Expanding Links to Careers in Aquatic Sciences

汉普顿大学和美国湖沼学与海洋学学会（ASLO）提议重新资助一个项目，以增加选择从事水生科学职业的少数族裔人数。该项目面向对水生科学感兴趣的少数民族学生、教师和专业人士，以及在历史上少数民族学院和大学（HMCU）工作的教师。与会者将获得ASLO的免费会员资格，并获得参加年会和特别会前讲习班的支持。目前的建议将促进过去参与者的发展，并将新的学生群体纳入这一过程。自1990年该项目启动以来，已有超过456名学生和25名导师参加了该项目。本提案所要求的资金将使该项目再持续五年（2005-2009年）。参加一次ASLO会议的学生中约有42%的人会在随后的会议中返回。也许最重要的是，2003年参加这个项目的研究生人数增加到了25%。这些研究生中有许多是以本科生的身份参加这个项目的。近年来，许多参与者（70%）是女性，这反映了全国高校招收少数民族男性学生的趋势。来自127个不同机构的学生参加了这个项目，仅2003年就有25所不同的学院和大学参加了这个项目。Cuker博士在此基础上获得了1999年的PEW奖学金，并从2003-2008年获得了地球科学多样性项目的资助，以支持汉普顿、VIMS和Old Dominion大学的研究生奖学金项目。

Hampton University and the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) propose renewed funding for a program to increase the numbers of under-represented minorities electing careers in aquatic sciences. The program targets minority students, faculty and professionals interested in aquatic sciences, as well as faculty working at Historically Minority Colleges and Universities (HMCU). Participants received a free membership in ASLO and support to attend the annual meetings and special pre-meeting workshops. The present proposal will cultivate the development of past participants and incorporate new cohorts of students into the process. Since the initiation of the program in 1990, over 456 students and 25 mentors have participated in the program. The funding requested in this proposal would continue the project for an additional five years (2005-2009). About 42% of the students who attend one ASLO meeting return for subsequent meeting. Perhaps most significantly, the number of graduate students participating in the program has increased to 25% in 2003. Many of these graduate students participated in the program as undergraduates. Many (70%) of the participants are female in recent years, reflecting a national trend of declining enrollment of male minority students in colleges.Students from more than 127 different institutions have participated, with 25 different colleges and universities in the 2003 program alone. Dr. Cuker received a 1999 PEW Fellowship based on this work, and he has received funding via the Geoscience Diversity program to support a graduate student fellowship program at Hampton, VIMS and Old Dominion Universities from 2003-2008.