HR: 12:05h
AN: ED12A-08 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Geosciences Student Recruitment Strategies at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB): Earth System Science/Community-Research Based Education Partnerships
AU: * Ambos, E L
EM: bambos@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Behl, R
EM: behl@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Whitney, D
EM: dwhitney@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Rodrigue, C
EM: rodrigue@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Geography, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Wechsler, S
EM: wechsler@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Geography, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Holk, G
EM: gholk@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Lee, C
EM: clee@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Geography, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Francis, R D
EM: rfrancis@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AU: Larson, D
EM: larson@csulb.edu
AF: Department of Anthropology, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840
AB: Collaborations among geoscience-oriented departments at California State University, Long Beach (Geological Sciences, as well as portions of the Geography and Anthropology departments and a new, fast-growing Environmental Sciences and Policy (ES&P) program) are characterized by attention to three important elements: (1) community-based partnerships and research, (2) outreach and continuity within educational pipeline transitions from high school, to community college, to university, and, (3) sharing of resources and expertise. Three specific collaborations, (1) creation of the ES&P, (2) the NSF-funded Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (GDEP), and, (3) the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Materials, Environment, and Societies (IIRMES), are powerful illustrations of how these collaborations can work to foster geoscience student recruitment and academic development, particularly at urban, highly diverse institutions with limited resources. Through a combination of student surveys, focus groups, and institutional research supported by the GDEP program, we know (e.g., Whitney et al., 2005) that non-Caucasian students often express less affinity for the geosciences as a focus of study than Caucasians. Early exposure to positive field and laboratory experiences, better understanding of geoscience career possibilities, and better advising at high school and college levels are all excellent strategies for heightening student interest and recruitment in the geosciences, yet appear to be lacking for many of the students in the greater Long Beach, California area. GDEP, ES&P, and IIRMES all challenge these lacunae by emphasizing hands-on learning, research on relevant community-based problems, and one-on-one or small group research, advising and mentoring. Our current challenge is to help our high-school and community-college colleagues adopt their own model of these active-learning strategies, thereby priming the pump and patching the pipe(line) for student success in the geosciences. Whitney, D., et al., Ethnic Differences in Geoscience Attitudes of College Students, EOS, v. 86, #30, 26 July 2005 Acknowledgement: We acknowledge the support of NSF GEO 01-19891.
UR: http://www.csulb.edu/depts/geography/gdep/
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0830 Teacher training
DE: 0850 Geoscience education research
DE: 0855 Diversity
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005