Place-Based Geology Courses For Hispanic Undergraduates: Track 1

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Track 1: Place-Based Geology Courses for Hispanic UndergraduatesDespite its large Hispanic population, California produces a disproportionately low number of Hispanic scientists. The primary objectives of this project are to: 1) increase diversity among undergraduate students in geology at California State University - Sacramento (CSUS); and 2) increase opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students of color to participate in research. To encourage Hispanic students to become geology majors, a place-based introductory geology course entitled "Geology of Mexico" will be developed and used to engage students through the use of inquiry-based activities. The course will also encourage students to enter the geoscience workforce through explicit reference to career paths open to geology students. A partnership with the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico at Queretaro has led to development and co-teaching of a Mexico-based field course and collaborative research opportunities for undergraduate geology majors. Graduate students from CSUS will be trained to act as mentors to undergraduates in the Geology of Mexico course and in the field course. The project is intended to provide support services and mentoring for minority students and high-quality learning experiences based on current educational research. Data about the effectiveness of a place-based approach to increasing diversity is being collected. All case-study information and data collected in preparation for the course are being digitized and made available through the web for others to use, thereby expanding number of available resources related to teaching geology in Mexico.