SEEDS - Promoting Diversity in Ecology

该奖项由《2009年美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助。美国生态学会(ESA)生态教育、多样性和可持续发展战略(SEED)计划的目标是培养本科生少数族裔学生在培养和激发智力的环境中学习生态学的兴趣。Seed是专门为生态学中代表性不足的学生设计的，包括非裔美国人、美国印第安人、西班牙裔美国人和太平洋原住民。申请资金支持15名种子生参加欧空局2009年至2012年年度会议的旅行奖励。这支持了欧空局的更大目标，即在生态学专业内培育一个多样化的科学共同体，产生新的研究视角，并加强生态学与整个社会的相关性。在这些会议上，将为学生提供为期七天的广泛活动，包括学生情况介绍、欢迎和会见被选为导师的欧空局成员、实地考察、职业讲习班、种子校园分会、包括多样性午餐会和交流会在内的特别活动、欧空局学生部赞助的活动以及定期科学会议。这些活动帮助新种子学生融入生态社区。向学生提供了一本练习册，使他们能够记录会议中的想法，并从会议参与者那里收集信息，这些参与者可能是潜在的雇主和研究生学习顾问。在会议上的指导是至关重要的，学生将根据共同的研究兴趣和全年致力于与学生进行交流的意愿来匹配ESA成员。专业导师将讨论适当的兴趣和职业目标，回答有关生态和专业的问题，并帮助学生在会议期间选择最相关的科学课程参加。这个项目涉及增加生态科学多样性的两个关键因素：指导和接触生态学作为一种可行的学习课程和职业机会。当建立在种子网络提供的同龄人支持的基础上时，它增加了代表不足的学生继续追求生态的可能性。从2002年到2007年，80%的SEED学生要么上了研究生，要么受雇于与生态相关的领域，要么继续学习生态学。这一新的支持将增加生态科学中代表不足的学生的参与，并鼓励他们发挥领导作用。随着这些学生进入科学大军，他们将能够成为年轻学生的积极榜样，填补少数族裔导师的关键空白，这些导师在培养少数族裔学生对生态的兴趣方面至关重要。ESA能够随着时间的推移跟踪该项目，帮助其他寻求更好地了解如何更有效地与代表不足的学生合作的人提供见解。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009(Public Law 111-5).The goal of the Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) program of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) is to build undergraduate minority student interest in pursuing ecology studies within a nurturing and intellectually stimulating environment. SEEDS is specifically designed to serve under-represented students in ecology, including African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders. Funding is requested to support 15 SEEDS students with travel awards to ESA annual meetings from 2009 through 2012. This supports the larger ESA objective to foster a diverse scientific community within the ecology profession, engendering new research perspectives and enhancing the relevance of ecology to all of society. A wide range of activities will be offered to students over seven days at these meetings, including a student orientation, welcome and meetings with ESA members who have been selected as mentors, field trips, a career workshop, SEEDS campus chapter meetings, special events including a diversity luncheon and mixer, activities sponsored by the ESA student section, as well as the regular scientific sessions. These events help integrate new SEEDS students into the ecology community. Students are provided a workbook which allows them to note ideas from sessions and collect information from meeting participants who may be potential employers and graduate studies advisors. Mentoring at the meetings is critical and students will be matched ESA members based on mutual research interests and a willingness to commit to communicating with students throughout the year. The professional mentor will discuss appropriate interests and career goals and respond to questions about ecology and the profession, as well as help students select the most relevant scientific sessions to attend while at the meetings. This project addresses two key factors in increasing diversity in the ecological sciences: mentoring and exposure to ecology as a viable course of study and career opportunity. When set upon a foundation of peer support provided by the SEEDS network, it increases the likelihood of underrepresented students continuing to pursue ecology. From 2002-2007, 80% of SEEDS students have either gone on to graduate school, are employed in an ecology related field or continue to study ecology. This new support will increase the participation of and encourage leadership by under-represented students in the ecological sciences. As these students enter the scientific workforce, they will be able to serve as positive role models for younger students, filling the critical gap of minority mentors who are vital in fostering the interest of minority students in ecology. ESA has the ability to track the program over time, helping provide insights for others seeking to better understand how to work with underrepresented students more effectively.