Focus on the Environment: Recruiting Underrepresented Minority Students into the Geosciences

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Wesleyan University will carry out a pilot study to examine the effectiveness of a multi-layered strategy to engage, recruit, and retain more underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate college students in the geosciences at a small, liberal arts school. Using a combination of University and NSF funds, this project will survey all first-year students arriving at Wesleyan about their attitudes towards, and background in, geoscience and the out-of-doors. This information will be used to help define specific topics in the geosciences which are of particular interest to URM students, if any, and identify student needs or concerns that may prevent them from pursuing this subject as a major. A new seminar in environmental science, racism, and justice will be developed and offered to incoming students, who participate in a summer seminar prior to arriving on campus for their freshman year. A summer internship for rising sophomores will be established, with up to 5 students working at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the hydrological consulting firm of Leggette, Brashears & Graham, or participating in summer research experiences with Wesleyan University or Queens College faculty. To help build a network of support for minority students entering the geoscience program, a variety of activities that foster a sense of community, including a Homecoming Weekend geoscience seminar and reception for minority students taking geoscience courses and their families, will be created. The strategies developed for this program, if effective, may serve as a model for broadening participation in the geoscience departments at similar institutions elsewhere.