Conference: The Future of Botany: Educating for a Diverse and Inclusive 21st Century Workforce; July, 2019, Tucson, AZ

该项目解决了国家重要领域的培训，专业知识和创新需求，这些领域依赖于植物科学的未来解决方案，包括与环境变化或可持续粮食生产的影响相关的研究。美国人口是种族和民族多元化的，扩大对植物科学的参与可以带来新的视角，从而带来新的方法和解决方案。虽然科学专业协会在美国各地举行会议，但他们很少有意识地努力接触社区学院等当地机构，从而忽视了招收大量代表性不足的学生的机构。社区学院通常拥有最多样化的学生群体，但用于科学和技术研究、培训和职业的资源很少。2019年植物学会议在亚利桑那州图森举行，为几个植物学会提供了机会，让当地社区学院和部落学院的教师参与进来，为美国印第安人和西班牙裔学生比例较高的学校的学生提供教育机会。该项目为培养这些学生的社区学院和部落学院教师以及可能对植物科学感兴趣的当地本科生提供2019年植物学旅行奖励（通过PLANTS，一项旨在提高学生追求植物学进一步学术和职业机会的计划）。它还支持植物学和生物学教师的实践，探究式研讨会，让他们参与最新的主动学习技术/方法，这些技术/方法对科学背景有限的学生特别有效。此外，研讨会之后还将举行一次特别会议，讨论为减少招聘和留住代表性不足的学生而实施的方案。BOTANY 2019是六个科学学会的年度聚会（美国植物学会（BSA），美国植物分类学家学会，美国蕨类植物学会，植物标本馆馆长学会，国际植物分类学协会和美国苔藓和地衣学会）。虽然这些会议有1000多名植物科学家参加，但只有不到2%的BSA成员来自社区学院，而且代表性不足的少数民族的比例很低。会议涵盖了植物在生物组织的各个层面的科学研究，包括生态学，保护生物学，植物形态学，发育和系统学等主题。该项目战略性地将新的专业发展机会联系起来：为教师举办关于植物科学中基于探究的学习和基于公平的教学战略的研讨会，以及评估公平和包容性干预措施的有效性及其对教师和机构实践的影响的跨学科会议。该项目还包括为对植物科学感兴趣的本科生提供旅费赠款，重点是来自代表性不足群体以及当地社区和部落学院的学生。 学生是植物的一部分，旨在提高他们的学术卓越水平和动力，追求在植物科学的高级学位和/或职业生涯的计划。本科生与同行导师（格拉德生）和资深导师（教师/专业人士）配对参加会议及其他活动。学生们接触到植物学的广度和深度，导师促进研究，网络和专业发展研讨会的讨论。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得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的支持。

This project addresses the need for training, expertise, and innovation in areas of national importance that depend upon the plant sciences for future solutions, including research relevant to the impacts of changing environments or sustainable food production. The US population is racially and ethnically diverse, and broadening participation in the plant sciences can bring fresh perspectives leading to new approaches and solutions. Although scientific professional societies meet throughout the US, it is uncommon for them to make an intentional effort to reach out to local institutions such as community colleges, thus ignoring institutions which enroll a large proportion of underrepresented students. Community colleges often have the most diverse student bodies but few resources for science and technology research training and careers. The Tucson, AZ location of the BOTANY 2019 meeting provides opportunities for several plant societies to engage faculty from local community colleges and tribal colleges that provide educational access for students at schools with high proportions of American Indian and Hispanic students. This project provides travel awards to BOTANY 2019 for community college and tribal college faculty who train these students, and for local undergraduates who may be interested in the plant sciences (through PLANTS, a program to increase student motivation to pursue further academic and career opportunities in botany). It also supports a hands-on, inquiry-based workshop for botany and biology instructors, engaging them in the latest active learning techniques/methods that are especially effective for underrepresented students with limited science backgrounds. In addition, a special session of talks with discussion of programs that have been implemented to reduce barriers in recruitment and retention of underrepresented students will follow the workshop. BOTANY 2019 is the annual gathering of six scientific societies (Botanical Society of America (BSA), American Society of Plant Taxonomists, American Fern Society, Society of Herbarium Curators, International Association for Plant Taxonomy, and American Bryological and Lichenological Society). Although these meetings are attended by more than 1000 plant scientists, less than two percent of BSA membership is from community colleges, and the proportion of underrepresented minorities is low. The meetings cover scientific studies of plants at all levels of biological organization and include topics such as ecology, conservation biology, plant morphology, development, and systematics. This project strategically links new professional development opportunities: a workshop for faculty on inquiry-based learning and equity-based teaching strategies in the plant sciences, and an interdisciplinary session evaluating the efficacy of interventions for equity and inclusiveness and their impacts on faculty and institutional practices. This project also includes travel grants for undergraduates interested in the plant sciences, focusing on students from underrepresented groups and from local community and tribal colleges. Students are part of PLANTS, a program designed to increase their level of academic excellence and motivation to pursue advanced degrees and/or careers in the plant sciences. Undergraduates are paired with both a peer mentor (grad student) and a senior mentor (faculty/professional) for the meeting and beyond. Students are exposed to the breadth and depth of botany, with mentors facilitating discussions of research, networking, and with professional development workshops.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.