Collaborative Research: Implementation Grant: Navigating Home

导航回家将通过将他们安置在新的海洋和环境科学工作机会来支持岛上和岛外的应届毕业生，他们在地球科学中被认为是黑人、西班牙裔、太平洋岛民或其他代表性较低的群体，最初来自美国三个领土中心(关岛、波多黎各和美属维尔京群岛)之一。导航之家旨在促进建立一个包容各方的海洋和环境科学研究社区，反映这些岛屿的多样性。导航回家“的目标是：(1)带回、培训和留住拥有海洋和环境科学学士或硕士学位并有兴趣成为岛上劳动力一部分的岛上居民；(2)通过联合决策和共同设计，加强设在岛上的大学与当地合作伙伴之间的伙伴关系；(3)提供与公众参与科学和社区参与有关的跨学科培训；(4)通过这些创新战略和伙伴关系改变地球科学文化，这将在其所在岛屿社区内外发挥示范作用。在五年内，该项目将支持来自大学和社区合作组织的68名研究员和68名专业人员提供跨学科的地球科学丰富机会。该项目将受益于NSF的早期成功，包括SEA岛屿联盟、NSF EPSCoR投资，以及将NSF资助的STEMAP计划整合到基于岛屿的社区参与中。它将通过支持同样来自岛屿地区的历史上被边缘化和代表性不足的群体的个人，扩大对STEM的参与，并增加地方和国家STEM劳动力的多样性，从而在解决问题方面产生更大的创造力和创新。导航回家将改变当地的地球科学学习生态系统，并在转变地球科学文化、稳定STEM职业道路和打击影响许多农村社区、特别是美国领土的“人才流失”方面发挥示范作用。项目成果将通过国家会议和学术出版物与当地社区广泛分享。导航回家将培育可持续和长期的STEM学习和研究生态系统，该生态系统建立在学习生态系统作为一条辫子的思想基础上，以促进“包容性、响应性和现代职业发展”(单身汉等人，2021)。该项目将利用NSF包括海洋岛屿联盟，通过大学和当地合作伙伴组织之间的伙伴关系，在岛屿上培养劳动力机会。机构间伙伴关系可能有助于缓解传统障碍和培训竖井，同时还能解决本科阶段和研究生阶段之间的课程不一致问题，特别是对于那些可能无法获得研究生课程和教员的少数族裔服务机构的学生(Allen-Ramial&Amp；Campbell 2014)。中介是任何学习生态系统的重要组成部分(Ching，Santo，Hoadley，&amp；Peppler，2016；Akiva，Kehoe，&Amp；Schunn，2017；Penuel，Clark&amp；Bevan，2016；Allen等，2019年)，并将成为Hub团队(美属维尔京群岛、波多黎各、关岛)开展的工作的一个关键特征，因为他们合作开始改变这些岛屿社区的地球科学工作者的文化，以反映这些岛屿社区的多样性。将在心理健康急救方面提供跨学科培训(John和Kahn，2018)，并加强研究员、教师和合作伙伴的影响力身份(Risien&amp；Storksdieck，2018)以及他们深入有效地与当地社区接触的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Navigating Home will support recent on- and off-island graduates who identify as Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islanders or other underrepresented groups in the geosciences and who originally hail from one of three U.S. territory Hubs (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) by placing them in new, marine and environmental science job opportunities. Navigating Home is designed to contribute to the creation of an inclusive marine and environmental science research community that reflects the diversity of these islands. The goals of Navigating Home are to: (1) bring back, train, and retain islanders who have Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees in the marine and environmental sciences, and who are interested in being part of their home island’s workforce; (2) strengthen partnerships between island-based universities and their local partners through joint decision-making and co-design; (3) provide transdisciplinary training related to public engagement with science and community engagement; and (4) transform geoscience culture through these innovative strategies and partnerships, that will serve as model examples within and beyond the island communities in which they are based. Over five years, the project will support 68 Fellows and 68 professionals from university and community partnering organizations in transdisciplinary geoscience enrichment opportunities. This project will benefit from the early successes of the NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance, NSF EPSCoR investments, and integrating the NSF-funded STEMAP program into island-based community engagement. It will broaden participation in STEM by supporting individuals from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups who are also from the island regions and increase diversity in local and national STEM workforces, resulting in greater creativity and innovation in problem solving. Navigating Home will transform local geoscience learning ecosystems and serve as a model program in transforming geoscience culture, stabilizing STEM career pathways, and combating “brain drain” that affects many rural communities and especially, U.S. territories. Project results will be shared broadly with local communities, and through national conferences and academic publications.Navigating Home will nurture sustainable and long-term STEM learning and research ecosystems that build on the idea of learning ecosystems as a braided river, to foster “inclusive, responsive, and modern career development” (Bachelor et al., 2021). The project will leverage the NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance to foster workforce opportunities in the islands through partnerships between universities and local partner organizations. Inter-institutional partnerships may help mitigate traditional barriers and training silos while also addressing curricular misalignment between the undergraduate and graduate stages, especially for those students at Minority Serving Institutions that may lack access to graduate programs and faculty (Allen-Ramdial & Campbell 2014). Brokering is an important part of any learning ecosystem (Ching, Santo, Hoadley, & Peppler, 2016; Akiva, Kehoe, & Schunn, 2017; Penuel, Clark & Bevan, 2016; Allen et al., 2019), and will be a key feature of the work conducted by Hub teams (U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam) as they collaborate to begin to transform the culture of geoscience workforce in these island communities to reflect the diversity of these island communities. Transdisciplinary training will be provided in mental health first aid (John and Kahn, 2018), and to strengthen the impact identities of fellows, faculty and partners (Risien & Storksdieck, 2018) and their ability to engage with local communities deeply and effectively.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.