Creating and Sustaining Diversity in the Geo-Sciences Among Students and Teachers in the Urban and Coastal Environment of New York City

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This project is addressing the shortage of undergraduate and graduate degrees being earned in the geosciences, particularly by members of racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields. The New York City College of Technology (City Tech) is simultaneously attacking this problem from two fronts - the undergraduate level and the grade 6-12 level. For City Tech's undergraduates, this project is introducing geoscience knowledge and opportunities to its diverse undergraduate student population through creation of two new courses in the geosciences, which is not currently taught at City Tech, and research experiences. Creation of geoscience articulation agreements with the City College of New York is also creating pathways for students at City Tech to pursue Bachelor's and advanced degrees in the geosciences. For students in grades 6-12, this project is: 1) providing inquiry-oriented geoscience experiences (pedagogical and research) for students; 2) providing standards-based professional development (pedagogical and research) in Earth science for teachers from three separate middle and high schools of the New York City public school system; 3) developing teachers' inquiry-oriented and place-based instructional techniques; 4) assisting teachers with improving their existing curricula to meet the specific needs of their school district; 5) increasing teacher content knowledge and confidence in working with Earth science scholars; 6) improving teacher skills in synthesizing and transforming their knowledge to be used in the classroom; 7) engaging students in the application of geoscience activities through a virtual environment; 8) providing peer-assisted math foundations that will underpin and elucidate geoscience concepts; and, 9) creating community-based geoscience outreach activities. These objectives are being accomplished through geoscience partnerships and activities between City Tech, City College, MS 394 in Brooklyn, City Polytechnic High school, the Urban Assembly Institute of Math & Science for Young Women, NOAA-CREST, the New York City Research Institute program at NASA/GISS Columbia University, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The proposed activities combine geoscience research experiences with focused, multidimensional/layered mentoring, and a robust learning community that produce holistic and engaging stimuli for the scientific and academic growth and development of undergraduates and the grades 6-12 student and teacher participants. The diverse students participating in this program and the educational pathways catalyzed through this award will become the future geocientists of our nation. Even those students who choose other careers will greatly benefit both themselves and our society by having a deeper understanding and a broader awareness of the critical nature of the geosciences. The proposed activities are also providing the grade secondary school teachers with new perspectives and skills that can be used to inspire the next generation of geoscience scholars.