GP-UP: RUI: ENHANCING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY PARTICIPATION IN STEM AND THE APPLIED GEOSCIENCES THROUGH INTEGRATED EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES

该奖项全部或部分由2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。社会正面临着重大的环境挑战，包括气候变化，水资源短缺和污染，资源枯竭，全球能源生产的重大变化，以及人口增长的长期生态影响。 缓解这些问题需要一个多样化的，全球一体化的专业劳动力，在应用地球科学的强大背景。为了满足对更多地球科学家的需求，该领域必须通过有目的地从历史上被排斥的群体中招募个人来扩大对未来地球科学家的搜索。该计划的主要目标是在威斯康星州西部和明尼苏达州的这些群体中招募，培训和培养个人的职业成功。该计划建立了一个渐进的，多阶段的故意教育途径，旨在通过高影响力的实践，动手学习和专门的指导，最大限度地提高学生的参与度和保留在地球科学。桥梁计划是为期一周的应用地球科学暑期研究所，位于威斯康星大学奥克莱尔分校，将在上中西部的自然环境中使用基于调查的活动，向未来的本科生介绍地球科学和潜在地球科学职业的相关性。该计划具有长期的潜力，通过建立UW-Eau Claire和区域高中之间的管道，为历史上被排斥的人口的学生服务，显著增强地质学系和大学的多样性。拟议的途径需要1）招募高中三年级学生参加夏桥计划; 2）入学到UW- Eau Claire; 3）在大学第一年之前参加基础研究体验; 4）以有意的同行和教师指导和高影响力实践为特征的大学体验，以及5）职业发展。该项目将直接涉及至少五个部门的教师和工作人员，其中包括早期职业女性地球科学家，十八（18）名本科生，和一些UW-Eau Claire的共同课程的工作人员在三年内。在项目期间，该团队将与来自威斯康星州西部和明尼苏达州东部的约54名高中生和约9名高中科学教师合作。重要的是，强大的公平性，多样性和包容性的框架，在UW-Eau Claire将被利用，以继续这一推广计划超出了赠款的生命。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得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的支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Society is facing significant environmental challenges, including climate change, water scarcity and contamination, resource depletion, major changes in global energy production, and the long-term ecological impact of population growth. Mitigation of these issues requires a diverse, globally-integrated professional workforce with a strong background in applied geosciences. To meet the need for more geoscientists, the field must broaden its search for future geoscientists by purposefully recruiting individuals from historically excluded groups. The primary objective of this program is to recruit, train and foster career success among individuals from these groups in western Wisconsin and Minnesota. This program establishes a progressive, multi-phase intentional educational pathway designed to maximize student engagement and retention in the geosciences through high-impact practices, hands-on learning, and dedicated mentorship. The bridge program is a week-long Summer Institute in Applied Geoscience based at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire that will use inquiry-based activities in the natural setting of the Upper Midwest to introduce prospective undergraduate students to the relevance of the earth sciences and potential geoscience careers. This program has the potential for long-term, significant enhancement in the diversity of the Department of Geology and the University through the establishment of pipelines between UW-Eau Claire and regional high schools serving students from historically excluded populations. The proposed pathway entails 1) recruitment of high school juniors into a summer bridge program; 2) matriculation to UW- Eau Claire; 3) participation in a Foundational Research Experience immediately prior to their 1st year of college; 4) a college experience characterized by intentional peer and faculty mentoring and high-impact practices, and 5) career development. The project will directly involve at least five Department faculty and staff, including an Early Career female geoscientist, eighteen (18) undergraduate students, and a number of UW-Eau Claire co-curricular staff over a three-year period. This team will work with ~54 high school students and ~9 high school science teachers from western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota during the project. Importantly, the strong equity, diversity, and inclusivity framework at UW-Eau Claire will be leveraged to continue this outreach program beyond the life of the grant.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.