Research Opportunities in Solid Earth Science (RESESS): Broadening Participation in Geology and Geophysics (Invited)

RESESS is a multi-year, paid, summer research internship program designed for students from underrepresented groups. The students receive extensive mentoring in science research and communication and become part of a community that provides ongoing support. This has been possible in the initial 5 years of the program through collaboration with Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS), where solid earth students have been an integral part of the SOARS cohort, benefiting from social as well as educational interactions. 11 students have taken part in RESESS for at least one year and of these, four students have graduated in geoscience and entered graduate programs in geophysics and one was recently awarded an NSF graduate fellowship. Students have presented over 20 posters at national science meetings, and one has co-authored a peer-reviewed article. 23 scientists have mentored students over the past 5 years and 17 percent of these mentors are from underrepresented groups in science; 19 other scientists and university/science consortia staff have mentored students in written and verbal presentations and supported their integration into the local communities. Mentorship over a period of years is one important hallmark of this program as students have benefited from the support of UNAVCO, IRIS, USGS, and university scientists and staff during the summer, academic year, and at professional meetings such as AGU, GSA, NABGG, and SACNAS as well as consortia and project science workshops (UNAVCO, IRIS, and EarthScope). One goal of the project has been to educate the scientific community on the benefits of mentoring undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Increasingly, scientists are approaching RESESS to include this program in their implementation of broader impacts. RESESS has been funded by NSF for the next five years with plans to expand the number of students, geographic and scientific diversity, and sources of funding for a sustainable program. Collaboration with the IRIS REU program and major research programs such as POLENET began over the past three years. Synergistic activities will be increased with the inauguration of the IRIS Minority Speakers Series, partnership with the Colorado Diversity Initiative, and expanded recruitment and research opportunities from universities and colleges nation-wide.