2006 Sponsorship Applicant Brochure and Applicant Letter
* 2006 Participant Letter
* 2006 Sponsorship Applicant Brochure

Partners In Energy is a tripartite education project combining resources from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Indiana Community Action Association and utility sponsorship. Together teachers from across the state annually receive full scholarships to the summer NEED conference and materials to support science programs in their local school corporations.

Each spring, an essay contest is advertised to every public and private school in Indiana. The contest encourages teachers to write a brief essay explaining why they wish to attend the NEED summer conference and how they will use this information back in their classroom. Selected teachers receive a full scholarship to the conference and a science of energy kit to use in the classroom. In-service training in their corporation is encouraged to allow the on going education of energy topics to continue.

Training for teachers and students is offered at the local, state, regional and national levels. In the summer, NEED conducts National Energy Conferences for Educators. These national conferences give teachers the opportunity to meet other educators from across the country, design and develop NEED units for their classrooms, and earn graduate credit. They participate in NEED activities, experience field trips to energy sites such as nuclear plants, coal mines, offshore oil production facilities, solar manufacturing facilities, sustainable building projects and more. NEED's sponsors and partners participate as speakers and provide funds to offset the cost of training. Educators leave the workshops with a complete package of NEED materials and units for use in their classrooms. In the summer of 2006, educators from across the country will participate in the National Energy Conferences in Boston,
MA; Seattle, WA; and Denver, CO.

Teachers are vital to the success of the NEED program. NEED teachers in 38 states and territories reach more than 600,000 students each year in their local schools, and many more through outreach programs. Providing teachers with innovative training programs and the support of supportive and responsive NEED staff are key to the strength and the success of NEED.

For more information about the Indiana summer scholarships to the NEED conference, contact Vickie Allen-Beeson at vbeeson@incap.org.