Improving minority advancement for geoscience equity nationally (IMAGEN)

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There has been little to no progress in growing participation or retention of students from structurally excluded groups in the Geosciences. This study highlights the urgent need to address this issue by actively recruiting, retaining, and improving the educational and professional success of students from structurally excluded populations who are entering geoscience careers. This project will offer professional development support to a significant number of Hispanic students in the geosciences at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), thus positively contributing to the national pipeline of the STEM workforce and helping to narrow the underrepresentation gap. More importantly, the meaningful hands-on place-, culturally- and community-based experiences and close mentoring will engage students and lead to better retention, academic achievement, and career success. Moreover, the program will offer professional training for students in the effective study, interpretation, and communication of scientific knowledge, most acutely the impacts of natural and anthropogenic change on Earth’s systems and ensuring national independence in energy and critical resources.The primary goal of the project is to use stratified mentoring, community service and experiential learning approaches at UTEP to recruit, retain and prepare Hispanic students for Geoscience careers. This goal will be achieved by curriculum reform, where students will take “professional development” and “community engagement” trainings over a two-year period. In both courses, students will be closely mentored by a diverse team including UTEP Geoscience faculty, professionals working across a spectrum of positions, and local community partners. The project will allow for close interactions among Geoscience majors, and between students, faculty, and their future employers. The proposed activities will provide real-time professional development opportunities for students to work as part of multidisciplinary teams and with community partners solving complex earth science problems that are locally and regionally important and prepare them better for future STEM careers. This will build the professional STEM workforce and enhance the quality of the educational experience by assuring access of students to faculty as teachers and research mentors and strengthen the partnership of UTEP and El Paso community.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.