Addressing Water Security: towards Student Retention, Improved Relevance, and Increased Readiness

圣安东尼奥是美国增长最快的地区之一，代表着一个城市中心，其自然资源正在努力满足需求。在德克萨斯州，2020年至2070年间总用水量预计将增长17%。德克萨斯农工大学圣安东尼奥分校(TAMU-SA)是一所新兴的拉美裔大学，尽管全国招生人数在下降，但招生人数仍在迅速增加。它有一个独特的水资源计划，旨在培养能够应对该地区水安全挑战的毕业生。该项目将帮助增加这一标志性STEM项目的招生人数，支持不同的学生，包括目前受雇于水务部门的学生，以解决该地区与水有关的问题。重要的是，这个项目将产生广泛有用的数据，以了解可能增加全国这些类型学位入学人数的因素。这些数据将用于其他以全国范围内的水为重点的项目，以及那些服务于后传统学生群体的项目。该项目的目标是解决与TAMU-SA水资源科学与技术(WART)项目相关的三个挑战。首先是该项目的入学率很低，尤其是女性。第二，有机会将对当地水问题的考虑纳入现有的水、环境、技术和环境教育方案和STEM课程。第三，学生和现有水务专业人员在任职前和在职期间获得专业和职业发展的机会有限。该项目将促进水务工作人员做好准备，提高目前受雇于水务工作人员的水平。它将通过与招生人员合作以及在高中和社区大学开展外联活动来改善招聘。该项目团队将与当地水务供应商和利益相关者合作，并利用该项目的在校生和校友以及攻读理科硕士学位的在校研究生进行的同行指导。项目负责人将开发一条加强课程的可持续教育途径，通过将课程作业与当地关注的问题联系起来；学生参与尖端和新兴的水科学技术；与文化相关的、基于背景的教学；当地植物的实地体验和参观；以及与与水有关的合作者的实习机会来扩大这一途径。最后，该项目将通过社区科学计划、高影响力的项目、基于课堂的本科生研究体验以及新的或修订的研究密集型课程，为所有学生的研究职业和培训奠定基础，从而促进所有学生的准备工作。通过招募、相关性和准备情况，该项目寻求使服务前和服务中的专业人员多样化，解决区域、州、国家和国际背景下的水问题，并应对当地紧迫的取水、保护和节约问题。HSI计划旨在加强本科生STEM教育，扩大对STEM的参与，并建设HSIS的转型改进能力。考虑到HSIS的不同性质和背景，实现这些目标需要创新的方法来激励机构和社区的变革，并促进基础研究(I)参与学生的学习，(Ii)关于如何有效地多样化和增加对STEM的参与，以及(Iii)关于如何在HSI建立机构能力的理解。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。

San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation and represents an urban center whose natural resources are struggling to keep up with the demand. In Texas, total water demand is predicted to increase by 17% between 2020 and 2070. Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMU-SA) is a burgeoning Hispanic-Serving university, with a rapidly increasing enrollment despite decreasing national trends. It has a unique water resources program that aims to generate graduates capable of responding to the region's water security challenges. This project will help increase student recruitment to this signature STEM program supportive of diverse students, including those currently employed in the water sector, to tackle water-related issues in the region. Importantly, this project will generate data that will be broadly useful in understanding factors that can increase enrollment in these types of degrees across the country. This data will be of use to other programs with a focus on water across the country as well as those serving a post-traditional student population.The goal of this project is to address three challenges associated with the Water Resources Science and Technology (WaTR) program at TAMU-SA. First is low enrollment in the program, particularly of women. Second is the opportunity to integrate consideration of local water issues into the existing WaTR and STEM curricula. Third is limited access to opportunities for pre- and in-service professional and career development for students and current water professionals. This project will promote water workforce readiness and advancement for those currently employed in the water workforce. It will improve recruitment by working with admissions personnel and through outreach activities at high schools and community colleges. The project team will work alongside local water utility providers and stakeholders and utilize peer mentoring by current students and alumni of the program, and current graduate students enrolled in the M.S. degree component. The project leaders will develop a sustainable educational pathway of enhanced courses that is amplified through connecting coursework to issues of local concern; student engagement with cutting-edge and emerging water science technology; culturally relevant, context-based pedagogies; field experiences and tours of local plants; and internships with water-related collaborators. Lastly, the project will promote readiness for all students, through community science programs, high-impact projects, classroom-based undergraduate research experiences, and new or revised research-intensive courses to lay the groundwork for research careers and training. Through recruitment, relevance, and readiness, the project seeks to diversify the pre- and in-service professionals addressing water issues in regional, state, national, and international contexts, and to respond to the local pressing issues of water access, protection, and conservation. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity of transformational improvement at HSIs. Achieving these aims, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires innovative approaches that incentivize institutional and community transformation and promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) on developing understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs are supported by this program.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.