Long-term Enhancement of Geoscience Diversity Through Engagement of Preteens

轨道1：通过青少年的参与长期加强地球科学多样性古生物研究所(PRI)和大伊萨卡活动中心(GIAC)正在合作，以减少文化偏见的影响，这种文化偏见使来自不同种族的城市社区的年轻人远离潜在的地球科学职业。合作伙伴关系采取了三步走的方法来解决这个问题。(1)该项目的第一步是让所有不同种族的高年级学生参加作为课外计划提供的科学“研究伙伴关系”；研究伙伴关系有助于使科学过程看起来容易理解和引人入胜，使参与者认为自己能够从事科学工作。(2)在第二步中，PRI的科学家教育工作者让对进一步研究和相关博物馆教育特别感兴趣的学生中的一部分参与进来，并在此过程中帮助学生考虑在地球科学领域的职业是否适合他们。(3)在第三步中，学生作为导师参与下一批学生的研究伙伴关系推广活动，并在学校课堂和课外活动中作为同龄人的口译员。该项目涉及来自纽约州伊萨卡地区的不同种族的高年级学生，那里的少数民族学生比例很高。学生们参加PRI的新教育和展览设施--地球博物馆。该项目使用了PRI现有的几项让学生参与科学的倡议，包括泥盆纪海洋项目、乳齿象矩阵项目和收藏品连接。来自GIAC的K-5年级的学生根据他们的年龄水平参观博物馆的展品并参加研究伙伴活动；12名四年级和五年级的学生成为初级地球科学家，在一个学年每周参观博物馆两次，参加地球科学活动，帮助创建展览，并学习成为讲解员。随后，学生们与学校和GIAC的同龄人互动，帮助培训下一批初级地球科学家。该项目为期两年，目的是测试从一年级开始教二年级学生的效果。该项目正在伊萨卡的城市缩影中进行测试，之后PRI将在附近的锡拉丘兹和尤蒂卡实施该项目，希望将该模型应用于提高全国地球科学的多样性。

Track 1: Long-term enhancement of geoscience diversity through engagement of preteens The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) are partnering to reduce the impact of cultural biases that pull young people from ethnically diverse urban communities away from potential geoscience careers. The partnership takes a three-step approach to this problem. (1) In the first step the project engages whole groups of ethnically diverse upper elementary school students in science "research partnerships" offered as afterschool programming; research partnerships help make the scientific process seem accessible and engaging, so that participants consider themselves able to do science. (2) In the second step PRI scientist educators engage a subset of those students who are especially interested in further opportunities for research and associated Museum education, and during the process help students consider if a career in the geosciences might be appropriate for them. (3) In the third step students are involved as mentors in research partnership outreach for the next cohort of students and as interpreters for peers in their school classes and afterschool activities. The project involves ethnically diverse upper elementary school students from a part of Ithaca, NY that has a high proportion of minority students. Students participate at PRI's new education and exhibits facility, the Museum of the Earth. The project uses several of PRI's existing initiatives for involving students in science, including the Devonian Seas Project, the Mastodon Matrix Project, and Collections Connections. K-5 students from GIAC visit the Museum exhibits and participate in research partnership activities according to their age level; twelve 4th and 5th graders become Junior Geoscientists and visit the Museum twice a week for the academic year, participating in geoscience activities, helping to create an exhibit, and learning to be docents. Later the students interact with their peers at school and GIAC, and help train the next cohort of Junior Geoscientists. The project runs for two years, in order to test the effectiveness of having students from the first year teach students from the second. The project is being tested in Ithaca's urban microcosm, after which PRI will implement the project in nearby Syracuse and Utica, looking toward application of the model to enhancing diversity in the geosciences nationally.