GP EXTRA: Engaging Students in the Geosciences Using a Lake Watershed Geosystems Path

GP EXTRA：利用湖泊流域地球系统路径让学生参与地球科学

• 批准号: 1801414
• 负责人: Lisa Doner
• 金额: $ 30.61万
• 依托单位: Plymouth State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-01 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1801414&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GP; EXTRA; Engaging; Students; Geosciences

In response to national and state concerns, New Hampshire?s public systems of higher education set a goal of a 50% increase in STEM graduates by 2020 and to double that by 2025. Recruiting, retaining, and graduating undergraduate students in STEM disciplines, like geoscience, is a major challenge especially at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs). The Lake Watershed Geosystems Path (LWGP) directly responds to these local and regional mandates while helping meet national needs to augment the geoscience trained workforce. Students learn scientific concepts quicker and more permanently when the concepts are provided as relevant applications. This project uses this educational principle of a problem-based, field-intensive, applied interdisciplinary science approach and seamlessly scaffolds it into existing curriculum and research opportunities. It also includes faculty and peer mentoring and links participants to applied geoscience internships and career opportunities. The Lake Watershed Geosystems Path (LWGP) project seeks to increase STEM preparation and graduates in the following ways: 1) partnering with the Plymouth State University Admissions to recruit a diverse cohort of first-year students in STEM fields, 2) encouraging participating students to enroll in a newly created first-year seminar course that develops critical thinking through a geoscience lens, 3) engaging students in extracurricular field- and lab-based research as part of a new PSU Cluster project which spans the major hydrological components of watershed systems, including atmospheric deposition, land surface runoff, stream flow, and resulting effects on lake basins, and 4) assisting participating students in entering into pre-arranged internships and externships which leverage their newly acquired geoscience training. LWGP alumni will be recruited to help peer mentor and train subsequent participants via a 1-credit independent study elective. Ultimately, LWGP will blend field and laboratory student experiences oriented around hydrologic pathways in lake watersheds with community partnerships and faculty/peer mentoring to: 1) introduce geoscience principles, systems thinking and skill development at the onset of student university experiences; 2) increase student retention and success in non-geoscience degree programs that serve as pathways into geoscience fields; 3) foster strong cohort identification, and 4) apply knowledge and skills gained by students in this project to enhance their future work experiences, education goals, and career objectives.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

为了回应国家和州的关注，新罕布什尔州？美国的公共高等教育系统设定了到2020年STEM毕业生增加50%的目标，到2025年将其翻一番。在STEM学科（如地球科学）中招募，保留和毕业本科生是一项重大挑战，特别是在主要本科院校（PUI）。湖泊流域地理系统路径（LWGP）直接响应这些地方和区域的任务，同时帮助满足国家需求，以增加地球科学训练有素的劳动力。学生学习科学概念更快，更持久的概念时，提供相关的应用程序。该项目使用基于问题的，领域密集的，应用跨学科科学方法的教育原则，并将其无缝地支架到现有的课程和研究机会中。它还包括教师和同行指导，并将参与者与应用地球科学实习和职业机会联系起来。湖泊流域地理系统路径（LWGP）项目旨在通过以下方式增加STEM准备和毕业生：1）与普利茅斯州立大学招生合作，招募STEM领域的一年级学生，2）鼓励参与学生报名参加新创建的一年级研讨会课程，通过地球科学透镜培养批判性思维，3）让学生参与课外实地和实验室研究，作为新的PSU集群项目的一部分，该项目涵盖流域系统的主要水文组成部分，包括大气沉积，地表径流，水流以及对湖泊流域的影响，以及4）协助参与学生进入预先安排的实习和校外实习，以利用他们新获得的地球科学培训。LWGP校友将被招募，以帮助同行的导师和培训随后的参与者通过1学分的独立研究选修。最终，LWGP将结合现场和实验室的学生经验，围绕湖泊流域的水文途径与社区合作伙伴关系和教师/同行指导：1）介绍地球科学的原则，系统思维和技能发展在学生的大学经验开始; 2）增加学生的保留和成功的非地球科学学位课程，作为途径进入地球科学领域; 3）培养强有力的群体识别，以及4）应用学生在本项目中获得的知识和技能，以提高他们未来的工作经验，教育目标和职业目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。