Expanding Links to Careers in Aquatic Sciences

汉普顿大学和美国湖沼学和海洋学学会（ASLO）提议为一项计划提供新的资金，以增加选择水产科学职业的代表性不足的少数民族的数量。 该计划针对少数民族学生，教师和专业人士感兴趣的水产科学，以及教师在历史上少数民族学院和大学（HMCU）工作。 与会者获得了ASLO的免费会员资格，并获得了参加年度会议和会前特别讲习班的支助。 目前的建议将培养过去的参与者的发展，并将新的学生群体纳入这一进程。 自1990年启动该方案以来，已有456名学生和25名导师参加了该方案。 本提案中要求的资金将使该项目再持续五年（2005-2009年）。参加一次ASLO会议的学生中约有42%返回参加随后的会议。也许最重要的是，参加该计划的研究生人数在2003年增加到25%。这些研究生中的许多人作为本科生参加了该计划。近年来，许多参与者（70%）是女性，这反映了全国少数民族男性大学生入学率下降的趋势，来自127个不同机构的学生参加了该方案，仅2003年就有25所不同的学院和大学参加。Cuker博士在这项工作的基础上获得了1999年的PEW奖学金，并通过地球科学多样性计划获得了资金，以支持2003-2008年汉普顿、VIMS和旧自治领大学的研究生奖学金计划。

Hampton University and the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) propose renewed funding for a program to increase the numbers of under-represented minorities electing careers in aquatic sciences. The program targets minority students, faculty and professionals interested in aquatic sciences, as well as faculty working at Historically Minority Colleges and Universities (HMCU). Participants received a free membership in ASLO and support to attend the annual meetings and special pre-meeting workshops. The present proposal will cultivate the development of past participants and incorporate new cohorts of students into the process. Since the initiation of the program in 1990, over 456 students and 25 mentors have participated in the program. The funding requested in this proposal would continue the project for an additional five years (2005-2009). About 42% of the students who attend one ASLO meeting return for subsequent meeting. Perhaps most significantly, the number of graduate students participating in the program has increased to 25% in 2003. Many of these graduate students participated in the program as undergraduates. Many (70%) of the participants are female in recent years, reflecting a national trend of declining enrollment of male minority students in colleges.Students from more than 127 different institutions have participated, with 25 different colleges and universities in the 2003 program alone. Dr. Cuker received a 1999 PEW Fellowship based on this work, and he has received funding via the Geoscience Diversity program to support a graduate student fellowship program at Hampton, VIMS and Old Dominion Universities from 2003-2008.