GP-EXTRA: A geoscience pathway field experience in near-surface geophysics to promote recruitment and retention of transitional students in quantitative geosciences

GP-EXTRA：近地表地球物理学的地球科学途径现场经验，以促进定量地球科学领域过渡学生的招募和保留

• 批准号: 1701013
• 负责人: Kristina Keating
• 金额: $ 38.08万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University Newark
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-07-01 至 2022-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1701013&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GP; EXTRA; geoscience; pathway; field

Part IGeoscience fields have the worst record of any STEM field in terms of diversity and generating interest among under-represented minority (URM) students. Statistically, geoscience fields are the least ethnically diverse of all the sciences with only about 9% of BS/BA and 2% of PhD?s going to URM candidates nationally. The number of students receiving geoscience degrees will not meet future workforce demands and URM students represent an untapped resource to fill this demand. Increasing the retention of students and increasing the number of URM students enrolling in the geosciences can address these problems. The goal of this GP-EXTRA project is to recruit and retain students in the geosciences through a multi-institutional near-surface (NS) geophysics applied field experience. The field experience will focus on addressing ongoing scientific questions in critical zone science. It will expose students to state-of-the-art geophysical equipment, an active field research laboratory, and experts in near-surface geophysics and critical zone science, and potential geoscience career paths. This positive field experience and post-activity mentoring will provide GEOPATH students with a sense of community within the geosciences and increase the likelihood that they will continue to pursue careers in the geosciences. Part IIAs outlined in the GP-EXTRA program solicitation, the number of students receiving geoscience degrees will not meet the future workforce demand. This problem can be addressed by both increasing the retention of students and increasing the number of students enrolling in the geosciences. In particular, minority students are severely underrepresented in the geoscience fields and represent an untapped resource to fill this demand. To address this problem, we propose to implement a multi-institutional near-surface (NS) geophysics applied field experience, focused on addressing ongoing scientific questions in critical zone science. The experience will expose students to state-of-the-art geophysical equipment, an active field research laboratory, experts in near-surface geophysics and critical zone science, and potential geoscience career paths.The GEOPATH (GP) students in the NS geophysics field experience will be drawn from the two primary institutions involved in this project: Rutgers University, Newark (RN), a Hispanic- Serving Institution, and Temple University (TU). These institutions are connected to 2- and 4-year colleges via the Garden State-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GS-LSAMP; PI Gates), the Northern New Jersey Bridge to the Baccalaureate (NNJB2B) program, and Temple Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP). GP students will also be drawn from secondary participating 4-year institutions in the northeast (Penn State University, Dickinson College, Kutztown University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Bucknell University).Recruitment of GP students from these institutions will focus on underrepresented minorities (URMs) and students from 2-year institutions. The participants will be lower-level undergraduate students (freshman/sophomores) who will have a unique opportunity to participate in a NS geophysics field experience, usually only taught to upper-level undergraduate students. These students are at a critical juncture in their academic career when exposure to opportunities and career options can have an impact on decisions about which major to choose. Focusing our recruitment on first and second year students will also ensure students enter the field experience with an equivalent exposure to the subject matter regardless of academic background.The field experience will be held at the Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SH-CZO). This field site is ideal as it will expose students to ongoing research in critical zone science. The syllabus and NS geophysics problem sets for the field experience will be developed to address pressing research questions at the SH-CZO. At field stations, GP students will work alongside a graduate student mentor in smaller cohorts (6 students); larger group workshops and presentations are integrated in the schedule to give students the resources to work effectively within a group, learn how to design a research experiment, and analyze datasets. The 2-week field experience will conclude with smaller cohort presentations and a workshop on careers available within the geosciences. Students will enter the field experience as individual students and leave as a team of geoscience students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to make a more informed decision about their future goals and interests. The project aims to retain most of these students in the geosciences through a positive field experience and post-activity mentoring. GEOPATH (GP) students will be linked with volunteers from within the RN and TU Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) student chapters, providing the GP students with a sense of community within the geosciences and increase the likelihood that this cohort will continue to pursue careers in the geosciences.

