In 2004, the U.S. Secretary of Energy announced a new science education initiative to reinvigorate the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) involvement in K-12 science education. Part of this new initiative is a revitalized professional development program for educators, called the Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development (LSTPD) program. The Office of Science at the DOE designed the LSTPD program with teacher input and by using current research and standards for the best practices of teacher professional development. The program's objective is to help teachers become ambassadors for the science community to students and their parents, agents for positive change in science education, and the inspiration for the next generation of scientists, engineers, technicians, and mathematicians that support scientific research for the DOE and the United States.