HR: 09:00h
AN: ED41B-01    [Abstracts]
TI: GeoSCOPE: A Program to Engage Science Undergraduates in Geoscience Research
AU: * Hickey-Vargas, R
EM: hickey@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Draper, G
EM: draper@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Anderson, W
EM: andersow@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Clement, B
EM: clementb@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Collins, L
EM: collinsl@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Gross, M
EM: grossm@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Macfarlane, A
EM: macfarla@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Price, R
EM: pricer@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AU: Whitman, D
EM: whitmand@fiu.edu
AF: Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 United States
AB: GeoSCOPE (Exploring Geoscience Career Opportunities) is a three-year summer research internship program run by the Department of Earth Sciences at Florida International University in Miami. The purpose of GeoSCOPE, which is funded by NSF's OEDG (Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences) program, is to attract university freshman and sophomores who plan to major in a science into the geosciences by making them aware of the exciting and useful research that is undertaken by Geoscientists. We train student interns, 17 in 2004 and 21 in 2005, by means of workshop-type courses offered in early summer, and then engage them in ongoing faculty research projects during the last six weeks. Projects cover a wide range of cutting-edge geoscience areas. In 2005, the interns were distributed among 12 different projects, with topics ranging from the hydrogeology of the Everglades, GIS analysis of hurricane damage, and of fracture patterns in rocks, stable isotopes in tree rings as paleoclimate indicators, Pb-isotopes and soil magnetism as indicators of environmental pollution, paleocurrents interpreted from cross-bedding, micropaleontology, and the interpretation of volatile contents of volcanic rocks. Preliminary results of GeoSCOPE indicate that interns are strongly impressed by the value of the research projects, and that they develop a better understanding and appreciation of Geoscience. They also indicate that the research experience has strengthened their decision to continue in science. To date, a small proportion of interns have changed their major to Geoscience from their initial choice. However, many express interest in graduate study and/or a professional career in the Geosciences.
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0850 Geoscience education research
DE: 0855 Diversity
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005