HR: 11:35h
AN: ED22A-06    [Abstracts]
TI: A Collaborative Effort to Increase Enrollment and Retention in Geoscience Majors in North Carolina
AU: * Thomas, C J
EM: carrie_thomas@ncsu.edu
AF: North Carolina State University, Box 8208, Raleigh, NC 27695 United States
AU: Fountain, J C
EM: fountain@ncsu.edu
AF: North Carolina State University, Box 8208, Raleigh, NC 27695 United States
AU: Bartek, C S
EM: cbartek@email.unc.edu
AF: North Carolina State University, Box 8208, Raleigh, NC 27695 United States
AU: Tang, G
EM: gtang@ncat.edu
AF: North Carolian Agricultural & Technical State University, 1601 E. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411 United States
AB: Under an NSF Opportunities for Enhancement of Diversity in Geosciences grant, the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University partnered with NC A&T University, a HBCU, to implement a multi-faceted effort to increase enrollment and retention in geoscience majors, with particular emphasis on under represented groups. New student recruitment is facilitated by a trained graduate student who visits high schools and presents a multi-media presentation on research at NCSU and career opportunities in the geosciences. Interested high school students are then invited to participate in a hands-on, summer science camp. Community college students are recruited through a new introductory geology course developed for and offered at Robeson Community College (77% of students from under represented groups). NC A&T has developed a track in their physics curriculum to prepare students for a geophysics career. The track includes a planned semester in residence at NCSU. Students who choose to enroll at NCSU, register for an introductory course developed as part of our NSF STEP grant, Environmental Issues in Water Resources, during which geoscience careers are highlighted and in-class research focuses on a local watershed. The emphasis on undergraduate research continues with Environmental Geology, an upper division course in which the entire class studies water and sediment contamination on local watersheds. All courses developed build upon our physics department's successful model of integrating lectures and laboratories and engaging first-year students in group-oriented, undergraduate research (http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/physics_ed/). Following the group research courses, advanced undergraduate students are placed in traditional research labs with faculty mentors while participating in a career development seminar in which research methods, proposal writing and presentation skills are introduced. Tutoring and mentoring programs provide support for all majors. Formative assessment is ongoing, including pre and post surveys to assess course effectiveness and changes in attitudes toward science.
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design
DE: 0850 Geoscience education research
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting