IISME is best known for its Summer Fellowship Program, which provides Bay Area teachers of all subjects (emphasis on science, mathematics and technology) with mentored, paid summer internships in industry, university laboratories and government agencies. IISME offers year-round assistance to teachers as they translate their summer experiences into updated and enriched classroom instruction. Summer meetings, peer coaching, resource brokering, academic year workshops and training sessions, small grants, and an electronic network are among the services IISME provides to teachers. It is precisely these activities that make IISME a valuable professional development experience for teachers, rather than “just a summer job.”

Future Connections coordinates industry-based professional development days for educators to a wide variety of companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Educators gain a first hand look at the high performance, high-technology companies and learn how the skills they are teaching their students today apply to the careers of the 21st century.