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

地球科学是所有科学中代表性不足的群体参与率最低的。该项目旨在通过创建一个“垫脚石”途径，让代表性不足的本科生“看到”自己是成功的地球科学家，以提高学术地球科学中代表性不足的群体的多样性和保留，以及更广泛的地球科学劳动力。该计划还将帮助研究生导师获得信心，新的指导技能，以及作为成功导师的身份，他们可以更全面地支持所有学生。研究人员将通过试点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，地球科学的研究生将接受以证据为基础的指导实践的技能培训，然后与环境，生物或物理科学中代表性不足的本科生配对，并表现出探索地球科学的愿望，以获得指导研究经验。该计划预计将创建一个学习生态系统模型，通过发展和深化社区来加强队列（包括教师），并将所有学生与网络机会联系起来，为来自代表性不足群体的研究生和本科生展示地球科学劳动力中的学术和非学术途径。当历史上被排除在外的群体进入地球科学和其他主要的白色科学领域时，人们在种族/族裔群体中的代表性不足和被排斥在外，使他们容易对自己是否适合这些环境产生不确定感，这最终会影响他们的教育追求和职业抱负。通过这个项目，研究生将接受以证据为基础的指导实践技能为基础的培训，然后从事研究指导本科生从历史上被排除的群体可能追求学士学位的地球科学。围绕着研究生和本科生的是一个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集体地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）提升研究生的能力，作为熟练的导师，因为他们过渡到他们的职业生涯的下一个阶段;（2）提供基于发现的研究培训，技能建设和网络机会，本科生来自不同背景，因为他们探索职业生涯，并确保他们的途径进入地球科学。这项工作测试了一个试点模型的“垫脚石”途径在地球科学，并分配了一系列的评估，干预前和干预后，解决学术和非学术/心理社会指标。其目标是创建一个可持续的近同行指导模式，不仅可以在大学继续授予后，而且还可以出口到其他机构。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为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。

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.