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

必须通过增加招聘和留住来满足对地球科学家日益增长的需求。鉴于美国人口稳步向城市中心迁移，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招聘的问题非常相似。许多学生和他们的家人没有意识到，地球科学为利用先进技术解决社会面临的一些最具挑战性的问题的职业提供了越来越多的机会。城市地质学家致力于研究广泛的当地问题，包括废物管理、洪水控制、海滩滋养、交通基础设施、地面沉降以及“水力压裂”对环境的影响。为了增加地球科学劳动力的规模和多样性，并跟上21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。新的战略包括：编写突出城市地球科学就业机会的材料，在数学方面进行同行辅导，以帮助从其他学科过渡到理科的学生，以及学生学徒制，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部分。首先，招生工作的重点是为学生及其家长提供职业信息，以克服对机会的误解。这些信息将在访问该大学期间提供给未来的学生，提供给系里的普通教育和初级课程，并提供给校园少数群体参与联盟。除了职业信息外，普通教育课程还包括服务学习模块，向学生通报他们新的地质技能的应用情况。其次，城市地球科学家计划的重点是通过一个数学指导计划留住新的专业。数学要求往往是学生从非理科专业转学的严重障碍，也是许多人从科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)专业退学的原因。Math Partners项目将地质学和环境科学专业的大三和大四学生配对，他们至少完成了一个学期的微积分课程，作为新招聘专业的导师。新生正受益于专业的一对一辅导，这些专业经历了他们的挣扎，可以帮助他们掌握定量技能与地球科学职业之间日益重要的联系。导师们通过教学加强了他们对数学的理解。合作也促进了专业内部的同志情谊。该项目的第三部分侧重于通过学徒为城市地球科学家提供职业发展途径，为他们进入劳动力市场做好准备。这包括一个新的证书项目，教授工作技能，当地公司的实习机会，以及与研究生和教职员工合作的本科生研究经验。创建包括科学和教育领域的校友、教职员工、本科生和研究生在内的城市地球科学家学习社区，增强了主动性，也是该项目的明确目标。正在使用评估工具来确定干预的有效性和时机。结果，如增加专业，减少重复的数学课程，以及留住STEM，正在通过人口统计分组进行评估。将坦普尔大学作为城市地球科学的典范，预计该项目的结果将对通过申请其他大学在全国范围内招生具有重要意义，这些大学正在努力招收和留住来自不同背景的学生，并为他们成功地从事地球科学事业做好准备。

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.