Broadening Geosciences Preparedness through a Cross-Campus Experiential Partnership
Abstract
Strengthening the geoscience pipeline requires creative investments in effective evidence-based strategies to broaden access and reinforce retention. In 2017 Mount Saint Mary's University (MSMU) in partnership with the University of Southern California (USC) was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education in the Geosciences (IUSE Geopaths) grant (NSF #1700871). The program forges a sustainable, scalable model partnership between a minority-serving geosciences-limited 2-year/4-year women's institution (MSMU) and a larger R1 university (USC). The two institutions propose to expand environmental and geosciences opportunities for underrepresented and predominantly first generation college students in Los Angeles, California. Leveraging the STEM capacity of USC and its Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Catalina Island, the project aims to generate greater academic interest and awareness among early-level MSMU undergraduates in geoscience and environmental fields. The program recruits early MSMU students to: 1) introduce oceanography and environmental science fields through project based learning at USC's WMSC campus; 2) conduct field/laboratory studies mentored by USC and MSMU faculty and researchers; 3) build expertise and confidence for subsequent participation in national programs and advanced geoscience courses at USC that are unavailable at MSMU; and 4) help prepare students for geoscience graduate school and/or workforce opportunities. The program supports three annual cohorts in year-long scaffolded spring, summer and fall programming in the disciplines of oceanography and earth sciences. This program leverages resources at both institutions and includes near-peer and professional development mentoring as students explore self-directed future research and academic opportunities in geoscience fields. In 2018 we had our first successful cohort of 14 students participate in this year long programming. This poster presents the structure and goals of the model partnership between the two universities and provides early measures of success based on past years of spring break pilot data and results from cohort one.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMED13C0769J
- Keywords:
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- 0810 Post-secondary education;
- EDUCATIONDE: 0850 Geoscience education research;
- EDUCATIONDE: 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATIONDE: 6630 Workforce;
- PUBLIC ISSUES