GP-IN: CUSP: Connecting Underserved Students to Polar STEM

最近极地地区的变化，如大气变暖、永久冻土融化、海冰减少和冰川退缩，正在对全球产生影响。了解这些极地变化并预测其未来的全球影响需要广泛的未来科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）专业人士。不幸的是，在美国，只有不到25%的高中生接受过地球系统科学培训，而极地研究只占所教内容的很小一部分。此外，地球系统的大多数社会挑战不成比例地影响低收入和代表性不足的人口，但在这些领域接受培训的代表性不足的学生数量明显不足。事实上，大多数地球系统科学项目缺乏性别、种族和经济多样性。有效的环境解决方案需要科学家、决策者和公众之间的沟通，还必须支持所有社区，特别是那些面临最大风险的社区。该项目旨在通过为代表性不足的高中生提供新的机会，让他们在课堂上和实地体验中参与真正的极地STEM教育，从而帮助弥补极地STEM教育中的差距。此外，该项目旨在培训高中教师将极地STEM经验融入课堂，以提高美国境内的极地STEM素养。研究人员特别提出，通过建立一个包括缅因大学、朱诺冰原研究计划（JIRP）和几个教育部资助的美国向上发展计划在内的教育项目合作联盟，帮助填补美国境内极地地球系统科学教育的空白，为来自低收入家庭或第一代大学生家庭的高中生提供新的基于项目的极地STEM领域机会；2)极地地球系统科学的教师培训3)帮助教师使用真实的极地STEM数据开发高中课程，4)研究重点是确定我们的实地和课堂教育计划是否改善了教学和高中生对极地环境的了解。该项目将特别支持极地地球科学中代表性不足的学生的正义、公平、多样性和包容性，并帮助在美国更多社区培养更多样化和更具代表性的下一代科学领袖。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Recent changes in the Polar regions such as atmospheric warming, permafrost thaw, sea ice decline, and glacier retreat, are having global impacts. Understanding these Polar changes and predicting their future global impacts require a wide range of future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals. Unfortunately, less than 25% of high school students in the United States receive Earth systems science training and Polar studies represents a very small component of what is taught. Additionally, the majority of Earth systems societal challenges disproportionately impact low income and underrepresented populations, yet there is a significant deficiency in the number of underrepresented students receiving training within these fields. In fact, most Earth systems science programs lack gender, ethnic, and economic diversity. Effective environmental solutions require communication between scientists, policy-makers, and the public, and must also support all communities, in particular, those most at risk. The project aims to help remedy gaps in Polar STEM education by developing new opportunities for underrepresented high school students to engage in real Polar STEM education in the classroom and via field experiences. Additionally, the project aims to train teachers in high schools to integrate Polar STEM experiences in their classrooms to increase Polar STEM literacy within the United States. The researchers specifically propose to help fill the gaps in Polar Earth systems science education within the United States by developing a collaborative consortium of education programs including the University of Maine, Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP), and several Department of Education funded Upward Bound Programs across the United States to offer 1) new project-based field opportunities in Polar STEM for high school students from low income or first generation college families, 2) teacher training in Polar Earth systems sciences 3) help to teachers developing high school lessons using authentic Polar STEM data, and 4) research focused on determining if our field and classroom education program improves teaching and high-school student learning about Polar environments. This project will specifically support justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, of underrepresented students within the Polar geosciences and help develop a more diverse and representative next generation of science leaders in more communities across the United States.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.