第一部分地球科学领域在多样性和在代表性不足的少数民族（URM）学生中产生兴趣方面有着任何STEM领域最差的记录。 据统计，地球科学领域是所有科学中种族多样性最少的，只有大约9%的学士/学士和2%的博士。我们将在全国范围内为URM候选人提供服务。获得地球科学学位的学生人数将无法满足未来的劳动力需求，URM学生代表了一个未开发的资源，以满足这一需求。 提高学生的保留率和增加URM学生在地球科学方面的入学人数可以解决这些问题。 这个GP-EXTRA项目的目标是通过多机构近地表（NS）地球物理应用领域的经验，招募和留住学生在地球科学。实地经验将侧重于解决临界区科学中持续存在的科学问题。 它将使学生接触到最先进的地球物理设备，活跃的现场研究实验室，以及近地表地球物理学和临界区科学的专家，以及潜在的地球科学职业道路。 这种积极的实地经验和活动后的指导将为GEOPATH学生提供地球科学领域的社区意识，并增加他们继续从事地球科学职业的可能性。第二部分在GP-EXTRA计划征集中概述，获得地球科学学位的学生人数将无法满足未来的劳动力需求。这一问题可以通过提高学生的保留率和增加地球科学学生的人数来解决。 特别是，少数民族学生在地球科学领域的代表性严重不足，代表了一个未开发的资源，以满足这一需求。 为了解决这个问题，我们建议实施一个多机构的近地表（NS）地球物理学应用领域的经验，专注于解决正在进行的科学问题，在临界区科学。该经验将使学生接触到最先进的地球物理设备，一个活跃的现场研究实验室，近地表地球物理学和临界区科学专家，以及潜在的地球科学职业道路。在NS地球物理学现场经验的GEOPATH（GP）学生将来自参与该项目的两个主要机构：罗格斯大学，纽瓦克（RN），一个西班牙裔服务机构，和坦普尔大学（TU）。 这些机构通过花园州-路易斯·斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟（GS-LSAMP; PI Gates），北方新泽西通往学士学位的桥梁（NNJB 2B）计划和少数民族参与圣殿联盟（AMP）与2年制和4年制学院相连。 GP学生也将从东北部参与的中学4年制院校（宾夕法尼亚州立大学、迪金森学院、库茨敦大学、宾夕法尼亚印第安纳州大学和巴克内尔大学）中抽取。这些院校的GP学生招募将侧重于代表性不足的少数民族（URM）和2年制院校的学生。参与者将是低级别的本科生（大一/大一），他们将有一个独特的机会参加NS物理学现场体验，通常只教授给高级别的本科生。 这些学生正处于他们学术生涯的关键时刻，接触机会和职业选择可能会影响选择哪个专业的决定。 将我们的招聘重点放在一年级和二年级的学生上，也将确保学生进入现场体验，无论学术背景如何，都有同等的主题。现场体验将在页岩山临界区天文台（SH-CZO）举行。 这个领域的网站是理想的，因为它将使学生接触到正在进行的研究临界区科学。课程大纲和NS物理问题集的实地经验将制定解决紧迫的研究问题在SH-CZO。在野外工作站，GP学生将与研究生导师一起在较小的队列（6名学生）中工作;较大的小组研讨会和演示文稿被整合到时间表中，为学生提供资源，使他们能够在一个小组中有效地工作，学习如何设计研究实验，并分析数据集。 为期2周的实地经验将以较小的队列演示和地球科学内可用的职业研讨会结束。学生将作为个人学生进入现场体验，并作为一个地球科学学生团队离开，他们拥有技能，知识和信心，可以对他们未来的目标和兴趣做出更明智的决定。该项目旨在通过积极的实地经验和活动后指导，留住这些学生中的大多数。GEOPATH（GP）学生将与RN和TU勘探地球物理学家协会（SEG）学生分会的志愿者建立联系，为GP学生提供地球科学领域的社区意识，并增加该群体继续追求地球科学事业的可能性。