GP-EXTRA:Pathways to atmospheric science through immersion in geoscience research

随着美国成为一个越来越多的少数族裔国家，劳动力中的女性越来越多，科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)的劳动力不那么多样化，也不能反映人口结构的变化。在所有STEM领域中，获得地球科学本科生或研究生学位的非洲裔美国人、西班牙裔美国人和美洲原住民学生的人数最低。总体而言，这个国家培训地球科学家的速度不足以填补在不久的将来将创造的大量STEM职位空缺。尽管不断努力，地球科学界仍然难以从代表性不足的群体中招聘和留住学生和教师，而且像历史上的黑人学院和大学(HBCU)这样的少数族裔服务机构的地球科学项目很少。对地球科学家的培训对国家来说至关重要，因为在与能源、水管理、气候变化和空气质量相关的重要全球问题上做出明智的决定需要进行地球科学方面的培训。例如，由于恶劣天气事件影响了最脆弱的(低收入和少数群体)社区，因此必须对这些社区的学生进行地球科学方面的培训，以帮助培养一批合格的专业人员，他们随后能够解决不利社区的恶劣天气影响问题，并提供气候和恶劣天气知识。这项建议的目标是通过新的项目设计，为NCAT的大气科学本科生和/或研究生项目开发一条可持续的管道。该计划包括四个部分：1)通过竞争选择标准和财政支持来招收合格的学生；2)基于报告的最佳实践的队列建设活动；3)NCAT的本科生全年研究机会，以及对该地区和州的大气科学和气象设施的实地考察；以及4)到科罗拉多州立大学和国家大气研究中心(NCAR)进行短期但密集的研究旅行。拟议的计划将为每年竞争挑选的8名本科生(在资助期限内为24人)提供精心设计的基于问题的学术年度地球科学(大气科学)研究体验。这批学生将从NCAT未申报的专业(大二和大三)、职前教师和NCAT校园内STEM学院早期高中的大四学生中招募。研究经验将包括在大气化学以及天气和气候建模方面具有社会意义的主题。创造创新环境的关键机制将是在实习期间接触到主要大学和国家研究实验室的尖端研究。通过对科罗拉多州立大学和NCAR的短期访问，以及对当地国家气象局设施、NOAA设施、大学设施和私人天气和气候相关设施的为期一天的实地考察，增强和丰富了研究经验。

As the U.S. becomes increasingly a nation of ethnic minorities along with increasing numbers of women in the workforce, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce is not as diverse and does not reflect the change in demographics. The low numbers of African-American, Hispanic, and Native-American students graduating with either undergraduate or graduate degrees in the geosciences is the lowest within all of the STEM fields. In general, the rate at which geoscientists are trained in this country will not be enough to fill the large number of vacant STEM positions to be created in the near future. Despite continued efforts, the geosciences community still has difficulty recruiting and retaining students and faculty from underrepresented groups, and there are very few geosciences programs at minority serving institutions like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Training of geoscientists is critical for the nation since informed decisions on important global issues related to energy, water management, climate change, and air quality require training in the geosciences. For example, because severe weather events have impacted the most vulnerable (low income and minority) communities, it is imperative that students from these communities be trained in the geosciences to help create a pool of qualified professionals who can then address the issues of severe weather impacts in disadvantaged communities and provide climate and severe weather literacy. The objective of this proposal is to develop a sustainable pipeline to undergraduate and/or graduate programs in atmospheric sciences at NCAT through a new program design. The program design has four components: 1) Recruitment of qualified students through competitive selection criteria and financial support, 2) Cohort building activities based on reported best practices, 3) Undergraduate year round research opportunity at NCAT complemented with field trips to atmospheric sciences and meteorology facilities in the region and the state, and 4) Short but intensive research trip to Colorado State University and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).The proposed program will provide carefully designed problem-based academic-year geosciences (atmospheric sciences) research experience for cohorts of eight undergraduate students competitively selected annually (24 over the life of the grant). The cohort will be recruited from a pool of undeclared majors (sophomores and juniors) at NCAT, pre-service teachers and seniors from the Early STEM College high school on the campus of NCAT. The research experience will include topics that are socially relevant in atmospheric chemistry and weather and climate modeling. The key mechanisms for creating an environment of innovation will be exposure to the cutting-edge research in major university and national research laboratories during internships. The research experience is enhanced and enriched through short visits to Colorado State University and NCAR and daylong field trips to local National Weather Service facilities, NOAA, facilities, university facilities and private weather and climate related facilities.