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

促进学生对地球科学的参与是各级地球科学教育工作者的首要任务，因为更广泛的社会正在经历大规模退休和合格个人的短缺，以取代他们的劳动力。地球科学社区也在努力使其劳动力多样化。许多研究表明，在教育早期接触过地球科学研究的本科地质学学生比没有接触过地球科学研究的同龄人更有可能从事地球科学职业。威克技术社区学院（Wake Tech）正在解决这些问题，为其不同人口的入门地质学学生提供带薪的暑期地球科学研究机会，在合作机构：北卡罗来纳州立大学（NCSU）和北卡罗来纳州自然科学博物馆（NCMNS）。参加暑期实习的学生也将通过多种机会向不同的观众展示他们的研究项目，包括在专业会议上，向其他本科生、高中生和公众展示他们的研究项目，从而融入到一个正在进行的指导和专业社交项目中。该项目正在为该项目的学生创造更广泛的影响，而不仅仅是直接的研究经历，因为更多样化的学生群体有可能吸引更多来自代表性不足的群体的学生，因为他们正在考虑自己的专业选择。位于北卡罗来纳州罗利的维克理工大学有一个庞大而繁荣的地质学入门课程，由各种各样的大一和大二学生组成，他们希望转到四年制大学。该项目致力于：1)增加从社区学院转到四年制学院和大学地球科学专业的学生人数，包括那些在地球科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生；2)在合作机构（NCSU和NCMNS）为三组12名Wake Tech学生提供引人入胜的前沿地球科学暑期研究实习经历；3)论证社区大学生早期研究经历的有效性；4)每年吸引1300多名威克理工大学地球科学专业学生参与更多基于当前NCSU/NCMNS地球科学研究的探究调查。完成暑期研究实习的学生还将通过参与环境与工程地质学家协会（AEG）的威克理工大学学生分会，并与当地高中、威克理工大学学生和NCMNS访客进行接触，促进对地球科学职业和问题在威克县更广泛人群中的更好理解。维克理工大学、NCSU和NCMNS之间强有力的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最初的兴趣到接受为期四年的大学地球科学项目。

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.