Collaborative Research: GP-EXTRA: Geo-Launchpad: Preparing Colorado Community College Students for Geoscience-Focused Careers

前岭社区学院(FRCC)和UNAVCO是一家非营利性研究机构，运营着NSF支持的大地测量促进地球科学和地球范围(GAGE)基金，他们正在合作一个整体项目，以吸引和留住整个科罗拉多州的社区大学生在地球科学教育和职业道路上。美国地球科学学会2014年劳动力报告预测，到2022年，地球科学家将短缺约13.5万人。越来越多的学生从社区大学的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)学科开始他们的本科职业生涯，这使得两年制和四年制本科院校之间的过渡成为确保学生留住和成功的关键时刻。通过研究经验和实习为学生提供真实的STEM经验，帮助学生了解他们在地球科学领域可获得的职业机会，培养在这些职业中取得成功所需的学术和专业技能，并确定能够在此过程中为他们提供支持的导师和网络，这些都是事实证明的留住学生在STEM途径上的最佳做法。鉴于社区学院学生的人口构成非常多样化，成功地将这些学生转到四年制学位课程有助于扩大传统上代表性不足的学生在STEM和地球科学领域的参与。FRCC和UNAVCO正在合作实施一项以学生为重点的分级计划，为科罗拉多州的社区学院学生提供在地球科学领域的体验式学习机会。Geo-LaunchPad计划通过结构化的体验为学生创造进入以地理为重点的职业生涯的切入点，首先是介绍性研讨会和网络研讨会，以吸引学生，培养职业意识，并启动指导和网络。有动机的学生进入一个为期一学期的地球科学专题课程，旨在培养学生的能力，并重新创造参与。对于选定的一批学生，该项目最终将在UNAVCO进行为期8周的带薪暑期实习，提供社区大学与行业的地球科学途径和科罗拉多州研究机构的高级教育项目的连续性。学生在全球定位系统(GPS)技术的固体地球、冰冻圈、环境科学、水文大地测量学和海洋/大气应用方面进行小组合作。每个实习生由3位导师支持，其中一位在他们的母校。除了增加地球科学内容知识，Geo-Launchpad计划活动还帮助学生培养批判性思维、数据分析、沟通和组织方面的基本技能。在UNAVCO举行的年度小型研讨会为来自科罗拉多州各地的教职员工和学生提供有关Geo-Launchpad计划的信息，以及与指导和建议相关的专业发展。在FRCC实施该计划的最初阶段之后，该项目将招募许多资源，并在网上向全州其他社区大学的学生提供。

Front Range Community College (FRCC) and UNAVCO, a non-profit research facility that operates the NSF-supported Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE) Facility, are collaborating on a holistic project to engage and retain community college students throughtout the state of Colorado in geoscience education and career pathways. The American Geosciences Institute 2014 Workforce Report predicts a workforce shortage of ~135,000 geoscientists by 2022. Increasingly, students begin their undergraduate careers in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines at community colleges, making the transition between two-year and four-year undergraduate institutions a critical juncture for ensuring student retention and success. Providing students with authentic experiences in STEM through research experiences and internships, as well as helping students to understand the career opportunities available to them in the geosciences, to develop the academic and professional skills needed to succeed in those careers, and to identify the mentors and networks that can support them along the way, are proven best practices for retaining students in STEM pathways. Given the very diverse demographic make-up of students attending community colleges, successful transfer of these students into four-year degree programs helps to broaden participation of traditionally underrepresented students in STEM and the geosciences.FRCC and UNAVCO are collaborating to implement a tiered, student-focused program that provides community college students in Colorado with experiential learning opportunities in the geosciences. The Geo-Launchpad program is creating an entry point into geo-focused careers for students through a structured experience, starting with introductory workshops and webinars to engage students, develop career awareness and initiate mentoring and networking. Motivated students move into a semester-long special topics course in geoscience designed to build student capacity, and reinvorce engagement. For a select group of students, the program culminates in an 8-week paid summer internship experience at UNAVCO, which provides continuity of the community college geoscience pathway with the industry and advanced education programs at Colorado's research institutions. Students work in teams on projects focused on solid earth, cryosphere, environmental science, hydrogeodesy, and ocean/atmosphere applications of global postitioning system (GPS) technologies. Each intern is supported by 3 mentors, one of which is located at their home institution. In addition to increasing geoscience content knowledge, the Geo-Launchpad program activities help students build basic skills in critical thinking, data analysis, communication, and organization. An annual mini-symposium at UNAVCO provides faculty and students from around the state of Colorado with information regarding the Geo-Launchpad programs, as well as professional development related to mentoring and advising. After the initial phases of implementating the program at FRCC, the project will recruit and make available online many of the resources to other community college students throughout the state.