Connecting Interdisciplinary STEM Education and Research in HBCUs

第一部分Czujko和Nicholson，2010年报告说，在所有(约460所)授予S地球科学学士学位的大学中，四所大学(杰克逊州立大学、密西西比州立大学、宾夕法尼亚大学和萨凡纳州立大学)在授予非裔美国人S学士学位方面名列前茅，而且它们是唯一在2004年至2008年的五年中向非裔美国人授予超过10个S学士学位的大学。这四所大学加起来占所有地球科学学士学位的19%--S由非裔美国人获得，而杰克逊州立大学在物理学和地球科学方面都是顶尖的毕业生。在过去的5年里，大约有300所有地学学位的大学没有授予学士学位？S学位授予非裔美国人，另外大约95所大学只授予一种地学学士学位--S给非裔美国人。不足为奇的是，在获得地学学士学位的四所非裔美国人中，有三所都是历史上的黑人学院和大学(Czujko和Nicholson，2010)，而HBCU授予学位的地科学系不到10个。然而，几所HBCU根据地球科学教学计划的分类提供相关的地球科学计划和学位(《地球科学工作人员状况》，2016)。从组织上看，HBCU的结构不包括地球科学系、学校或项目分类，如生物地理科学、海洋科学等。从历史上看，大多数在研究生水平选择地球科学道路并成为执业地球科学家或被视为劳动力一部分的非裔美国人在HBCU接受本科培训。认识到在所有教育水平上都存在招聘、培训和留住少数族裔的障碍，需要作出协调和持续的努力，以增加地球科学及相关科学领域的族裔多样性，并了解为什么选择进入这一学科的少数族裔学生如此之少。代表高等教育的利益攸关方社区，包括HBCU、NTA、NOBCCHE(全国黑人化学和化学工程师促进组织)、BEYA等，以及一些组织，政府和私人实体将在为期一天的研讨会上开会，为HBCU之间持续努力加强地球科学(和STEM)教育和研究奠定基础，以促进这些机构-S为扩大教育和劳动力部门的参与做出贡献。第二部分获得科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)本科生和高级学位的非裔美国人人数都不成比例地低。根据美国物理研究所的一份报告(Czujko和Nicholson，2010)，在吸引和留住非裔美国学生的能力方面，物理学和地球科学在所有学科中一直排名垫底。为了解决这一普遍存在的问题，美国国家技术协会(NTA)与摩根州立大学合作，提议在2017年9月20-22日在马里兰州巴尔的摩举行的NTA第89届年会期间举办为期一天的研讨会。这次研讨会将提供一个论坛，召集地球科学和STEM利益攸关方讨论HBCU在这些学科中的教育、研究和劳动力状况，促进合作努力，并建立有助于扩大参与的地球科学议程。2017年研讨会的目标是：-在地球科学学科、教育、STEM和非STEM学科背景下的研究和劳动力。-审查HBCU内地球科学(和STEM)教育和研究的现状，同时考虑可以制定行动议程的当前差距和潜在机会。-利用和利用参与相关地球科学和STEM活动的机构和个人利益攸关方的专业知识，记录经验教训以及扩大参与的最佳做法和新兴做法。-提出/提供跨学科方法，作为推进HBCU内地球科学和更广泛的STEM倡议的框架。-探索不同实体之间合作的前景和战略？学术机构、专业协会、联邦机构？加强HBCU对扩大参与和包容性科学议程的贡献。

Part 1Czujko and Nicholson, 2010 reported that of all (about 460) universities that award bachelor?s degrees in geoscience, four universities (Jackson State, Mississippi State, Pennsylvania and Savannah State) top all in awarding bachelor?s degrees to African Americans and they are the only ones that awarded more than 10 bachelor?s degrees to African Americans in geoscience over the 5 years (2004-2008) combined. Together, the four universities accounted for 19% of all geoscience bachelor?s earned by African Americans and Jackson State University is a top producer in both physics and geoscience. Over the last 5 years combined, about 300 universities with geoscience degree programs awarded no bachelor?s degrees to African Americans and about another 95 awarded only one geoscience bachelor?s to an African American.Not surprisingly, three of the four top producers of African Americans earning geoscience bachelor?s degrees are of Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) status (Czujko and Nicholson, 2010) yet there are fewer than 10 degree-granting geoscience departments at HBCUs. However, several HBCUs offer related geoscience programs and degrees based on the classification of geoscience instructional programs (Status of the Geoscience Workforce, 2016). Organizationally, HBCUs structure does not include geoscience departments, schools, or program classifications such as biogeosciences, ocean science, etc. Historically, most African Americans who chose geoscience pathways at the graduate levels and who become practicing geoscientists or counted as part of the workforce received their undergraduate training at HBCUs. Recognizing that obstacles to the recruitment, training and retention of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in geosciences exist at all educational levels, concerted and sustained efforts are needed to increase ethnic diversity in geoscience and related sciences, and to understand why so few minority students choose to go into this discipline.A community of stakeholders representing higher education including HBCUs, professional societies including NTA, NOBCCHE (National Organization for the Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers), BEYA, to name a few, and organizations, governmental and private entities will convene during a one-day workshop to lay the foundation for a sustained effort to strengthen geoscience (and STEM) education and research among HBCUs to catalyze these institution?s contribution to broadening participation in the education and workforce sectors.Part 2The number of African Americans receiving undergraduate and advanced degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by all accounts is disproportionately low. According to an American Institute of Physics report (Czujko and Nicholson, 2010), physics and geoscience consistently rank near the bottom among all disciplines in their ability to attract and retain African American students. In an effort to address this pervasive issue, the National Technical Association (NTA) in collaboration with Morgan State University proposes to host a day-long workshop during the NTA 89th Annual Meeting on September 20-22, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. This workshop will provide a forum to convene geoscience and STEM stakeholders to discuss the status of HBCU education, research and workforce in these disciplines, facilitate collaborative efforts and establish a geoscience agenda that contributes to broadening participation.The objectives of the 2017 workshop are to:- Create a shared understanding among participants of geosciences disciplines, education, research and workforce with the context of STEM and non-STEM discipline.- Review the current status of geosciences (and STEM) education and research within HBCUs and simultaneously consider current gaps and potential opportunities from which an action agenda can be established.- Draw on and leverage the expertise of institutional and individual stakeholders engaged in related geoscience and STEM activities and document lessons learned and best and emerging practices for broadening participation.- Present/offer for consideration an interdisciplinary approach as a framework for advancing geosciences and more broadly STEM initiatives within HBCUs.- Explore prospects and strategies for collaboration among various entities?academic institutions, professional associations, federal agencies?to enhance the contribution of HBCUs to the broadening participation and inclusive science agenda.