GP-IMPACT: Creating Pathways for Literacy, Undergraduate Majors and Careers in the Geosciences through Institutional Collaborations

GP-IMPACT：通过机构合作为地球科学领域的扫盲、本科专业和职业创造途径

• 批准号: 1911574
• 负责人: Lisa Park Boush
• 金额: $ 31.58万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-07-15 至 2024-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1911574&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GP; IMPACT; Creating; Pathways; Literacy

Over the next several decades, Connecticut and New England will face increasing challenges caused by more frequent and stronger hurricanes, flooding and sea level rise, unsafe drinking water, and crumbling infrastructure. Geoscientists work at the intersection between these challenges and their data- driven solutions, increasing the need for geoscience literacy and a strong geoscience workforce. The project emphasizes the development and implementation of methods for broadening access to geoscience education, research opportunities, and career pathways in the State of Connecticut. The core of this project creates 4 pathways for entering the geoscience major at UConn, followed by strengthening the internship and career mentoring programs. The principal investigators will focus on pre-college to early college students, with the goal of enhancing student retention and career preparation. Specifically, they plan to 1) recruit majors at the pre-college through early college stage through four critical gateways: a UConn Early College Experience (ECE), the UConn pre-College Experience, UConn regional campuses, and community colleges throughout Connecticut. The UConn ECE program allows motivated high school students to take UConn courses at their high schools for simultaneous college- and high-school credit. The pre-college experience gives high school students the opportunity to enroll in a 1 week short-course at UConn prior to enrolling in college, thereby offering exposure to the discipline. The other two entry points into the geoscience major--community colleges and UConn regional campuses-- will be linked to the new Department of Geosciences through workshops and training opportunities for their faculty. 2) The researchers will develop new strategies to retain geoscience majors and prepare them for emerging career opportunities. Funds will support internships and externships at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Geological Society of Connecticut (GSC), local land trusts and environmental companies with strong ties to UConn geosciences, while simultaneously developing a career mentoring program for all undergraduate students. Within these new programs, the investigators will emphasize the increased involvement of under-represented groups. The end goals are to expand public awareness of geosciences in CT and strengthen a new Department of Geosciences at UConn. The broader impacts of this project are many, are infused throughout all activities, and are transportable as a model for other states and institutions. A large part of the activities will be workshops and trainings for 2 year and regional campus faculty, and support for pre-college students attending the summer program and undergraduate students doing internships. These outreach efforts will enhance the visibility of geosciences throughout the state. The network of partnerships and collaborations the team plans to create will provide support for undergraduates to be successful after graduation and will be a cornerstone in the educational program in a new department.The goals of UConn Geopaths are to develop programs at various academic levels to provide pathways into and through the geosciences. Specifically, the project will 1) create an Early College Experience (ECE) course for high schools in Connecticut; 2) create a pre-college summer experience for pre-baccalaureate students interested in the geosciences; 3) build bridges and better integration between UConn regional campuses, 2 year colleges and the UConn Storrs main campus; 4) develop an undergraduate internship program at UConn with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and other entities; and 5) develop a career mentoring program at the University of Connecticut to prepare students for their post-baccalaureate futures. The principal investigators plan to engage UConn's successful statewide Early College Experience (ECE) program to pilot an introductory geoscience course at two high schools, and recruit teachers for ECE courses in other school districts, particularly those in Hartford and Bridgeport, where minority populations are high. The researchers will partner with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at UConn to facilitate teacher recruitment and assess activities related to this project. The team will link programs at UConn's four regional campuses and the state's 2 year colleges with the main campus at Storrs to feature geoscience for underrepresented groups. The researchers will create a field-based Pre-college experience for high school students to expose them to geoscience in outdoor settings. Finally, the principal investigators will enlarge the nascent undergraduate internship program via partnerships with DEEP, consulting firms, entities like land trusts, and the Geological Society of Connecticut, which will enhance their post-graduation success. A mentoring program will be established to assist students in navigating the pathway towards a rewarding geoscience career. These initiatives will be sustainable, measurable, and transportable.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.

