GP-IN: Geoscience Exposure and Training in Texas (GET Texas): High School through Undergrad

招聘更多的地球科学本科生对于解决预计的就业短缺和为社会面临的复杂问题制定解决方案至关重要。然而，许多高中后期和社区大学的学生仍然不知道地球科学是一门学科，也不知道它有前途的职业道路。在许多州(包括德克萨斯州)，地球科学和环境科学相关课程不是高中毕业的必修课，许多学生、他们的父母和老师都不知道地球科学提供了各种各样的职业。如果我们要解决地球科学人才短缺的问题，并增加地球科学劳动力的多样性，我们必须：1)在学生的学术生涯早期向他们传授地球科学概念；2)向那些过渡到学院和大学的人展示地球科学是如何适用和可就业的；3)从更广泛的潜在学生库中招聘；以及4)与学生和教育工作者发展持久的关系。为了实现这些目标，孤星学院和山姆·休斯顿州立大学将与当地的博物馆、夏令营和当地的高中教师建立关系，以提高地球科学意识。该项目将在讲习班和一个简短的夏季桥梁项目期间培训教师和初出茅庐的地球科学家，该项目涵盖当地活跃的和历史的地质过程和环境问题。学生参与者将在整个项目期间得到教师和同行的指导，并在社区、学院和大学两级接受地球科学教育。鉴于地学职业对德克萨斯州经济的重要性，PI预计该项目涉及的许多学生和教师将帮助弥补未来的就业缺口预测，同时使地学多样化。GET德克萨斯州将通过创建一个基于地点的地球科学学习生态系统(GLE)来提高地球科学意识，并帮助满足当前和未来的雇主需求，其中包括非正式机构(休斯顿自然科学博物馆和当地的一所基督教青年会)、高中、休斯顿地区最大的社区大学系统(孤星学院)，以及一所地区性的四年制本科重点大学(山姆·休斯顿州立大学)。该项目通过以下方式提供地球科学培训和接触机会：1)高中外展和继续教育教师讲习班，介绍地球科学的相关性；2)以地点为基础的夏季桥梁计划，重点关注德克萨斯州东南部的沉积物和水问题；3)持续的教师和学生指导，通过提供持续的地球科学开放参观，以保持同行和教职员工的指导，同时促进地球科学的许多职业道路。夏季桥梁项目是学生从高中过渡到大学和大学地球科学项目的关键之一，将包括野外和实验室相结合的方法，涵盖墨西哥湾沿岸平原和得克萨斯州中部的地球化学、水文学、地貌以及活动和历史的沉积过程。虽然许多与STEM相关的研究为如何招收和留住不同的学生提供了基础，但该项目超越了现场经验，建立了一个全面的师生招聘GLE，让参与者在全年的多个论坛和活动中参与进来，以保持同行和教师的指导关系。这些持续的关系对于在为拉美裔服务的孤星学院和为拉美裔服务的新兴机构山姆·休斯顿州立大学招收和留住未被充分代表的少数族裔学生来说都是关键。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Recruiting more geoscience undergraduates is vital to addressing projected employment shortfalls and developing solutions for the complex problems that society faces. However, many late high school and community college students remain unaware about geoscience as a discipline and its promising career paths. In many states (including Texas), geoscience and environmental science-related courses are not required for graduation from high school, and many students, their parents, and teachers are not aware of the variety of careers available in the geosciences. If we are to address the geoscience employee shortfall and increase geoscience workforce diversity, we must: 1) get geoscience concepts to students earlier in their academic careers; 2) show those in transition to colleges and universities how the geosciences are applicable and employable; 3) recruit from a wider pool of potential students; and 4) develop lasting relationships with students and educators. To meet these goals, Lone Star College and Sam Houston State University will build relationships with a local museum, a summer camp, and local high school teachers to increase geoscience awareness. This project will train teachers and early-career geoscientists during workshops and an abbreviated summer bridge program that covers active and historical geologic processes and environmental issues in the local region. Student participants will be supported with faculty and peer mentoring throughout the project and the duration of their geoscience education at both the community college and university levels. Given the importance of geoscience careers for the Texas economy, the PIs expect many of the students and teachers that this program reaches will help bridge future employment shortfall projections while diversifying the geosciences.GET Texas will increase geoscience awareness and help meet current and future employer demand by creating a place-based geoscience learning ecosystem (GLE) that includes informal institutions (Houston Museum of Natural Science and a local YMCA), high schools, the largest Houston-area community college system (Lone Star College), and a regional four-year, undergraduate-focused university (Sam Houston State). This project provides geoscience training and exposure opportunities through: 1) high school outreach and continuing-education teacher workshops to introduce the relevance of the geosciences; 2) a place-based summer bridge program focused on sediment and water issues in southeast Texas; and 3) sustained teacher and student mentorship by offering continuing geoscience open houses to maintain peer and faculty mentoring while promoting the many career paths in the geosciences. The summer bridge program, one key for transitioning students from high school into college and university geoscience programs, will include a combined field and laboratory approach that covers geochemistry, hydrology, geomorphology, and active and historical sedimentary processes in the Gulf-Coastal Plain and Central Texas. While many STEM-related studies provide a foundation for how to recruit and retain diverse students, This project goes beyond the field experiences and builds a holistic teacher-student recruiting GLE that engages participants in multiple forums and at events throughout the entire year to maintain peer and faculty mentoring relationships. These sustained relationships are key for both recruiting and retaining underrepresented minority students at Lone Star College, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and Sam Houston State, an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution.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.