Copper Triangle Pilot Project: Enhancing Opportunities for Geoscience Studies and Careers in a Culturally Diverse, Underserved Rural Mining Area

铜三角试点项目(CTPP)是亚利桑那州立大学、亚利桑那中部学院、农村高需求学区(高级联合学区)和当地产业(决议铜矿公司)之间的合作伙伴关系，旨在为居住在亚利桑那州中部服务不足的农村矿区(“铜三角”)的少数族裔学生(主要是西班牙裔和美洲原住民)开发一种以研究为基础的、可持续的途径，以获得地球和环境科学方面的学士学位和职业。CTPP针对的是一种其他促进公平和多样性的方案通常不会服务的地理和人口区域：一个农村社区，其人口中有50%以上是代表不足的少数民族，历史上依赖于自然资源的开采。CTPP的相互关联的组成部分，根据目前关于在地球科学领域招收和留住少数族裔学生的最有效做法的研究，包括有效的利益相关者伙伴关系、同时招生的大学课程、以地点为基础的教学、从高中到理学士和理学士的顺利衔接的学术计划、地区暑期STEM实习、指导和支持，以及嵌入式教师专业发展。地球科学课程以地方为基础(位于西南地貌、地质现象、资源和环境问题)，并了解当地社区的不同文化和历史。每个组成部分都使用混合方法进行形成性和总结性评估。该项目得到了社区所有利益攸关方的大力支持和支持，并将通过定期安排的课程、矿业公司的持续支持以及新矿推动的社区和地区的经济多样化和增长，持续到未来。

The Copper Triangle Pilot Project (CTPP) is a partnership among Arizona State University, Central Arizona College, a rural high-need school district (Superior Unified School District) and local industry (Resolution Copper Mining Company) to develop a research-based, sustainable pathway to baccalaureate degrees and careers in the Earth and environmental sciences for underrepresented minority students (mostly Hispanic and Native American) who reside in an underserved rural mining area (the "Copper Triangle") of central Arizona. CTPP is directed toward a type of geographic and demographic region not commonly served by other programs to promote equity and diversity: a rural community with a population that is more than 50% underrepresented minorities, and historically dependent on the extraction of natural resources. The interlinked components of CTPP, informed by current research on the most effective practices for minority-student recruitment and retention in the Earth sciences comprise an effective stakeholder partnership, concurrent-enrollment college courses, place-based instruction, a smoothly articulated academic program from high school to the B.S. and B.A., regional summer STEM internships, mentoring and support, and embedded teacher professional development. The Earth science curriculum is richly place-based (situated in Southwest landscapes, geologic phenomena, resources, and environmental issues) and informed by the diverse cultures and history of the local community. Each component is formatively and summatively assessed using mixed methods. The project has received strong endorsement and support from all community stakeholders and will be sustained into the future with regularly scheduled course offerings, continued support by the mining firm, and by the economic diversification and growth of the community and region catalyzed by the new mine.