Virtual Career Development Workshops for Undergraduate and Graduate Students in the Ocean and Coastal Sciences

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and The Coastal Society will design, organize and host a virtual workshop series for professional development of early career marine science students, particularly those who are attending Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) or who are from groups historically excluded from ocean science careers. The project will aid undergraduates considering a graduate degree, graduate students seeking their terminal degree, and graduates embarking on their career pathway.

Evidence in the recent educational research literature and informal feedback from faculty and students at MSIs confirm the value of professional development and mentoring. Efforts to enlist faculty as co-facilitators will extend the merit of the proposed work well beyond the students who attend the events. The project will involve faculty from sixteen MSIs to work in clusters of four with the workshop organizers to tailor the professional development training according to the needs of the students at their institutions.

Four sets of events will be hosted for students at those MSIs, with a projected attendance of a few hundred students. The agendas, speakers, content, and format for these events can serve as models for the faculty to use in future years, thereby positively impacting future students in their programs.

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.