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

地球科学为许多紧迫的社会、经济和环境问题提供了信息，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的影响，然而，在学术界、政府和私营部门的地球科学相关专业中，许多少数群体的代表性仍然不足。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（TSU）、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合作伙伴关系，目的是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。传统上的黑人学院和大学（HBCUs），如TSU，在STEM项目中招收和留住少数族裔学生方面有着良好的记录。然而，在82所hbcu中，只有两所开设了地球科学本科课程。因此，hbcu代表了一个重要的、未被充分利用的机会，可以招收不同的学生进入地球科学领域。托国立最近开设了一个环境科学专业，目前还不包括地球科学。VU是一所研究机构，拥有强大的地球科学部门，致力于增加所有领域的多样性。TSU-VU合作伙伴关系利用TSU为少数民族学生准备STEM职业的良好记录和VU充满活力的地球科学研究环境，从代表性不足的群体中吸引学生，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，该合作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。完成该项目后，学生将有资格在包括田纳西州州立公园、美国地质勘探局和几家当地企业在内的项目合作伙伴那里实习，并具有竞争力。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，该项目将致力于增加地球科学工作人员的多样性，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。提议的TSU-VU合作伙伴关系具有很大的潜力，可以改变参与其中的个别学生的生活，两个相邻机构之间的关系，以及田纳西州及其他地区对地球科学家和地球科学职业的看法。这个为期两年的项目针对的是TSU环境科学专业大三和大四的学生。第一年的主要项目内容包括由东大VU教师讲授的地质学入门课程，为期两周的暑期实地课程，调查田纳西州州立公园的地质情况，以及在东大或东大实验室进行为期8周的带薪研究实习。第二年通过VU的高级课程和职业研讨会支持高级技能发展，帮助学生确定最适合他们目标的地球科学职业道路。该计划将通过一种混合方法来评估计划和参与者的成功。通过这些评估，项目的有效性将被记录和改进。这项工作的一个主要成果将是建立和传播一个可翻译的模型，或工具包，旨在帮助院校在本科阶段建立和维持伙伴关系。这个工具包对其他希望与地方或区域机构合作促进地球科学教育的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运动的开始，促进跨机构和机构合作，为学生在职业生涯的关键过渡时刻提供关键支持，从而增强职业和学术渠道的多样性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识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.