A workshop to implement GeoLEAD: A multi-stakeholder initiative to increase the size and diversity of the Earth and space science talent pool

GeoLEAD(地球科学学习、参与和发展)计划是一项努力，旨在整合多种资源，为地球科学工作人员吸引、留住和培养两年制和四年制大学本科生。地球科学工作者几乎参与了人类社会的方方面面，无论是开发和管理自然资源、准备应对自然灾害，还是规划基础设施发展。正如几份高级别报告所指出的那样，需要增加学习STEM领域的学生的数量和多样性，但在地球科学界，由于政府和工业界高级科学家即将退休的浪潮，这一需求正在以惊人的速度增长。社区大学为招募新的地球科学家提供了一个重要的机会，这既是因为它们的多样性，也是因为它们作为本科生接触STEM入门课程的场所越来越重要。通过克服一些已知的障碍和问题来减少本科生的流失，可以在很大程度上解决未来的劳动力和多样性短缺问题。因此，GeoLEAD倡议的目标对该国未来的经济福祉和社区复原力至关重要。GeoLEAD的具体目标是利用各种机构和利益攸关方(例如，学术机构、专业协会、私营部门雇主)之间的协作，共同开发一个中央门户网站，为地球和空间科学本科生提供一套综合的、多层面的资源。该奖项将资助一个由专业人员协助的执行规划讲习班，在讲习班上将充实GeoLEAD门户网站的长期框架和个别合作伙伴的详细贡献。为期两天的研讨会于2015年4月在华盛顿特区举行，代表着自2013年秋季以来一直在进行的关于本科生教育和留住合作的社区规划讨论的高潮。在全面实施后，GeoLEAD门户将提供一个有价值的一站式购物场所，用于查找关于地球科学个别方案的信息，包括获得奖学金/研究金机会、研究经验和职业规划指导的机会。该门户还将提供捆绑的资源，这些资源可以在学生从早期从事地球科学过渡到为职业生涯做准备时为他们提供定制的端到端支持。

The GeoLEAD (Geoscience Learning, Engagement And Development) initiative is an effort to bring together multiple resources to engage, retain, and prepare two- and four-year college undergraduate students for the geoscience workforce. Members of the geoscience workforce are involved in nearly all aspects of human society, whether it be in developing and managing natural resources, preparing for natural hazards, or planning for infrastructure development. As noted in several high level reports, there is a need to increase the number and diversity of students studying the STEM fields, but in the geosciences community that need is growing at an alarming rate due to the impending wave of retirements of senior scientists in government and industry. Community colleges offer an important opportunity for recruitment of new geoscientists, both because of their diversity and their growing significance as the venue where undergraduate students are exposed to the introductory STEM curriculum. Reducing attrition of students in the undergraduate pipeline by overcoming some of the known barriers and issues can go a long way toward solving the workforce and diversity shortfall of the future. As such, the goals of the GeoLEAD initiative are critically important to the Nation's future economic well-being and community resilience. The specific goal of GeoLEAD is to leverage a collaboration among a variety of institutions and stakholders (e.g., academic institutions, professional societies, private sector employers) to co-develop a centralized portal for delivering an integrated, multi-dimensional set of resources for undergraduate students in the Earth and space sciences. This award is funding a professionally facilitated, implementation planning workshop in which the long-term framework of the GeoLEAD portal and detailed contributions of individual partners will be fleshed out. The 2-day workshop, being held in Washington, DC in April 2015, represents the culmination of community planning discussions regarding collaboration on undergraduate education and retention that have been underway since Fall 2013. When fully implemented, the GeoLEAD portal will provide a valuable one-stop-shopping venue for finding information about individual programs in the geosciences, including opportunities for scholarship/fellowship opportunites, research experiences, and career planning guidance. The portal also will offer bundled resources that together can provide individual students with customized end-to-end support as they transition from early engagement in the geosciences to preparation for a career.