GP-UP: Increasing representation and success of African Americans in the geosciences

This project is jointly funded by GEO GOLDEN and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Careers in the geosciences are expected to grow by 50% above the average job growth rate in the US over the next 10-years, with some subfields experiencing more than double the average growth rate. At the same time undergraduate enrollment within these fields has remained relatively flat or even slightly decreased in recent years, leading to a shortage of trained geoscientists.

Furthermore, while recent efforts to increase diversity within STEM have been met with success in some fields, diversity within the geosciences has lagged behind, with geosciences having the lowest levels of inclusion among groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields; and, among these groups, African Americans remain among the least represented making up less than 1.5% of geoscience doctorates awarded in 2018 (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates). This project aims to increase recruitment, improve long-term student success and persistence, and enhance post-graduate placement of African American students, through increased exposure to potential geoscience careers, multidisciplinary research experiences, skill-building workshops, networking, and faculty-mediated career planning at Jackson State University (JSU), the nation’s 10th largest Historically Black College/University.

This project will provide a pathway focused on Marine Science, Environmental Science, and Earth Systems Science undergraduate degree programs. It aims to increase enrollment, retention, and persistence of URM in the geosciences by: 1) increasing awareness of potential geoscience careers through a robust seminar series, 2) enhancing preparedness through faculty-mediated career planning and application assistance 3) expanding acquisition of relevant experiences through independent research and skill-building workshops.

Even with focus on a targeted cohort, most of the activities in this program will be open to all JSU students including: 1) a weekly seminar series that will include invited speakers highlighting potential careers and areas of research in the geosciences, 2) a series of workshops focused on building general research skills (e.g., data analysis and visualization, GIS/Remote Sensing, writing research papers) and the generation of professional documents (e.g., curriculum vitae, resume, personal statement, research statement, cover letter) relevant to career advancement, and 3) seminars focused on identifying and applying for summer research opportunities or internships, as well as post-graduate programs, in the geosciences.

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.