未来几十年，康涅狄格州和新英格兰将面临更加频繁和更强的飓风、洪水和海平面上升、不安全的饮用水以及摇摇欲坠的基础设施带来的日益严峻的挑战。地球科学家致力于解决这些挑战及其数据驱动解决方案的交叉点，增加了对地球科学素养和强大的地球科学劳动力的需求。该项目强调制定和实施扩大康涅狄格州接受地球科学教育、研究机会和职业道路的方法。 该项目的核心是创建4条进入康涅狄格大学地球科学专业的途径，其次是加强实习和职业指导计划。 主要研究人员将重点关注大学预科生和早期大学生，目标是提高学生的保留率和职业准备。具体来说，他们计划 1) 通过四个关键途径招收大学预科到大学早期阶段的专业学生：康涅狄格大学早期大学体验 (ECE)、康涅狄格大学预科体验、康涅狄格大学地区校园和康涅狄格州各地的社区学院。 康涅狄格大学 ECE 项目允许有积极性的高中生在其高中学习康涅狄格大学课程，同时获得大学和高中学分。 大学预科经历让高中生有机会在进入大学之前在康涅狄格大学参加为期 1 周的短期课程，从而接触到该学科。地球科学专业的另外两个切入点——社区学院和康涅狄格大学地区校区——将通过为教师提供讲习班和培训机会与新的地球科学系联系起来。 2）研究人员将制定新的策略来留住地球科学专业的学生，​​并为他们迎接新的职业机会做好准备。资金将支持康涅狄格州能源与环境保护部 (DEEP)、康涅狄格州地质学会 (GSC)、当地土地信托机构和与康涅狄格大学地球科学有密切联系的环境公司的实习和实习，同时为所有人制定职业指导计划本科生。 在这些新计划中，研究人员将强调增加代表性不足群体的参与。最终目标是提高公众对 CT 地球科学的认识，并加强康涅狄格大学新成立的地球科学系。该项目的广泛影响是多方面的，渗透到所有活动中，并且可以作为其他国家和机构的典范。活动的很大一部分将是为两年制和地区校园教师举办的研讨会和培训，以及为参加暑期项目的预科学生和进行实习的本科生提供支持。这些外展工作将提高整个州地球科学的知名度。该团队计划创建的合作伙伴关系和协作网络将为本科生毕业后取得成功提供支持，并将成为新系教育计划的基石。康涅狄格大学地理路径的目标是开发不同学术水平的项目，以提供进入和通过地球科学的途径。具体来说，该项目将 1) 为康涅狄格州的高中创建早期大学体验 (ECE) 课程； 2) 为对地球科学感兴趣的本科预科学生创造大学预科暑期体验； 3）在康涅狄格大学地区校区、两年制学院和康涅狄格大学斯托斯主校区之间建立桥梁并更好地融合； 4）与康涅狄格州能源与环境保护部（DEEP）和其他实体一起在康涅狄格大学开展本科生实习计划； 5) 在康涅狄格大学制定职业指导计划，为学生毕业后的未来做好准备。 主要研究人员计划利用康涅狄格大学成功的全州早期大学体验（ECE）计划，在两所高中试行地球科学入门课程，并在其他学区招聘 ECE 课程教师，特别是少数族裔人口较多的哈特福德和布里奇波特学区。 。研究人员将与康涅狄格大学卓越教学中心（CETL）合作，促进教师招聘并评估与该项目相关的活动。该团队将把康涅狄格大学四个地区校区和该州两年制学院的项目与斯托斯主校区联系起来，为代表性不足的群体提供地球科学课程。研究人员将为高中生创造一个基于实地的大学预科体验，让他们在户外环境中接触地球科学。最后，主要研究人员将通过与 DEEP、咨询公司、土地信托等实体以及康涅狄格州地质学会的合作，扩大新生的本科生实习计划，这将提高他们毕业后的成功率。将建立一个指导计划，以帮助学生走上回报丰厚的地球科学职业之路。这些举措将是可持续的、可衡量的和可转移的。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。