At the Fred Hutch Science Education Partnership (SEP), we support secondary science teachers through high-quality professional development and access to cutting-edge life science teaching materials. Our program strengthens teachers' understanding of current biomedical research, enriches their pedagogical practices, and supports their growth as leaders in their school communities.
Through SEP, teachers connect with a vibrant network of fellow educators and Fred Hutch researchers while gaining access to our extensive Kit Loan Program. To borrow kits and supplies, teachers must first complete the Summer SEP Professional Development Workshop. However, all secondary science teachers are invited to participate in our school-year workshops and explore our free curriculum resources.
ON THIS PAGE
Summer Session | SEP Application Information | School Year Workshops
Summer Session
At the center of our year-round offerings is the three-week Summer Session, an immersive professional development experience for secondary science teachers. During this program, participants build molecular biology skills alongside colleagues from across Washington state, collaborate with scientist-mentors in their research laboratories, and design a classroom-ready curriculum project that brings their new knowledge and experiences back to their students.
Teaching Lab
Research Lab
Classroom Prep
Teaching Lab
Work with colleagues, lead teachers, and SEP staff learning the key concepts and techniques used in research laboratories, and participate in discussions about integrating research and biotechnology into the classroom.
Application Information
Middle or high school science teachers, if you are interested in learning molecular biology skills with other teachers, working alongside scientist-mentors in their laboratories, and developing a curriculum project to share your experiences with your students, apply to be part of SEP Cohort 2026! This summer is fully in-person and hosted at the Fred Hutch Campus in Seattle. Opportunities for additional funding and housing are available via the Hutch Access Award (application below).
The online application for 2026 Science Education Partnership will open Monday, December 8th, 2025. A preview of the application is available here.
Priority applications for the 2026 cohort are due March 15th, 2026 11:59 pm PST. The priority deadline for the recommendation form is March 31, 2026 11:59 pm PST.
Please contact rwu@fredhutch.org if you have any questions.
Phone or Zoom interviews are required prior to acceptance into the program and will be scheduled by SEP staff.
2026 Program Dates
- Virtual Orientation: Wed, June 10, 2026 | 4:30-5:30pm
- Teacher/Mentor Dinner: Thu, June 25, 2025 | 6:00-7:30pm at Fred Hutch - for Puget Sound area teachers accepted into the program
- Summer Session: Mon - Fri, July 6-24, 2026 | 9:00am-4:00pm daily
- Fall Kickoff Day: Sat, September 12, 2026 | 9:00am-3:00pm
- Virtual Reflection Day: Sat, May 3, 2027 | 4:30-5:30pm on Zoom
Priority applications for the 2026 cohort are due March 15th, 2026 11:59 pm PST. Applications submitted after March 15 maybe considered if spots are available.
Before you apply, we recommend that you review the application PDF (above) which has a summary of the application questions. Please note that the PDF is a preview to be used for reference only. Please DO NOT fill out the preview and submit it in place of the online application.
Complete the online application (above). As part of the application, you will need to upload your resume, a Statement of Interest, and provide contact information for a person who will provide a recommendation via our Commitment of Support Form on your behalf. After submitting the application, an automatic email will be sent to your listed principal/school representative with a link to the Commitment of Support form. Please communicate with your recommender to advise them that the recommendation form is only sent to them after you submit your application. A preview of the Commitment of Support Form is here. The priority deadline for the recommendation form is March 31, 2026 11:59 pm PST.
To be considered for the program, you must complete the online application and have the Principal Commitment of Support form completed by the person you identified. Both the application and the Principal Commitment form must be submitted by the deadlines published above.
If you encounter questions or problems with the application, contact us at sep@fredhutch.org.
Eligible applicants must be:
- Secondary science teachers from Washington State, including middle school, high school, and combined 6–12 programs.
- Currently be employed and teaching science (pre-service teachers are also eligible).
- Interested in learning more about cancer research and lab skills.
- Public, private, and tribal schools are all eligible to apply.
- Able to commit to all program dates.
Requirements:
During the program, participants are required to:
- Keep a laboratory notebook
- Prepare a curriculum project
- Participate in program evaluation
- Attending all scheduled days
In addition, your district must commit one day of release time, or equivalent, as evidence of support for your application.
- Participants receive a $2000 participation award for the professional development experience.
- Ongoing access to SEP Kit Loan Program for their entire teaching career including kits, resources, technical support and surplus lab supplies for WA teachers.
