GP-GO: A near-peer mentoring ecosystem revealing new pathways into the Geosciences

地球科学在所有科学中代表性不足的群体中参与率最低。该项目旨在通过建立一条“垫脚石”途径，使未被充分代表的本科生“视”自己为成功的地球科学家，从而加强地学学术和地球科学工作者中代表性不足群体的多样性和留住。该计划还将帮助研究生导师获得信心、新的导师技能，以及作为能够更全面地支持所有学生的成功导师的身份。研究人员将通过试验和测试主动学习计划的有效性来实现这些目标，在该计划中，地球科学专业的研究生接受循证指导实践中基于技能的培训，然后与环境、生物或物理科学专业的未被充分代表的本科生配对，并表现出探索地球科学以获得指导研究经验的愿望。该计划预计将创建一个学习生态系统模式，通过发展和深化社区(包括教师)并将所有学生与网络机会联系起来，展示地球科学劳动力队伍中来自代表性不足群体的研究生和本科生的学术和非学术途径，从而加强这一群体。当历史上被排除在外的群体进入地球科学和其他以白人为主的科学领域时，他们在种族/民族中的代表性不足和被排斥使他们容易受到对自己是否适合这些环境的不确定性的影响，这最终可能影响他们的教育追求和职业抱负。通过这个项目，研究生将在循证指导实践中接受基于技能的培训，然后对可能攻读地球科学学士学位的历史上被排斥的群体的本科生进行研究指导。围绕着研究生和本科生的是地球科学学习生态系统，由活动和支持结构组成，这些活动和支持结构单独和共同解决可能阻碍地球科学项目成功的问题。该项目的预期成果是(1)在研究生过渡到职业生涯的下一阶段时，提升他们作为熟练导师的能力；(2)为来自不同背景的本科生提供基于发现的研究培训、技能培养和网络机会，以探索他们的职业生涯并确保他们进入地球科学的道路。这项工作在地球科学中测试了一个试点的“垫脚石”路径模型，并分配了一系列干预前和干预后的评估，涉及学术和非学术/心理社会指标。我们的目标是创建一种可持续的近同行指导模式，不仅可以在授予后继续在大学进行，还可以输出到其他机构。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。

Geosciences have the lowest participation by underrepresented groups of any science. This project aims to enhance the diversity and retention of underrepresented groups in academic Geoscience, and the Geoscience workforce more broadly, by creating a “stepping stone” pathway allowing underrepresented undergraduates to “see” themselves as successful geoscientists. The program will also help graduate student mentors gain confidence, new mentorship skills, and identities as successful mentors who can support all of their students more holistically. The researchers will address these goals by piloting and testing the effectiveness of an active learning program where graduate students in the Geosciences receive skill-based training in evidence-based mentoring practices and are then paired with an underrepresented undergraduate student in Environmental, Biological or Physical Sciences, and with a demonstrated desire to explore the Geosciences for a mentored research experience. The program is expected to create a learning ecosystem model that strengthens the cohort by developing and deepening the community (including faculty) and connecting all students to networking opportunities showcasing academic and nonacademic pathways within the Geoscience workforce for both graduate and undergraduate students from underrepresented groups.When historically excluded groups enter the Geosciences, and other predominantly White science fields, the underrepresentation and exclusion of people from their racial/ethnic groups leave them vulnerable to feelings of uncertainty about their fit in these settings, which can ultimately impact their educational pursuits and career aspirations. Through this project graduate students will receive skill-based training in evidence-based mentoring practices and then engage in research mentoring of undergraduate student from historically excluded groups likely to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Geosciences. Surrounding the pairs of graduate and undergraduate students is a Geoscience Learning Ecosystem composed of activities and support structures that individually and collectively address issues that may impede success in Geoscience Programs. The expected outcomes of the project are (1) elevating the competency of the graduate students as skilled mentors as they transition into the next stage of their career; (2) provide discovery-based research training, skill building and networking opportunities to undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds as they explore careers and secure their pathways into the Geosciences. The work tests a piloted model of a "stepping stone" pathway in the Geosciences, and assigns a series of assessments, pre- and post-intervention, addressing both academic and non-academic/psychosocial metrics. The goal is to create a sustainable model of near-peer mentoring that can not only continue post-award at the university, but also be exported to other institutions.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.