Puerto Rico Geomodel: Using Climate Change Research to Improve Geosciences Teaching, Student Research Skills, and Academic Pipeline K-16+ (Track 2)

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This project will establish a geosciences learning community in Puerto Rico comprised of 6 inner city public schools (2 elementary, 2 middle, and 2 high schools), 2 universities (Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) and Universidad del Turabo (UT)), and two non-governmental organizations (Puerto Rico Wetland Foundation (PRWF) and Corredor del Yaguazo) which focus on public education about wetlands. The goal of the program is to increase understanding about the geosciences in Puerto Rico and encourage participation of Hispanic students in geoscience education and research. There are three main project activities, tied together with a thematic focus on climate change and environmental responses, and guided by best practices for recruiting and retaining underrepresented students in STEM disciplines. The Geosciences Classrooms component (Grades K-12) will use undergraduate-graduate student-teacher teams to lead a combination of classroom activities, field experiences, science fair support, and weather data collection and analysis, in order to provide basic content knowledge in the geosciences. Summer training will be provided to participating in-service teachers. Over the proposed project lifetime, the Geosciences Classroom component will serve approximately 900 K-12 students and 30 teachers. The Saturday Geoacademy component will competitively recruit 10 students (Grades 9-12) each year to work with 1 graduate student and 1 undergraduate student to carry out wetlands research over a 10-week period each semester. Beginning in Year 2, the Summer Geofield Training component will identify 10 students in Grades 10-12 to work with 2 undergraduate students and 2 graduate students as part of a 4-week research training program in wetlands research. Together, these activities will help to establish a seamless pipeline for geosciences education and recruitment from underrepresented Hispanic populations.