GP-IMPACT: Career paths for urban geoscientists: recruitment, retention, and apprenticeship

对地球科学家日益增长的需求必须通过增加招聘和留用来满足。 鉴于美国人口向城市中心的稳定迁移，招聘人员将越来越多地需要来自在城市长大的学生。招聘城市地球科学家所涉及的问题与从代表性不足的群体中招聘的问题密切相关。许多学生和他们的家人都不知道在地球科学的职业生涯，使用先进的技术来解决社会面临的一些最具挑战性的问题越来越多的机会。城市地球科学家的工作范围广泛，包括废物管理，洪水控制，海滩营养，交通基础设施，地面沉降和“水力压裂法”的环境影响的地方问题。“为了增加地球科学劳动力的规模和多样性，并跟上21世纪世纪的需求，该项目正在测试新的战略，评估什么是有效的，并与其他大学分享城市地球科学学习社区的模式。 新战略包括：编制材料，突出城市地球科学的就业机会，数学同侪辅导，以帮助学生从其他学科过渡到科学，学生学徒制，以增加就业机会。 城市地球科学家职业道路倡议包括三个主要组成部分。首先，学生招聘的重点是为学生及其家长开发职业信息，以克服对机会的误解。这些信息将在访问大学期间提供给未来的学生，在该系的普通教育和入门课程中提供给学生，并在校园内提供给少数群体参与联盟。 除了职业信息外，还将服务学习模块纳入普通教育课程，向学生介绍新的地质技能的应用。第二，城市地球科学家计划的重点是通过数学指导计划保留新的专业。数学要求通常是学生从非科学专业转换的严重障碍，也是许多人从科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）专业辍学的原因。 数学合作伙伴计划是配对初级和高级地质学和环境科学专业谁已经完成了至少一个学期的微积分作为新招聘的专业导师。新学生受益于一对一的专业谁经历了他们的斗争，谁可以帮助他们掌握定量技能和职业之间日益重要的联系在地球科学教练。导师通过教学加强自己对数学的理解。 共同工作也促进了主要内的同志情谊。该项目的第三个组成部分侧重于通过学徒制加强城市地球科学家的职业道路，使他们为劳动力做好准备。这包括一个新的证书课程，教授工作技能，与当地公司的实习机会，以及与研究生和教师合作的本科研究经验。创建城市地球科学家的学习社区，包括校友，教师，本科生和研究生在科学和教育加强主动性，是这个项目的明确目标。正在采用评估工具来确定干预措施的效力和时机。诸如专业增加、重复数学课程减少以及STEM保留率等结果正在由人口分组进行评估。利用天普大学作为城市地球科学的典范，该项目的研究结果预计将对全国范围内的招聘具有重要意义，其他大学将努力招聘和留住来自不同背景的学生，并为他们成功的地球科学职业做好准备。

The growing demand for geoscientists must be met by increasing recruitment and retention. Given the steady U.S. population migration to urban centers, recruits will increasingly need to come from students who were raised in cities. The issues involved with recruiting urban geoscientists closely parallel those for recruiting from underrepresented groups. Many students and their families are unaware of the growing opportunities in the geosciences for careers that use advanced technology to solve some of the most challenging problems facing society. Urban geoscientists work on a wide range of local problems including waste management, flood control, beach nourishment, transportation infrastructure, land subsidence, and the environmental impact of "fracking." To increase the size and diversity of the geoscience workforce and keep pace with demand in the 21st century, this project is testing new strategies, assessing what works, and sharing the model of an urban geoscience learning community with other universities. New strategies include: developing materials highlighting career opportunities in urban geoscience, peer coaching in mathematics to assist students transitioning into science from other disciplines, and student apprenticeships to boost employment opportunities. The Career Paths for Urban Geoscientists initiative includes three main components. First, student recruitment is focused on developing career information for students and their parents to overcome misconceptions about opportunities. This information is being provided to prospective students during visits to the university, in general education and introductory-level courses in the department, and to the Alliance for Minority Participation on campus. In addition to career information, service learning modules are being included in general education classes to inform students about applications for their new geology skills. Second, the Urban Geoscientists initiative is focusing on retention of new majors through a math-mentoring program. Math requirements are often a serious obstacle for students switching from non-science majors, and a reason many drop out of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors. The Math Partners program is pairing junior and senior geology and environmental science majors who have completed at least one semester of calculus as mentors for newly recruited majors. New students are benefiting from one-on-one coaching by majors who have experienced their struggles and who can help them grasp the increasingly important connections between quantitative skills and careers in the geosciences. The mentors reinforce their own understanding of mathematics through teaching. Working together also promotes camaraderie within the major. The third component of the project is focused on enhancing Career Paths for Urban Geoscientists through apprenticeship that prepare them for the workforce. This includes a new certificate program that teaches job skills, internship opportunities with local companies, and undergraduate research experiences working with graduate students and faculty. The creation of learning communities of urban geoscientists involving alumni, faculty, undergraduate students, and graduate students in both science and education strengthens the initiative and is an explicit goal of this project. Assessment tools are being employed to determine the efficacy and timing of intervention. Outcomes such as an increase in majors, fewer repeated math courses, and retention in STEM are being assessed by demographic groupings. Using Temple University as a model of urban geosciences, the findings of this project are expected to be important for nation-wide recruiting through application at other universities striving to recruit and retain students from diverse backgrounds and prepare them for successful geoscience careers.