NSF Award
1540573
The goal of this project is to strengthen and leverage existing collaborative programs to create a pipeline for recruiting and preparing high school and undergraduate students, particularly those from underrepresented minority groups, for transition to undergraduate and graduate programs in the geosciences. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment related to the geoscience workforce is expected to grow at a faster rate of change on average than other fields over the next decade. Coupled with the looming wave of retirements anticipated within the aging "baby boomer" population, a shortage of ~135,000 geoscientists is forecast within the next several years, particularly within the federal and state agencies that oversee natural resources management and the oil and gas industries. A major challenge to recruiting and preparing students to become the next generation of geoscientists is the general lack of awareness of education and career opportunities in the geosciences, especially among underrepresented minority students and students in underserved communities. Because the geosciences are not often a required part of the high school or undergraduate curriculum, innovative approaches are needed to engage students at critical junctures in their education pathway (e.g., between high school and college). Engaging students in authentic research-based experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines has been shown to be an effective approach to recruiting and retaining students in STEM and the geosciences.<br/><br/>This collaborative project leverages resources at four NOAA-sponsored geoscience Cooperative Science Centers (CSCs), located at minority-serving institutions (University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Howard University, Florida A&M University, City College at City University of New York), and the Woods Hole Consortium of Institutions. The project has five major components: outreach to high schools regarding education and career opportunities in the geosciences; a 6-week summer bridge program for select high school graduates who have been admitted to one of the CSC institutions; a 10-week summer mentored research program in the second year for a sub-set of the summer bridge program students; and, virtual interaction between the summer bridge program participants and the research interns. Academic year support is also provided to the participants through existing NOAA-supported programs at the CSC institutions. Through the CSCs' outreach program, geoscience recruitment materials are being disseminated to high school science teachers and counselors. Nine high school seniors admitted to and preparing to enter college are recruited into the program each year. During the 6-week summer bridge program, these students receive education in the geosciences via lectures and hands-on lab and field activities. Field trips foster cohesion among the cohort of students, while providing an educationally enriching experience. Lectures and tutorials in math are strengthening the interns' quantitative skills, and enrollment in a freshman seminar course is facilitating their adjustments to college life. Participants in the bridge program then have an opportunity to participate in the 10-week summer Woods Hole Partnership Education Program (PEP) during the following summer. The PEP program provides intensive mentored research, a credit-bearing course and supplemental career and professional development activities. Students are working in various research areas of the geosciences in collaboration with the WHOI Consortium of Institutions. Five to 9 undergraduate students are selected each year from the four CSCs to participate in PEP, where they participate in workshops to teach them how to design field and lab research projects, collect and analyze data, and effectively present their results orally, in poster form, and in writing. Through tracking and monitoring, students participating in this project are supported at key transitional educational junctures. This experience will accelerate their preparation for graduate level work and result in a diverse and competent workforce in STEM, particularly in the geosciences. By the end of the 3-year grant, a total of 32 students will have participated in the program, and more than 500 high school juniors and seniors nation-wide will have been reached with geoscience career information through their teachers and counsellors.
