Collaborative Research GP-EXTRA: Engaging Diverse Two-Year College Geoscience Students: Expanding Opportunities Through Undergraduate Research and Mentoring

促进学生参与地球科学是各级地球科学教育工作者的首要任务，因为更广泛的社区正在经历大规模退休和缺乏合格的个人来取代他们的劳动力。地球科学界也在努力使其劳动力多样化。许多研究表明，在教育早期接触地球科学研究的本科地质学学生比没有接触地球科学的同龄人更有可能从事地球科学事业。威克技术社区学院（威克技术）正在解决这些问题，为不同的地质学入门学生提供在合作机构的带薪夏季地球科学研究机会：北卡罗来纳州州立大学（NCSU）和北卡罗来纳州自然科学博物馆（NCMNS）。 谁参加暑期实习的学生也正在通过多种机会，目前他们的研究项目，以各种观众，包括在专业会议，其他本科生，高中生和公众的辅导和专业社交的持续计划整合。 该项目正在创造更广泛的影响，超越了直接的研究经验，为学生在该计划，因为一个更多样化的学生群体的外联吸引更多的学生从代表性不足的群体，因为他们考虑自己的专业选择的潜力。维克技术，位于北卡罗来纳州的罗利，有一个大型和蓬勃发展的地质学入门课程，由不同的大一和大二学生谁正在寻找转移到四年制院校。该项目致力于：1）增加学生人数，包括来自地球科学代表性不足的群体的学生，从社区学院转到四年制学院和大学的地球科学课程; 2）为三批12名Wake Tech学生提供合作机构的引人入胜的尖端地球科学暑期研究实习经验（NCSU和NCMNS）; 3）证明社区大学生早期研究经验的有效性;和4）从事超过1300维克理工地球科学的学生，每年在更多的调查研究的基础上，目前NCSU/NCMNS地球科学研究。完成暑期研究实习的学生还参与促进更好地了解地球科学的职业生涯和威克县更广泛的人口之间的问题，通过参与环境和工程地质学家协会（AEG）的威克技术学生分会和推广到当地高中，威克技术学生和NCMNS游客。Wake Tech，NCSU和NCMNS之间的强大合作伙伴关系确保了最高质量的研究经验和指导，并仔细关注指导学生从他们最初的兴趣到接受四年制大学地球科学课程。

Promoting student involvement in the geosciences is of utmost priority for geoscience educators at all levels, as the broader community is experiencing mass retirement and a shortage of qualified individuals to replace them in the workforce. The geoscience community is also struggling to diversify its workforce. Much research demonstrates that undergraduate geology students who are exposed to geoscience research early in their education are much more likely to pursue geoscience careers than their peers who did not have this exposure. Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech) is addressing these issues by providing its diverse population of introductory geology students with paid summer geoscience research opportunities at partner institutions: North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS). Students who participate in the summer internships also are being integrated in an ongoing program of mentoring and professional socialization through multiple opportunities to present their research projects to various audiences, including at professional meetings, to other undergraduates, to high school students, and to the public. The project is creating broader impacts beyond the immediate research experiences for students in the program, because of the potential of outreach by a more diverse group of students for attracting additional students from underrepresented groups as they consider their own choice of major.Wake Tech, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, has a large and flourishing introductory geology program consisting of diverse freshman and sophomore students who are looking to transfer to four-year institutions. This project is working to: 1) increase the number of students, including those from groups underrepresented in geosciences, transferring from community college to geoscience programs at four-year colleges and universities; 2) provide three cohorts of 12 Wake Tech students with engaging, cutting-edge geoscience summer research internship experiences at partner institutions (NCSU and NCMNS); 3) demonstrate the effectiveness of early research experiences for community college students; and 4) engage more than 1300 Wake Tech geoscience students each year in a greater number of inquiry investigations based on current NCSU/NCMNS geoscience research. Students completing the summer research internship are also involved with promoting a better understanding of geoscience careers and issues among the broader population of Wake County through participation in the Wake Tech Student Chapter of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) and outreach to local high schools, Wake Tech students, and NCMNS visitors. The strong partnership between Wake Tech, NCSU, and the NCMNS ensures the highest quality of research experiences and mentoring with careful attention to mentoring students from their initial interest through acceptance in a four-year college geoscience program.