Field-based Undergraduate Research Experiences and Professional Development to Increase Diversity and Inclusion in Conservation and Environmental Sciences

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With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, this Track 1 project seeks to serve the national need for a well-prepared and diverse workforce in conservation and environmental sciences. Nationally, there is low diversity among professionals in conservation and environmental science. Increased diversity can support greater innovation in solving a range of environmental problems, many of which will have disproportionate impact on more diverse and often underserved communities. The overarching goal of the project is to create an integrated program that will support inclusive excellence in environmental, conservation, and ecological sciences. To support this aim, the project will implement inclusive mentoring, early and immersive exposure to field-based science and tools, and extensive professional skills development and career experiences. This project expects to increase involvement of students, particularly for Hispanic students, in environmental sciences and contribute knowledge about the importance of field and research experiences in fostering careers in environmental science. The specific aims of the project are to: 1) assist undergraduate students in making critical transitions in progressing towards an environmental sciences career; 2) engage undergraduate students in career and research opportunities in environmental sectors throughout their undergraduate career; 3) foster a sense of identity among students as environmental scientists; and 4) explore how these interventions affect career choice, sense of identity, and perception of the role of environmental science in serving their community. Specifically, this program intends to develop a sequence of research and professional development experiences relevant to conservation and environmental sciences that span all four years of undergraduate education. These experiences will include an intensive research experience, a methods-focused field trip, a career internship, a service-learning experience, as well as mentoring and career exposure. Evaluation components that focus on social and personal identity will be integrated throughout the project activities, so that the project can examine the impact of these efforts both in shaping a student’s sense of identity as a scientist and in improving retention in the STEM ecological sciences workforce. The project will test the hypothesis that early intensive interventions, extensive mentoring, and immersive experiences can overcome existing barriers to participation in environmental science. The project will support the development of courses and a mentoring framework that will persist within the university after the end of the funding, facilitating long-term increased participation of students, particularly Hispanic students, in environmental science. The knowledge generated in this project may also be useful for successful implementation of similar intervention efforts at other locations. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.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.