GP-EXTRA:Pathways to atmospheric science through immersion in geoscience research

随着美国越来越成为一个少数民族国家，沿着，劳动力中的女性人数越来越多，科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）劳动力并不多样化，也没有反映出人口统计的变化。非裔美国人，西班牙裔和美国原住民学生在地球科学本科或研究生学位毕业的人数很少，是所有STEM领域中最低的。总的来说，在这个国家培训地球科学家的速度将不足以填补大量的空缺STEM职位将在不久的将来创建。 尽管不断努力，地球科学界仍然很难从代表性不足的群体中招募和留住学生和教师，并且在历史黑人学院和大学（HBCU）等少数民族服务机构中很少有地球科学项目。地球科学家的培训对国家至关重要，因为有关能源，水管理，气候变化和空气质量的重要全球问题的知情决策需要在地球科学方面的培训。 例如，由于恶劣天气事件影响了最脆弱的（低收入和少数民族）社区，因此必须对这些社区的学生进行地球科学培训，以帮助建立一个合格的专业人员库，他们可以解决不利社区的恶劣天气影响问题，并提供气候和恶劣天气知识。该提案的目的是通过新的程序设计开发一个可持续的管道，在NCAT的大气科学本科和/或研究生课程。方案设计有四个组成部分：1）通过竞争性选拔标准和财政支持招募合格的学生，2）基于报告的最佳实践的队列建设活动，3）NCAT的本科生全年研究机会，并辅以实地考察该地区和该州的大气科学和气象设施，和4）短期但密集的研究访问科罗拉多州立大学和国家大气研究中心（NCAR）。拟议的计划将提供精心设计的基于问题的学年地球科学（大气科学）的研究经验，每年竞争性选择的八个本科生的队列（在赠款的生命周期24）。该队列将从NCAT的未申报专业（大学生和大三学生），NCAT校园内早期STEM学院高中的职前教师和高年级学生中招募。研究经验将包括在大气化学和天气与气候建模的社会相关的主题。 创造创新环境的关键机制将是在实习期间接触主要大学和国家研究实验室的前沿研究。通过对科罗拉多州立大学和NCAR的短期访问和对当地国家气象局设施，NOAA设施，大学设施和私人天气和气候相关设施的为期一天的实地考察，增强和丰富了研究经验。

As the U.S. becomes increasingly a nation of ethnic minorities along with increasing numbers of women in the workforce, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce is not as diverse and does not reflect the change in demographics. The low numbers of African-American, Hispanic, and Native-American students graduating with either undergraduate or graduate degrees in the geosciences is the lowest within all of the STEM fields. In general, the rate at which geoscientists are trained in this country will not be enough to fill the large number of vacant STEM positions to be created in the near future. Despite continued efforts, the geosciences community still has difficulty recruiting and retaining students and faculty from underrepresented groups, and there are very few geosciences programs at minority serving institutions like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Training of geoscientists is critical for the nation since informed decisions on important global issues related to energy, water management, climate change, and air quality require training in the geosciences. For example, because severe weather events have impacted the most vulnerable (low income and minority) communities, it is imperative that students from these communities be trained in the geosciences to help create a pool of qualified professionals who can then address the issues of severe weather impacts in disadvantaged communities and provide climate and severe weather literacy. The objective of this proposal is to develop a sustainable pipeline to undergraduate and/or graduate programs in atmospheric sciences at NCAT through a new program design. The program design has four components: 1) Recruitment of qualified students through competitive selection criteria and financial support, 2) Cohort building activities based on reported best practices, 3) Undergraduate year round research opportunity at NCAT complemented with field trips to atmospheric sciences and meteorology facilities in the region and the state, and 4) Short but intensive research trip to Colorado State University and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).The proposed program will provide carefully designed problem-based academic-year geosciences (atmospheric sciences) research experience for cohorts of eight undergraduate students competitively selected annually (24 over the life of the grant). The cohort will be recruited from a pool of undeclared majors (sophomores and juniors) at NCAT, pre-service teachers and seniors from the Early STEM College high school on the campus of NCAT. The research experience will include topics that are socially relevant in atmospheric chemistry and weather and climate modeling. The key mechanisms for creating an environment of innovation will be exposure to the cutting-edge research in major university and national research laboratories during internships. The research experience is enhanced and enriched through short visits to Colorado State University and NCAR and daylong field trips to local National Weather Service facilities, NOAA, facilities, university facilities and private weather and climate related facilities.