Bioscience Job Requirements: Biology or Biochemistry Job Description: Carry out the high through-put screening for inhibitors of an enzyme target. Test a defined group of samples, report the results and recommend appropriate follow-up. Sandoz Agro Job Requirements: Biological science or chemistry, WordPerfect, scientific software Job Description: Determine the key lethal events associated with inhibition of the plant enzyme, acetolactate synthase. Action Plan. The Action Plan for Classroom Transfer is the primary means by which Fellows transfer their summer work experience to the classroom or school. Fellows work on their Action Plans throughout the summer and are charged with implementing them once school re-starts. IISME began its program requiring Fellows to develop new curriculum for their students. Over time, it was apparent that a) many Fellows were not skilled at writing curriculum; b) many Fellows could not fit more lesson plans into an already packed curriculum; c) many IISME jobs did not relate directly to a Fellow's teaching assignment. To meet these difficulties, the Action Plan requirement was broadened so that what the Fellow would deliver would be useful and relevant to all Fellows' school situations. Each year the best Action Plans are uploaded to IISME's website, and Abstracts of all Action Plans are catalogued for Fellows so that they can see and use what others have created. Community Groups. An important feature of the Summer Fellowship Program is the formation of Community Groups consisting of 8 to 10 IISME Fellows who work in the same or nearby companies. The Community Groups, which meet weekly during the summer, provide opportunities for the Fellows to process their summer experience and also to help one another develop their Action Plans. These meetings are facilitated by IISME Peer Coaches - veteran IISME Fellows whose role it is to help Fellows acclimate to the industry environment, settle in to their assignments, troubleshoot problems, locate resources, and complete a high-quality Action Plan. Mid-Summer Meeting. All IISME Fellows meet together once, for a Mid-Summer meeting to strengthen their collegial network, share experiences and Action Plan ideas, and learn from each other. Other Inter-Teacher Communication. Fellows communicate with IISME staff and each other throughout the summer via an electronic mail list and a teacher-edited newsletter which is published every two weeks.