Partnership to Enhance Diversity in Marine Geosciences: Holocene Climate and Anthorpogenic Changes from Long Island Sound, NY

This NSF-funded program developed an oceanographic field experience coupled to a strong curriculum and one-on-one mentoring of individual research projects, as a means to increase diversity in the geosciences. The working hypothesis is that New York City students will be attracted to geosciences through an integrated field and research experience that familiarizes them with their environment. As part of this program, multidisciplinary investigations of Long Island Sound were conducted from the R/V Hugh Sharp, part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet, for one-week during June 2006. Nine students from underrepresented groups in the geosciences (native Americans, Hispanics, and African- Americans) and five investigators from various institutions specializing in marine geophysics, geology, geochemistry, biology, and physical oceanography participate in this project. The expedition introduced the students to a variety of oceanographic techniques, including multibeam bathymetric mapping, high-resolution subbottom profiling, side scan sonar, sediment, water, and biological sampling, and current profiling. The collected dataset is now analyzed by the students to extract the late Quaternary history of Long Island Sound and to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities in the sediments, waters, and ecosystems. 85 % of the student participants have declared either a geoscience and/or environmental science major with concentrations in biology and geosciences. Recruiting for the program relied on partnerships with: 1) Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP) Program of the City University of New York (CUNY). A program supported by the National Science Foundation and in which Queens College (QC) and CUNY participate; 2) the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge Program (SEEK) in place at Queens College. A program designed to provide educational opportunities for academically motivated students who need substantial financial assistance to attend college; and 3) through our regular teaching schedule for non-geoscience majors. The PIs work at four different institutions from NY metropolitan area: 1) Queens College (QC) from the City University of New York (CUNY.); 2) Queensborough Community College (CUNY), a minority serving college; 3) Lehman College (CUNY), a minority serving college; and 4) Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), a world-class earth science research institution. External financial support for the program has been secured through the City University of New York Graduate Center through a MAGNET fellowship, Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth Systems Science Professional Development Program 2006, through two industry grants (Entergy Co. and NRG Energy), and in the future, through the availability at competitive rates of local research vessels for day- trips. We anticipate that the program will further gain momentum through partnerships with other City University of New York senior and community colleges, and thanks to word of mouth from those students who participated in the program.