GP:IMPACT: Collaborative Research: TSU-Vanderbilt Partnership - A Pathway to Broaden Participation of Underrepresented Groups in Graduate School and the Geoscience Workforce

许多紧迫的社会，经济和环境问题都是由地球科学提供信息的，包括地质灾害，自然资源管理和气候变化。这些问题对所有人口都有潜在影响，但许多少数群体在学术界、政府和私营部门的地球科学相关专业中的比例仍然偏低。为了帮助缩小地球科学领域持续存在的多样性差距，该项目寻求在田纳西州立大学（大津）、范德比尔特大学（VU）、几个联邦、州和市政府机构以及私营部门之间建立伙伴关系，以加强少数民族学生进入地球科学职业和研究生课程的途径。历史上的黑人学院和大学（HBCUs），如大津，在STEM项目中招募和留住少数民族学生方面有着良好的记录。然而，82个HBCU中只有两个有本科地球科学课程。因此，HBCU代表了一个重要的，未充分利用的机会，招募不同的学生进入地球科学。大津最近开发了一个环境科学的浓度，目前不包括地球科学。VU是一个研究机构，拥有强大的地球科学部门，致力于增加各个领域的多样性。TSU-VU合作伙伴关系利用大津在为少数民族学生的STEM职业生涯和VU充满活力的地球科学研究环境做好准备方面的良好记录，吸引来自代表性不足的群体的学生，并为地球科学劳动力做好准备。为了招募，培训和留住少数民族地球科学学生，该伙伴关系侧重于课堂和体验式学习，以建立成功的地球科学职业所需的知识基础和专业联系。完成该计划后，学生将有资格和竞争力的实习与计划合作伙伴，包括田纳西州立公园，美国地质调查局，和几个当地企业。其中许多实习涉及与公众的直接互动，使学生成为少数民族地球科学家的榜样。因此，该计划将致力于增加地球科学劳动力的多样性，改变公众对地球科学家的看法，并展示地球科学职业在社区中的价值。拟议的TSU-VU合作伙伴关系具有很高的潜力，可以改变参与的学生个人的生活，两个相邻机构之间的关系，以及田纳西州及其他地区的地球科学家和地球科学职业的看法。这个为期2年的计划的目标大津环境科学的学生在他们的初中和高中。在第一年的关键程序组件包括由VU教师在大津，一个密集的为期两周的夏季实地课程调查田纳西州立公园的地质学和8周的带薪研究实习VU或大津实验室教授的地质学入门课程。第二年通过在VU和职业研讨会上的高级课程支持先进的技能发展，以帮助学生确定最适合他们的目标的地球科学职业道路。该计划将通过混合方法进行评估，以衡量计划和参与者的成功。通过这些评估，将记录和完善计划的有效性。这项工作的主要成果将是建立和传播一个可翻译的模式或工具包，旨在帮助各机构在本科生一级建立和维持伙伴关系。该工具包对于希望与地方或区域机构合作促进地球科学教育的其他HBCU特别有用。通过这种方式，这种伙伴关系可以成为一个更大的运动的开始，促进跨机构和机构的合作，为学生在职业生涯的关键过渡时刻提供关键支持，从而提高职业和学术管道的多样性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Many pressing social, economic and environmental issues are informed by the geosciences including geohazards, natural resource management and climate change. These issues have potential impacts on all populations, however many minority groups continue to be proportionally underrepresented in geoscience related professions in academia, government and the private sector. In order to help close this persistent diversity gap within the geosciences, this project seeks to build a partnership between Tennessee State University (TSU), Vanderbilt University (VU), several federal, state and municipal government agencies, and the private sector with the goal of strengthening the pathway for minority students entering geoscience careers and graduate programs. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), like TSU, have a strong track record in recruiting and retaining minority students in STEM programs. However, only two of the 82 HBCUs have undergraduate geoscience programs. Thus, HBCUs represent a significant, underutilized opportunity to recruit diverse students into the geosciences. TSU has recently developed an Environmental Sciences concentration that does not currently include geoscience. VU is a research institution with a strong geoscience department with an institutional commitment to increasing diversity in all fields. The TSU-VU Partnership leverages TSU's strong record of preparing minority students for STEM careers and VU's vibrant geoscience research environment to draw students from underrepresented groups and prepare them for the geoscience workforce. To recruit, train and retain minority geoscience students, the partnership focuses on classroom and experiential learning to build the intellectual foundations and professional connections needed for successful geoscience careers. Upon completion of the program, students will be eligible and competitive for internships with program partners including Tennessee State Parks, the USGS, and several local businesses. Many of these internships involve direct interaction with the public, allowing the students to serve as role models of minority geoscientists. Thus, this program will work to increase the diversity of the geoscience workforce, change public perceptions of geoscientists and demonstrate the value of geoscience careers in the community.The proposed TSU-VU Partnership has high potential to be transformative in the lives of the individual students involved, the relationship between two neighboring institutions, and the perception of geoscientists and geoscience careers in Tennessee and beyond. This 2-year program targets TSU Environmental Science students in their junior and senior years. Key program components during the first year include an introductory geology course taught by VU faculty at TSU, an intensive two-week summer field course investigating the geology of Tennessee state parks and an 8-week paid research internship in a VU or TSU lab. Year two supports advanced skill development through upper level coursework at VU and a Career Seminar to help the students determine the geoscience career pathways that best fit their goals. The program will be evaluated via a mixed methods approach to measure program and participant success. Through these evaluations, the program effectiveness will be documented and refined. A main product of this effort will be the construction and dissemination of a translatable model, or toolkit, designed to help institutions create and sustain partnerships at the undergraduate level. This toolkit will be particularly useful for other HBCUs wishing to partner with local or regional institutions to promote geoscience education. In this way, this partnership can be the start of a larger movement that promotes cross-institutional and agency collaboration to provide crucial support for students at key transitional moments in their careers and therefore to enhance diversity in the career and academic pipeline.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.