- Upon completion of all program requirements, participants may receive either:
- 5 hours of graduate level credit through the University of Washington Department of Genome Sciences, or
- Up to 100 STEM clock hours (cost of clock hours are covered by Fred Hutch
The SEP Program is designed to give teachers hands-on experience with molecular biology equipment and skills, as well as exposure to scientific research. This three-week program takes place in July, with a different focus each week.
Week 1: Intro to Cancer & Lab Skills
This week focuses on foundational science concepts, lab techniques and agrumentation & seminar practices, including:
- Lab skills include: Micropipetting, Gel Electrophoresis, PCR, Bacterial Transformation, DNA Analysis, and ELISA.
- Cancer Introduction: Multiple lessons from the Frontiers Intro to Cancer: Hina's Story unit covering topics like argumentation, the cell cycle, and cancer biology.
- Daily Schedule: Generally runs from 9:00am to 4:00pm with scheduled breaks and lunch.
Week 2: Mentored Research Lab Experience
This week is dedicated to hands-on research in a lab. Teachers and scientific staff at Fred Hutch and UW are paired prior to the start of the program.
- Other Activities: While most the time will be spent in the lab, other requirements include scheduling informational interviews with two researchers, observing a lab meeting, and completing daily reflections on observed argumentation.
- Daily Schedule: Times are set between the participant and their mentor, but generally run from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
Week 3: Project Work Time | Mini-Workshops | Open House
The final week is centered on project development and presentation.
- Activities: Required workshop and optional mini-workshops are offered. During the optional sessions, teachers can choose to attend or use the time to work their curriculum projects.
- Daily Schedule: Monday through Thursday include some required sessions. During project work time, teachers can structure their schedules as needed. On the final day of the program, teachers are expected from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
- The last day of the program includes a Teacher Open House/ Poster Session (11:00am-1:00pm) that is open to the public.
The SEP Hutch Access Award provides financial support for teachers who face financial challenges or other barriers attending the program (for example, teachers who live in areas with limited access to scientific resources or who would otherwise not be able to attend our professional development session).
We provide scholarships up to $3,000 or housing support of equivalent value with funds to support travel. If you would like to be considered, please fill out the Hutch Access Award supplemental application when you apply to the program.
Program perks:
- Participants receive a $1,000 stipend for the professional development experience.
- Upon completion of all program requirements, participants may earn five hours of graduate level credit (at low cost) through the University of Washington Department of Genome Sciences or 50 clock hours through WSTA.
- Ongoing access to SEP kits, resources, technical support and surplus lab supplies.
Choosing Between our Professional Development Programs
The SEP Summer Session professional development program is a 3-week summer program focused on developing teachers’ molecular biology skills and pedagogical practices. If you are interested in a more in-depth research experience, Fred Hutch offers two full-summer research experiences aimed at providing teachers with opportunities to conduct scientific research in a mentored research lab at Fred Hutch.
- The Hutch Fellowship for Excellence in STEM Teaching (HTF) is a summer research experience that involves a cancer research experience paired with the design of innovative cancer-focused curriculum materials.
- Partners in Science 2.0 @ Fred Hutch (PS2) is another summer research experience that will appeal to teachers who want to immerse themselves in a biomedical research-focused experience, discover the process of science, and develop their identities as scientists.
For more information on HTF and PS2, please visit the program websites linked above and view a Comparison of our Summer Teacher Programs.
School Year Workshops
SEP offers workshops throughout the school year that are open to all teachers, participation in SEP Summer Session is not necessary.
Upcoming Workshops
There are no events scheduled at this time.
Your search for "" did not match any of our events. Please try another event term or combination of terms and filters.
Kit Loan Program and Supplies
Program participants have access to the Kit Loan Program developed and maintained by SEP. Fred Hutch and other funders provide these kits to teachers, free of cost.
These kits offer SEP teachers the opportunity to share hands-on laboratory experiences with students in their classrooms, giving students a unique chance to engage in an authentic, problem-solving approach to science using the same tools and concepts utilized by researchers.
Hutch Teacher Fellows
We offer a fellowship for secondary science educators seeking an in-depth, biomedical research experience at Fred Hutch. The fellowship provides support for two summers of research, with additional school year follow-up. While this program is designed for secondary life science teachers, it’s open to other STEM teachers as well.
Partners in Science 2.0 @ Fred Hutch
A new two-year program for secondary science educators based on the Murdock Partners in Science program. The PS2@FH program matches Partner teachers with Mentor scientists for two paid summers of biomedical research in a host lab.