Addressing Water Security: towards Student Retention, Improved Relevance, and Increased Readiness

圣安东尼奥是美国发展最快的地区之一，代表着一个自然资源难以满足需求的城市中心。在德克萨斯州，预计2020年至2070年间总用水需求将增长17%。德州农工大学圣安东尼奥分校（TAMU-SA）是一所新兴的西班牙裔服务大学，尽管全国趋势下降，但入学人数仍在迅速增加。它有一个独特的水资源项目，旨在培养能够应对该地区水安全挑战的毕业生。该项目将有助于增加这一标志性STEM项目的招生人数，该项目支持不同的学生，包括目前在水务部门工作的学生，以解决该地区与水有关的问题。重要的是，该项目将产生广泛有用的数据，以了解可以在全国范围内增加这类学位的入学率的因素。这些数据将用于全国范围内关注水资源的其他项目，以及那些为后传统学生群体服务的项目。该项目的目标是解决与TAMU-SA水资源科学与技术（WaTR）计划相关的三个挑战。首先是该项目的入学率低，尤其是女性。第二是有机会将对当地水资源问题的考虑纳入现有的水资源和STEM课程。第三，学生和现有水务专业人员的职前和在职专业人员和职业发展机会有限。该项目将促进水劳动力的准备和发展，为那些目前受雇于水劳动力。它将通过与招生人员合作以及在高中和社区大学开展外展活动来改善招生工作。项目团队将与当地水务公司和利益相关者合作，并利用该项目在校生和校友以及就读于硕士学位部分的在读研究生的同伴指导。项目负责人将制定可持续的强化课程教育途径，通过将课程与当地关注的问题联系起来，扩大课程的规模；学生参与尖端和新兴的水科学技术；与文化相关的、基于情境的教学法；实地体验及参观本地植物；和与水有关的合作者一起实习。最后，该项目将通过社区科学项目、高影响力项目、以课堂为基础的本科生研究经验，以及新的或修订的研究密集型课程，为所有学生做好准备，为研究职业和培训奠定基础。通过招聘、关联和准备，该项目寻求使在地区、州、国家和国际范围内解决水资源问题的在职和在职专业人员多样化，并应对当地水资源获取、保护和养护等紧迫问题。HSI计划旨在加强本科STEM教育，扩大STEM参与，并在HSI建立转型改进的能力。考虑到hsi的多样化性质和背景，实现这些目标需要创新的方法来激励机构和社区转型，并促进基础研究(i)参与学生学习，（ii）有效地多样化和增加STEM参与所需的条件，以及（iii）发展对如何在hsi建立机构能力的理解，这些都是由该计划支持的。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。

San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation and represents an urban center whose natural resources are struggling to keep up with the demand. In Texas, total water demand is predicted to increase by 17% between 2020 and 2070. Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMU-SA) is a burgeoning Hispanic-Serving university, with a rapidly increasing enrollment despite decreasing national trends. It has a unique water resources program that aims to generate graduates capable of responding to the region's water security challenges. This project will help increase student recruitment to this signature STEM program supportive of diverse students, including those currently employed in the water sector, to tackle water-related issues in the region. Importantly, this project will generate data that will be broadly useful in understanding factors that can increase enrollment in these types of degrees across the country. This data will be of use to other programs with a focus on water across the country as well as those serving a post-traditional student population.The goal of this project is to address three challenges associated with the Water Resources Science and Technology (WaTR) program at TAMU-SA. First is low enrollment in the program, particularly of women. Second is the opportunity to integrate consideration of local water issues into the existing WaTR and STEM curricula. Third is limited access to opportunities for pre- and in-service professional and career development for students and current water professionals. This project will promote water workforce readiness and advancement for those currently employed in the water workforce. It will improve recruitment by working with admissions personnel and through outreach activities at high schools and community colleges. The project team will work alongside local water utility providers and stakeholders and utilize peer mentoring by current students and alumni of the program, and current graduate students enrolled in the M.S. degree component. The project leaders will develop a sustainable educational pathway of enhanced courses that is amplified through connecting coursework to issues of local concern; student engagement with cutting-edge and emerging water science technology; culturally relevant, context-based pedagogies; field experiences and tours of local plants; and internships with water-related collaborators. Lastly, the project will promote readiness for all students, through community science programs, high-impact projects, classroom-based undergraduate research experiences, and new or revised research-intensive courses to lay the groundwork for research careers and training. Through recruitment, relevance, and readiness, the project seeks to diversify the pre- and in-service professionals addressing water issues in regional, state, national, and international contexts, and to respond to the local pressing issues of water access, protection, and conservation. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity of transformational improvement at HSIs. Achieving these aims, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires innovative approaches that incentivize institutional and community transformation and promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) on developing understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs are supported by this program.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.