RaMP: Mentoring and Research Opportunities for Careers in Coastal Science (MROC2S)

美国东南部是生物多样性的热点地区，拥有北美一些更独特的沿海生态系统。东南部地区的自然资源也面临着人口快速增长和气候突变的威胁。沿海科学（MROC2S）计划的指导和研究机会将研究生物和生态系统如何应对气候条件的变化，这些变化预计将导致该地区的社区转变和对生态系统服务的影响。MROC2S计划汇集了来自各个部门的科学家，教育工作者和专家网络，为传统上在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）中代表性不足的群体以及在队列环境中研究经验有限的群体的参与者提供培训，旨在培养下一代自然资源专业人员。 该计划的主要目标是为学士后参与者提供全年的指导，专业发展和自然资源科学的多样化研究培训机会。通过这样做，MROC2S的目标是开发一个强大的和包容性的研究和技术技能计划，产生一个更多样化的干劳动力。计划参与者被纳入大西洋沿岸平原和墨西哥湾沿岸地区自然资源专业人员的广泛网络，目的是让他们接触到这一领域的职业和机会。网络合作伙伴致力于一个共同的科学主题，该主题以美国东南部自然资源的恢复，保护和管理为中心。作为参与者，项目研究员为合作工作和长期数据收集的丰富历史做出了贡献，这些数据收集有助于指导和告知美国这个生态资源丰富和多样化地区的研究工作。利用来自核心站点的长期数据，加上技能培训和指导资源来指导研究，合作网络将促进参与者的专业发展，使他们能够从事沿海和自然资源科学的职业。此外，该计划提供的活动和经验由一个理论框架指导，该框架导致科学整合和参与者对科学界的归属感。该框架包含了关键的环境机构，以进一步发展参与者的科学自我效能感，身份认同感和归属感。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

The southeastern US is a hotspot of biological diversity and hosts some of the more unique coastal ecosystems in North America. The natural resources of the southeast region also face increased threats from a fast-growing population and abrupt changes in climate. The Mentoring and Research Opportunities for Careers in Coastal Science (MROC2S) program will study how organisms and ecosystems respond to changes in climate conditions that are expected to result in community shifts and impacts to ecosystem services in this region. The MROC2S program brings together a network of scientists, educators, and experts from various sectors to provide training for participants from groups traditionally underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and those with limited research experience in a cohort setting, with the intent of developing the next generation of natural resource professionals. The main goal of the program is to provide year-round mentoring, professional development, and diverse research training opportunities in natural resource science for postbaccalaureate participants. By doing so, MROC2S aims to develop a strong and inclusive research and technical skills program that produces a more diverse STEM workforce. Program participants are integrated into a broad network of natural resource professionals in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Gulf Coast regions, with the goal of exposing them to careers and opportunities in this field. Network partners contribute to a common scientific theme that centers on the restoration, conservation, and management of natural resources of the southeastern US. As participants, program fellows contribute to the rich history of collaborative work and long-term data collection that helps guide and inform research efforts in this ecologically resource-rich and diverse region of the US. Using long-term data from core sites coupled with skill training and mentoring resources to guide the research, the collaborative network will lead to professional development of participants, enabling them to pursue careers in coastal and natural resource science. Furthermore, the activities and experiences provided by the program are guided by a theoretical framework that leads to scientific integration and a sense of belonging to the scientific community among participants. This framework incorporates critical environmental agency to further develop participants’ science self-efficacy, identity, and sense of belonging.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.