GP-IMPACT: Career paths for urban geoscientists: recruitment, retention, and apprenticeship

GSTDTAP

项目编号	1600233
	GP-IMPACT: Career paths for urban geoscientists: recruitment, retention, and apprenticeship
	Laura Toran
主持机构	Temple University
项目开始年	2016
	2016-09-01
项目结束日期	2019-08-31
资助机构	US-NSF
项目类别	Standard Grant
项目经费	358773(USD)
国家	美国
语种	英语
英文摘要	The growing demand for geoscientists must be met by increasing recruitment and retention. Given the steady U.S. population migration to urban centers, recruits will increasingly need to come from students who were raised in cities. The issues involved with recruiting urban geoscientists closely parallel those for recruiting from underrepresented groups. Many students and their families are unaware of the growing opportunities in the geosciences for careers that use advanced technology to solve some of the most challenging problems facing society. Urban geoscientists work on a wide range of local problems including waste management, flood control, beach nourishment, transportation infrastructure, land subsidence, and the environmental impact of "fracking." To increase the size and diversity of the geoscience workforce and keep pace with demand in the 21st century, this project is testing new strategies, assessing what works, and sharing the model of an urban geoscience learning community with other universities. New strategies include: developing materials highlighting career opportunities in urban geoscience, peer coaching in mathematics to assist students transitioning into science from other disciplines, and student apprenticeships to boost employment opportunities. The Career Paths for Urban Geoscientists initiative includes three main components. First, student recruitment is focused on developing career information for students and their parents to overcome misconceptions about opportunities. This information is being provided to prospective students during visits to the university, in general education and introductory-level courses in the department, and to the Alliance for Minority Participation on campus. In addition to career information, service learning modules are being included in general education classes to inform students about applications for their new geology skills. Second, the Urban Geoscientists initiative is focusing on retention of new majors through a math-mentoring program. Math requirements are often a serious obstacle for students switching from non-science majors, and a reason many drop out of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors. The Math Partners program is pairing junior and senior geology and environmental science majors who have completed at least one semester of calculus as mentors for newly recruited majors. New students are benefiting from one-on-one coaching by majors who have experienced their struggles and who can help them grasp the increasingly important connections between quantitative skills and careers in the geosciences. The mentors reinforce their own understanding of mathematics through teaching. Working together also promotes camaraderie within the major. The third component of the project is focused on enhancing Career Paths for Urban Geoscientists through apprenticeship that prepare them for the workforce. This includes a new certificate program that teaches job skills, internship opportunities with local companies, and undergraduate research experiences working with graduate students and faculty. The creation of learning communities of urban geoscientists involving alumni, faculty, undergraduate students, and graduate students in both science and education strengthens the initiative and is an explicit goal of this project. Assessment tools are being employed to determine the efficacy and timing of intervention. Outcomes such as an increase in majors, fewer repeated math courses, and retention in STEM are being assessed by demographic groupings. Using Temple University as a model of urban geosciences, the findings of this project are expected to be important for nation-wide recruiting through application at other universities striving to recruit and retain students from diverse backgrounds and prepare them for successful geoscience careers.
来源学科分类	Geosciences - Integrative and Collaborative Education and Research
文献类型	项目
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/70249
专题	环境与发展全球科技态势
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Laura Toran.GP-IMPACT: Career paths for urban geoscientists: recruitment, retention, and apprenticeship.2016.