Diversity and Equity in the Earth and Space Sciences Posters
Presiding: C J Alexander, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; J M Powell, University of South Florida College of Marine Science; L White, San Francisco State
ED13E-01 1330h
The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S) Professional Development Program
The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S) initiative was developed by and for underrepresented minorities with the overall purpose of facilitating our increased participation in Earth system science. The initiative was established with a goal of providing professional development experiences and mentoring opportunities that facilitate the advancement of minorities committed to achieving outstanding Earth system science careers. During the 2004 AGU fall meeting, the MS PHD'S initiative launched Phase I of its newest endeavor, entitled the MS PHD'S Professional Development Program (MS PHD'S PDP). Phase I of the MS PHD'S PDP included student participant and mentor orientations, initial mentor-mentee partners' interactions, networking, professional development, broad Earth system science and engineering exposure, a tour of NASA Ames Research Center facilities tour and MS PHD'S community building activities. In 2005 and 2006, Phase II will enable student participants to student receive additional Earth system science and engineering exposure, mentor-mentee interaction and networking at one of five MS PHD'S professional society partners' meetings. Each MS PHD'S PDP participant will attend the meeting that most closely aligns with his or her specific academic interests. The third and final phase of the MS PHD'S PDP will be hosted by The National Academies' Ocean Studies Board in Washington, D.C. During Phase III participants will engage in brownbag discussions, government agency visits, and dialogues with professional society and foundation representatives. In addition to these Phase III activities, while in Washington, D.C. students will receive $1,000.00 scholarships, tour of NASA Ames Goddard Space Flight Center facilities and participate in an Ecological Society of America-organized urban watershed field trip of the surrounding area. Students who successfully complete all three phases of the MS PHD'S PDP will be better prepared to achieve their academic and professional goals. As a result of mentor-mentee partnerships, science exposure, and networking activities, these individuals will likely remain actively engaged in their fields of specialization and respective professional societies. This presentation will highlight preliminary outcomes of the MS PHD'S PDP from both programmatic and participatory perspectives.
http://www.msphds.usf.edu
ED13E-02 1330h
The Physics Learning Program at UW-Madison: Strategies for Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment
The Physics Learning Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides a supportive learning environment for introductory physics students potentially at-risk for having academic trouble or for feeling isolated at the University. Physics is a gateway course for many undergraduate science majors such as biology, physics, geophysics, atmospheric science, and astronomy, and for pre-health professions. Many students struggle with their physics courses due to factors including large class sizes, isolation and lack of study partners, and/or lack of confidence in mathematical problem solving skills. Our students include those with learning disabilities, no high school physics, weak math backgrounds, and/or on academic probation. We also work with students who may be feeling isolated, such as students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, first generation college students, returning adults, international students, and students from small rural schools. Many of our students are also part of retention programs such as the TRIO program, the Academic Advancement Program, the McNair Scholars Program, and the McBurney Disability Resource Center. The Physics Learning Program's Peer Mentor Tutor program is run in conjunction with similar programs for chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin. We will discuss strategies we use for creating an inclusive learning environment that engages students in their learning. Such strategies include small group instruction, ongoing training of the tutors, teaching problem solving skills, and creating a welcoming atmosphere.
ED13E-03 1330h
Bringing the SF-ROCKS Model Beyond the San Francisco Bay Area: Building a Partnership Between the San Francisco State University and the University of New Orleans Geoscience Diversity Programs
Since 2001, faculty and graduate students in the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University (SFSU) have coordinated a program to encourage high school students from traditionally underrepresented groups to pursue the geosciences. The SF-ROCKS (Reaching Out to Communities and Kids with Science in San Francisco) program is a multifaceted NSF-funded program that includes curriculum enhancement, teacher in-service training, summer and academic year research experiences for high school students, and field excursions to national parks. Six faculty, five graduate students, and several undergraduate students work together to develop program activities. Working with 9th grade integrated science courses, the students are introduced to SF-ROCKS through lesson plans and activities that focus on the unique geologic environments that surround the schools. Each year a group of twelve to fifteen students is selected to participate in a summer and academic year research institute at the SFSU campus. In the four years of our program, twenty-seven ninth and tenth-grade students have participated in the summer and academic year research experiences. We have observed increased interest and skill development as the high school students work closely with university faculty and students. As SF-ROCKS continues to expand, we are exploring ways to partner with other diversity programs such as the long-standing University of New Orleans (UNO) Minority Geoscience summer field program. The UNO program is successful because it combines field exposure and mentoring with scholarship opportunities for students making it more likely they will study geosciences in college. SF-ROCKS is creating additional ways to further enhance the students' perspective of the geosciences through meaningful field and scientific research experiences by focusing on local and regional geologic environments and also on the geology of national parks.
http://sf-rocks.sfsu.edu