Spending eight weeks at Fermilab was an amazing experience for math and science teacher Eduardo Montoya.

According to Fermilab, it is America’s particle physics and accelerator laboratory. Scientists work with particles and study them.

Montoya was accepted to take part in a summer teacher internship at Fermilab after he submitted the required application.

He spent 360 hours working with and learning about particle physics the relationships and interactions of particles, with Fermilab scientists.  

“Being a teacher, your life has to be about taking classes and studying, but it was a high level of content. It blew my mind. The type of knowledge and research that they do is really hard to grasp,” Montoya said.

Montoya mostly interacted with computers and simulations of particles.

“In my case, I was expecting to work more with machines, but it was what I expected it to be,” Montoya said.

The interaction with new teachers and mentors was the most exciting experience for Montoya.

“I had the chance to see and meet people from many different ages and levels of schooling working in science. There were a lot of people from all over the world and all over the country. They were people dedicated to science,” Montoya said.

Montoya found the internship helpful for his teaching career.

“The particular program I was working in tracks teachers. It gives you a big picture of what it’s like working in science beyond the high school classroom. I certainly encourage all the teachers and scientists to look for a chance to attend or participate,” Montoya said.

Fermilab holds this internship for teachers every summer.