Field-based Undergraduate Research Experiences and Professional Development to Increase Diversity and Inclusion in Conservation and Environmental Sciences

在“改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI）计划”的支持下，这个第一轨道项目旨在满足国家对保护和环境科学方面准备充分和多样化的劳动力的需求。在全国范围内，保护和环境科学专业人员的多样性很低。增加多样性可以支持在解决一系列环境问题方面进行更大的创新，其中许多问题将对更多样化、往往服务不足的社区产生不成比例的影响。该项目的总体目标是创建一个综合计划，以支持环境，保护和生态科学的包容性卓越。为实现这一目标，该项目将实施包容性指导，早期和沉浸式地接触基于实地的科学和工具，以及广泛的专业技能发展和职业经验。该项目期望增加学生，特别是西班牙裔学生对环境科学的参与，并提供有关实地和研究经验对促进环境科学职业的重要性的知识。该项目的具体目标是：1)帮助本科生在迈向环境科学职业的过程中做出关键的转变；2)让本科生在整个本科生涯中获得环境领域的就业和研究机会；3)培养学生作为环境科学家的认同感；4)探讨这些干预措施如何影响职业选择、认同感和对环境科学在服务社区中的作用的看法。具体来说，该计划旨在发展一系列与保护和环境科学相关的研究和专业发展经验，这些经验贯穿整个四年的本科教育。这些经历将包括密集的研究经历、以方法为重点的实地考察、职业实习、服务学习经历，以及指导和职业曝光。关注社会和个人身份的评估组件将整合到整个项目活动中，以便该项目可以检查这些努力在塑造学生作为科学家的认同感和提高STEM生态科学劳动力的保留率方面的影响。该项目将检验一个假设，即早期强化干预、广泛指导和沉浸式体验可以克服参与环境科学的现有障碍。该项目将支持课程和指导框架的开发，该框架将在资助结束后在大学内持续存在，促进学生，特别是西班牙裔学生长期参与环境科学。在这个项目中产生的知识也可能对在其他地方成功实施类似的干预工作有用。HSI计划旨在加强HSI的本科STEM教育和能力建设。HSI计划支持的项目也将产生关于如何实现这些目标的新知识。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。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, this Track 1 project seeks to serve the national need for a well-prepared and diverse workforce in conservation and environmental sciences. Nationally, there is low diversity among professionals in conservation and environmental science. Increased diversity can support greater innovation in solving a range of environmental problems, many of which will have disproportionate impact on more diverse and often underserved communities. The overarching goal of the project is to create an integrated program that will support inclusive excellence in environmental, conservation, and ecological sciences. To support this aim, the project will implement inclusive mentoring, early and immersive exposure to field-based science and tools, and extensive professional skills development and career experiences. This project expects to increase involvement of students, particularly for Hispanic students, in environmental sciences and contribute knowledge about the importance of field and research experiences in fostering careers in environmental science. The specific aims of the project are to: 1) assist undergraduate students in making critical transitions in progressing towards an environmental sciences career; 2) engage undergraduate students in career and research opportunities in environmental sectors throughout their undergraduate career; 3) foster a sense of identity among students as environmental scientists; and 4) explore how these interventions affect career choice, sense of identity, and perception of the role of environmental science in serving their community. Specifically, this program intends to develop a sequence of research and professional development experiences relevant to conservation and environmental sciences that span all four years of undergraduate education. These experiences will include an intensive research experience, a methods-focused field trip, a career internship, a service-learning experience, as well as mentoring and career exposure. Evaluation components that focus on social and personal identity will be integrated throughout the project activities, so that the project can examine the impact of these efforts both in shaping a student’s sense of identity as a scientist and in improving retention in the STEM ecological sciences workforce. The project will test the hypothesis that early intensive interventions, extensive mentoring, and immersive experiences can overcome existing barriers to participation in environmental science. The project will support the development of courses and a mentoring framework that will persist within the university after the end of the funding, facilitating long-term increased participation of students, particularly Hispanic students, in environmental science. The knowledge generated in this project may also be useful for successful implementation of similar intervention efforts at other locations. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.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.