GEO REU PI Workshop 2018: Boulder, CO, September 14-16, 2018

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The Directorate of Geosciences supports over six hundred students each year to participate in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site programs at about sixty institutions across the country. Competition to be accepted to these programs is fierce, with most programs having a selectivity of 6% or less. These sites provide research experiences for students who are likely to become the future geoscience workforce, and therefore, it is important that the scientists who manage them are aware of current best practices in student recruitment, career training, ethics training and other professional development practices. This award provides support for a workshop, to be held at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in September 2018, that will support the exchange of effective management strategies between NSF GEO REU site managers. During the two days of the workshop, about sixty representatives of GEO REU programs will meet to continue the development of community connections between REUs, offer training for new REU site directors, and allow for advances on issues such as adapting REUs for community college students, supporting students from all backgrounds, and assessing the combined impact of REU-type programs in the Geosciences. The group will also contribute to the development of a GEO REU Management Handbook.The goal is to improve how REU Sites engage students in science through research experiences, both by improving the experience for REU participants and by broadening the student population that is accessing these opportunities. Collaboratively, the PIs will contribute to the common understanding and research base of this educational approach. The workshop is critical in achieving these goals because it allows PIs who live in geographically disparate locations to work together intensively over a couple of days. The workshop will bring together the REU managers from across the Geosciences Directorate to support the sharing of strategies in running inclusive and effective programs. The workshop builds on prior NSF-funded workshops for GEO REU PIs in 2011, 2014 and 2016, and the face-to-face interactions between PIs has helped to facilitate the development of a community of practice in the intervening years. The 2018 workshop will have a focus on recruitment of students from Minority Serving Institutions. PIs will also learn about ways to recruit students from populations that are underrepresented in the geosciences, including students with disabilities, Veterans, minorities, first-generation and non-traditional students and those from community colleges. This award supports NSF strategic goals of advancing the capability of the Nation to meet current and future challenges by fostering the growth of a more capable and diverse research workforce.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.