The IISME Summer Fellowship Program places K-16 teachers of all subjects into high-performance work sites for the summer. Teachers complete a project for their sponsors and are paid $8,200 for their work. Teachers also spend time focusing on ways to transfer their Summer Fellowship experience back to their students and colleagues. In the past 26 years, IISME has offered 2,815 Summer Fellowships to teachers from 626 schools in 121 districts.   Through these teachers, IISME-related ideas have reached over 2 million students, approximately 35% of whom are educationally disadvantaged and traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering fields.   How do teachers and sponsors benefit from the Summer Fellowship Program? Teachers gain:  Up to $8,200 income ($900 per week, plus $1000 in Fellowship Grants)    Hands-on, practical experience to broaden their perspective    Stimulus for standards-based curriculum development         Better understanding of skill requirements needed in modern workplace    New & enhanced skills and discovery of hidden skills transferable to teaching    Improved opportunities for infusing their curriculum with relevance        Lasting partnership with their sponsor organization, based on personal contact    Professional community supportive of risk taking and change    An opportunity to raise awareness among employers of current developments in education Host employers gain:  Eager and skilled temporary professional employees to work on a project (without adding to the "headcount")    An external opinion and new perspective brought by an educator          An opportunity to clarify skills needed for tomorrow's workforce        Enhancement of employer's image in the community                     A leadership development opportunity for the employee who mentors an IISME teacher    The chance to make a real contribution to education IISME Fellows bring to the workplace university degrees and many skills equivalent to their industry or government agency colleagues. On average, IISME Teacher Fellows have 8 years of teaching experience. They are self-directed, highly motivated, quick learners, and used to working independently.