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群体参与度最低的。该项目旨在通过创建一个“踏脚石”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，从而提高学术地球科学和更广泛的地球科学劳动力中代表性不足群体的多样性和保留率。该项目还将帮助研究生导师获得信心，新的指导技能，以及作为能够更全面地支持所有学生的成功导师的身份。研究人员将通过试点和测试一项积极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基于证据的指导实践的技能培训，然后与一名代表性不足的环境、生物或物理科学专业的本科生配对，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型，通过发展和深化社区（包括教师）来加强队列，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。当历史上被排斥的群体进入地球科学和其他以白人为主的科学领域时，他们的种族/民族群体的代表性不足和被排斥使他们容易感到不确定自己是否适合这些环境，这最终会影响他们的教育追求和职业抱负。通过该项目，研究生将接受基于证据的指导实践的技能培训，然后从事研究指导本科生来自历史上被排除在外的群体，可能攻读地球科学学士学位。围绕着对研究生和本科生的是一个由活动和支持结构组成的地球科学学习生态系统，这些活动和支持结构单独或集体地解决可能阻碍地球科学项目成功的问题。本项目的预期结果是：(1)提升研究生在职业生涯过渡到下一阶段时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、技能培养和交流机会，帮助他们探索职业并确保进入地球科学领域。这项工作测试了地球科学“踏脚石”途径的试点模型，并分配了一系列评估，包括干预前和干预后的评估，涉及学术和非学术/社会心理指标。其目标是创建一种可持续的近同伴指导模式，不仅可以在获奖后继续在大学进行，还可以推广到其他机构。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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，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.