GP-UP: Strengthening Pathways to Geoscience Degrees for Underrepresented Pre-College and Introductory Students Through Experiential Learning and Career-informed Research

The geosciences remain the least racially diverse of all the sciences with only a fraction of PhDs awarded to individuals from historically excluded racial and ethnic groups compared to their representation in the United States population. This project will recruit and support racially diverse student cohorts entering undergraduate geoscience degree programs through peer and faculty mentoring, career education, and impactful research and outreach opportunities structured to prepare students for successful application to advanced degree programs (MS, PhD) and geoscience careers.

Student research topics will contribute to improving understanding of our dynamic and ever-changing Earth. Faculty serving as mentors to the diverse student cohorts will be trained in best practices to create environments of inclusivity in the geosciences. Additionally, student participants will work with local high school teachers to develop geoscience lesson plans that feature local geology and climate to continue to inspire and recruit the next generation of geoscience professionals.

The Experiential Pathways to SJSU Geosciences Program will focus on recruiting diverse student groups from two 2-year colleges in the Bay Area (San Jose City College, De Anza College) to enter geoscience programs at SJSU (Geology, Earth Systems Science, Meteorology and Climate Science) with the following goals in mind:

1. increase high school, college, and university students' knowledge and personal/cultural connections to geoscience and meteorology/climate science;

2. recruit diverse students, particularly those from historically excluded groups, to participate in geosciences through “place- and problem-based” in-class assignments, personal reflections, peer mentoring, and off-campus geoscience experiences that focus on solving problems in geosciences and are focused on Bay Area regional geology and climate issues;

3. support students as they enroll in or transfer to geology or meteorology and climate science degree programs at SJSU and prepare them for geoscience careers through authentic research and outreach opportunities;

4. strategically expand and develop low-cost strategies to sustain ongoing communication and collaboration among high school teachers, community college faculty, geoscience faculty at SJSU, geoscience alumni, Bay Area geoscience government and industry partners and other community stakeholders.

Overall, the program will strengthen the science identities of student participants and emphasize the importance of applying scientific concepts for societal benefit - especially in their own communities.

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.