Every science teacher has heard the innocent question that sometimes comes up “are you a REAL scientist?” from students. Depending on the path taken from college to the classroom, this questions may cause one to pause occasionally and think that a refresher course with some scientists would be a good thing. If you have ever felt this way or just want to have some fun, The RET (Research Experience for Teachers) programs across the nation are designed just for you.  The goal of the program is to “… help build long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 STEM teachers, community college faculty, and the National Science Foundation university research community by involving teachers in research and helping them translate their research experiences into classroom activities.”  This translates into lots of opportunities to get out in the field and make some friends, get out of the rut you may be in, and bring some fresh STEM ideas to your students in the fall.  You can search for very broad range of activities in every state at the pathways to science site. There are topics of interest for every STEM discipline, and many outside the traditional STEM realm. Examples include areas from materials research and nanotechnology, radioastronomy, mechatronics, and oceanography. Take a good look now and which programs might be available now, or plan ahead for deadlines to apply for next summer. We’d like to hear about your experiences with any of the RET programs, so feel free to share your story with us!