Pathways to Environmental Science and Sustainability

环境科学和可持续发展之路

• 批准号: 1356358
• 负责人: John Moore
• 金额: $ 60.82万
• 依托单位: Colorado State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-05-01 至 2020-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1356358&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pathways; Environmental; Science; Sustainability

This project focuses on the study of environmental change and solutions to the consequences of these changes to society. The program is built on a collaborative interdisciplinary research history at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL) and the newly established Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability (ESS) within the Warner College of Natural Resources. Degree options in the department include a BS in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and a BS in Watershed Science.Intellectual Merit: NREL and ESS have developed a mature and productive community of scholars who are committed to undergraduate education and experienced in mentoring low income students and students underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Through the education initiatives at the university, there is a recruitment pipeline from partner high schools. What has been missing is a concerted effort to connect the recruitment pipeline and retention activities operated through the student affairs side of campus directly to the research community. This project is making these connections by having researchers work with the student affairs staff to attract and prepare prospective students while they are still in high school. Scholarship recipients are participating in three university programs: 1) the Summer Bridge Program for recent HS graduates, 2) the university Key Freshmen Learning Communities that include students taking common courses and living in the same dormitory, coupled with courses and seminars that foster professional development and bridge science-to-societal issues, and 3) the BS degree programs in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability that stress content knowledge through coursework, research and internships, and opportunities to communicate findings at professional conferences. The six program goals are to: (1) recruit and retain 4 cohorts from 23 partner high schools resulting in a total of 57 lower and upper classmen students over 4 years, from low-income backgrounds, into the BS programs in either Ecosystem Science and Sustainability or Watershed Science; (2) provide the scholars with a multi-year educational experience that includes courses, seminars, research and internship opportunities, and career advising. (3) create a scholarly environment that supports academic success and promotes research skills and intellectual development; (4) provide an environment in which scholars explore environmental questions and discuss solutions to environmental challenges; (5) create a professional development environment that addresses the personal and social needs of the scholars to enable them to pursue a career in ecology or in an ecosystem or watershed science-related field; and (6) institutionalize key elements of the program to sustain it after NSF funding is completed.Broader Impacts: Students are being exposed to relevant questions such as: a) climate variability and biological diversity; b) state-of-the-art field and laboratory approaches, instrumentation, and techniques that include molecular techniques, stable isotopes, and modeling; c) essential professional skills (e.g., analytical, writing and presentation); and d) multiple career options and the pathways through which the students can achieve them (e.g., academia, government, and the private sector). The greatest impact comes from the efforts to connect the recruitment pipeline and support networks operated through the student affairs side of campus directly to the curricula and scholarship practiced by the academic affairs side of campus.

该项目的重点是研究环境变化和解决这些变化对社会的影响。该计划建立在自然资源生态实验室（NREL）和华纳自然资源学院新成立的生态系统科学与可持续发展（ESS）系的跨学科合作研究历史上。该部门的学位选择包括生态系统科学和可持续发展学士学位和流域科学学士学位。智力优势：NREL和ESS已经发展了一个成熟而富有成效的学者社区，他们致力于本科教育，并在指导低收入学生和科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）方面缺乏代表性的学生方面经验丰富。通过在大学的教育举措，有一个从伙伴高中招聘管道。一直缺少的是一个协调一致的努力，通过校园的学生事务方面直接到研究社区的招聘管道和保留活动。该项目通过让研究人员与学生事务人员合作来建立这些联系，以吸引未来的学生并为他们在高中时做好准备。奖学金获得者参加三个大学课程：1）为HS应届毕业生提供的夏桥计划，2）大学重点新生学习社区，包括参加共同课程并住在同一宿舍的学生，以及促进专业发展和桥梁科学的课程和研讨会社会问题，以及3）生态系统科学和可持续发展系的学士学位课程，通过课程，研究和实习强调内容知识，并有机会在专业会议上交流研究结果。六个计划目标是：（1）从23所合作高中招募并保留4个队列，在4年内共招收57名低收入背景的低年级和高年级学生，进入生态系统科学和可持续发展或流域科学的BS课程;（2）为学者提供多年的教育经验，包括课程，研讨会，研究和实习机会，以及职业咨询。(3)创造一个支持学术成功并促进研究技能和智力发展的学术环境;（4）提供一个学者探索环境问题并讨论环境挑战解决方案的环境;（5）创造一个专业发展环境，解决学者的个人和社会需求，使他们能够从事生态学或生态系统或流域科学相关领域的职业;更广泛的影响：学生将接触到相关的问题，如：a）气候变化和生物多样性; B）最先进的现场和实验室方法，仪器和技术，包括分子技术，稳定同位素和建模; c）基本的专业技能（例如，分析，写作和演示）;和d）多种职业选择和学生可以实现这些选择的途径（例如，学术界、政府和私营部门）。最大的影响来自于通过校园的学生事务方面直接连接到校园的学术事务方面实行的课程和奖学金的招聘管道和支持网络的努力。