Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia (IDEA): Leveraging Resources to Increase Participation of Underrepresented Minority Students in Geosciences

北卡罗来纳大学环境研究所（IE）与北卡罗来纳州通过教育创造机会联盟（OPT-ED）合作，开展了一项为期五年的多管齐下的努力，以大幅提高代表性不足的少数民族（URM）学生在北卡罗来纳州地球科学研究和教育中的参与度。增加多样性和加强学术（IDEA）合作伙伴关系扩大了现有的NC OPT-ED网络，增加了地球科学研究的重点，并将该项目扩展到伊丽莎白城市州立大学（ECSU），这是北卡罗来纳州东部的一所历史悠久的黑人学院和大学（HBCU）。美国国家科学基金会资助的OPT-ED项目是北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校（UNC-CH）、北卡罗莱纳州立大学（NCSU）和北卡罗来纳农业技术大学（NC a&t）的正式联盟，鼓励北卡罗来纳大学的学生攻读博士学位，并支持北卡罗来纳大学学生的其他教育项目。拟议中的项目采用基于地点的方法，吸引来自北卡罗来纳州东部的少数民族学生了解和解决他们所在地区面临的地球科学问题，重点是流域水文学、沿海海洋过程、土地利用变化和发展中的气候变化之间的联系。IDEA项目的目标是：为URM高中学生实施动手和思考地球科学活动，以鼓励他们的教育进入下一个阶段；招收和培养本科生攻读地球科学硕士和博士学位；并在夏季和学年为本科生提供高质量的地球科学研究体验。这些目标正在通过项目活动的组合来实现，这些项目活动包括面向高中生的暑期科学充实计划；为中学生开设的周六大学预科学院；为中学及大专学生举办的联盟日，提供专业发展工作坊；本科生学年和暑期研究经历；以及为本科生举办的其他专业发展和社交活动。该项目包括为学生提供经济支持的资源，培养关键技能，帮助学生更好地为攻读高级学位做准备，并由大学教师和合作院校的管理人员提供重要的指导。

The UNC Institute for the Environment (IE), in partnership with the North Carolina Alliance to Create Opportunity Through Education (OPT-ED), is engaged in a multi-pronged, five-year effort to increase substantially the participation of underrepresented minority (URM) students in geoscience research and education in North Carolina. The Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia (IDEA) partnership is expanding the existing NC OPT-ED network by adding a geoscience research focus and extending the program to Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), an Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in eastern North Carolina. The NSF-funded OPT-ED program is a formal alliance of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), North Carolina State University (NCSU), and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University (NC A&T) that encourages URM students to pursue doctorates and supports other education programming for URM students. The proposed project is using place-based approaches to engage minority students from eastern North Carolina in understanding and solving geoscience problems facing their region, with an emphasis on the linkages between watershed hydrology, coastal marine processes, land use change and developing climate change. The IDEA project objectives are to: implement hands-on and minds-on geosciences activities for URM high school students to encourage their education to the next level; recruit and prepare undergraduates to pursue MS and PhD degrees in the geosciences; and, provide high quality geosciences research experiences for undergraduate students in the summer and academic year. These goals are being achieved through a combination of project activities that include summer science enrichment programs for high school students; a Saturday pre-college academy for secondary school students; an alliance day for secondary and post-secondary students that provides professional development workshops; academic year and summer research experiences for undergraduates; and other professional development and networking events for undergraduate students. The project includes resources to support students financially, develops critical skills that help students be better prepared for pursuing advanced degrees, and provides significant mentoring by university faculty and administrators at the partner institutions.