Collaborative Research: GP-UP: Geo-Launchpad: Engaging Community College Students in Geoscience-STEM Career Pathways

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

This project is a collaboration between Front Range Community College (FRCC) and UNAVCO, operator of the National Science Foundation-Earth Sciences GAGE Facility (Geodesy Advancing Geosciences). The Geo-Launchpad program is designed to help students from two-year colleges (2YC) discover and prepare for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM), in particular, the geosciences, though mentoring programs, curriculum, and internships.

The program focuses on involving 2YC students in academic opportunities and career paths in geosciences through local university and federal agency partners. The program design relies on faculty to mentor students through this process. The PIs assert that faculty are a critical element to students being aware of and applying to internship programs in the geosciences, especially at the 2YC level where formal geoscience majors are often not offered.

During this 3-year project, faculty participate in professional development programs focused on mentoring students. Students are encouraged to apply to geoscience internships including one offered through this program, allowing students to gain valuable work experience as they prepare to transfer to a four-year college. Focusing on two-year college faculty and students in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, the program engages in three primary activities: (1) creating academic course opportunities for students to learn about geoscience research and careers, (2) supporting students with a geoscience internship and, (3) working with 2YC STEM faculty to increase their awareness of geosciences and improve their mentoring skills.

The program entails further building partnerships with the United States Geological Survey and community colleges across the three-state area, as well as increasing support of faculty through a Whole Student Mentoring workshop. Results will be documented and made public, with best practices shared with 2YC faculty across the United States.

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.