ED32A-01
Center of Microbial Oceanography Research and Education (C-MORE) Initiatives Toward Promoting Diversity in the Ocean Sciences
The ocean sciences suffer from a lack of diversity, particularly among indigenous peoples, despite the fact that indigenous peoples often have deep, cultural knowledge about the marine environment. Nowhere is this inequity more glaring than in Hawaii. Traditional knowledge in marine science enabled Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) to become world leaders in transpacific canoe voyaging, aquaculture, and fisheries. Yet today, NHPI are severely underrepresented in the ocean sciences (and in STEM fields in general) at all levels of education and employment. When compared to other ethnic and racial groups in Hawaii, NHPI students as a group have among the poorest educational performance, indicated in part by underrepresentation in college enrolment and pre-college gifted and talented programs, as well as overrepresentation in eligibility for special education and free and reduced lunch programs. The Center of Microbial Oceanography Research and Education (C-MORE), a NSF-funded, multi-institutional Science and Technology Center based at the University of Hawai (UH), is determined to address this inequity. C- MORE is committed to increasing diversity in the ocean sciences, particularly among NHPI, at all levels of education and research. Our approach is to work with existing programs with a track record of increasing diversity among NHPI. We are currently developing culturally relevant materials including educational games for K-12 students, mentorships for high school and community college students, and laboratory and shipboard experiences for teachers and undergraduates in partnership with minority-serving organizations. Some of our main partners are EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), Ka `Imi `Ike (an NSF- funded program to recruit and retain NHPI undergraduates in geosciences), Upward Bound (an enrichment program for economically disadvantaged high school students which includes intensive summer courses), the UH Center on Disability Studies (which is developing culturally relevant curriculum to address the overrepresentation of NHPI in special education classes) and the UH Louis Stokes Program (which we plan to use as a model). For more information, please refer to: http:cmore.soest.hawaii.edu
ED32A-02
MS PHD'S PDP: Vision, Design, Implementation, and Outcomes of a Minority-Focused Earth System Sciences Program
As minorities are predicted to comprise at least 33% of the US population by the year 2010, their representation
in the STEM fields, including the ocean sciences, is still poorly established. In order to advance the goal of better
decision making, the Ocean Sciences community must achieve greater levels of diversity in membership. To
achieve this objective of greater diversity in the sciences, the Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of
Success in Earth System Science® Professional Development Program (MS PHD'S PDP), which was
launched in 2003, is supported via grants from NASA's Office of Earth Science, and NSF's Directorate
for Geosciences. The MS PHD'S PDP is designed to provide professional and mentoring experiences that
facilitate the advancement of minorities committed to achieving outstanding Earth System Science careers. The
MS PHD'S PDP is structured in three phases, connected by engagement in a virtual community, continuous
peer and mentor to mentee interactions, and the professional support necessary for ensuring the educational
success of the student participants. Since the pilot program in 2003, the MSPHD'S PDP, housed at the
University of South Florida's College of Marine Science, has produced 4 cohorts of students. Seventy-five
have completed the program; of those 6 have earned their doctoral degrees. Of the 45 current participants 10 are
graduate students in Marine Science and 15 are still undergraduates, the remaining 10 participants are graduate
students in other STEM fields. Since the implementation of the MSPHD'S PDP a total of 87 students and 33
scientist mentors have become part of the MSPHD'S virtual community, helping to improve the learning
environment for current and future participants as well as build a community of minority students that encourages
each other to pursue their academic degrees.
http:www.msphds.usf.edu
ED32A-03
In Pursuit of Diversity: Alignment of Program Vision, Goals and Objectives
This case study reveals replicable processes and constructs to enhance intellectual merit and broader impact of
proposals. The structure of MS PHD'S in Earth System Science Initiative's Professional Development Program is
directly aligned with vision, goals and objectives. The vision statement for the MS PHD'S in Earth System Science
Initiative's Professional Development Program concretizes purpose, population, and scientific parameter. The
vision statement incorporates the ultimate, long-range intellectual merit and broader impact of the program. The
vision is stratified into goals that must be achieved in order for the program to achieve its long-range vision.
Program goals and objectives serve as extensions of the vision to further define implementation foci. Program
goals address the "what" through the identification of products and outcomes. Program objectives identify the
"how" by delineating procedures by which the goals and ultimately the vision are projected to be accomplished.
Program objectives define implementation strategies. These objectives become determinants and parameters
for programming activities and resultant evaluation indices. The Minority Students Pursuing Higher Degrees of
Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S in Earth System Science) Initiative was established by and for
underrepresented minorities to facilitate increased and sustained participation in Earth system science
community. The study addresses frequently asked questions (FAQ's) on the formation and sustenance of
partnerships among principal investigators and delineating procedures by which the goals and ultimately the
vision are projected to be accomplished. Program objectives define implementation strategies. These objectives
become determinants and parameters for programming activities and resultant evaluation indices. The Minority
Students Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S in Earth System Science)
Initiative was established by and for underrepresented minorities to facilitate increased and sustained
participation in Earth system science community. The study addresses frequently asked questions (FAQ's) on the
formation and sustenance of partnerships among principal investigators and evaluators and the impact of this
partnership on the writing of the proposal, implementation and evaluation of program outcomes.
http:www.msphds.usf.edu/
ED32A-04
Culturally Relevant Educational Games in the Ocean, Earth and Planetary Sciences
Educational games can be a fun, challenging way of engaging students. Teachers can use games to teach
content (students learn as they play), or to assess previously acquired knowledge. I will present a board game
that is culturally relevant to Hawaii (available by eamiling barb@hawaii.edu). Originally developed for 6-8th
graders studying Mars, it can be readily exported to a variety of grade levels and content areas in the ocean, earth
and planetary sciences.
This project began with a NASA Education and Public Outreach grant to develop standards-based, hands-on
Mars science curricula that are culturally relevant to Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. We both developed
new curricula and tailored existing curricula to make the content and teaching methodologies culturally relevant.
Our main curriculum product is an eight-lesson unit entitled Life in Hawaii, Life on Mars, developed in
partnership with teachers and currently being field-tested in Hawaii schools. The final lesson in the unit is an
educational board game entitled Hawaii to Mars: A Voyage of Discovery. Like many board games, players
advance along a set path by rolling a die. Landing on certain squares requires students to answer questions on
Hawaiian culture and Mars science; landing on others requires students to do a variety of activities (drawing,
acting, unscrambling words) on relevant topics. Correct answers allow players to roll again. Although incorrect
answers require they skip a turn, correct answers are provided and a limited number of questions ensures a
second opportunity to answer the question correctly.
We are currently developing a microbial oceanography version of the game in partnership with scientists at the
Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE), as part of C-MORE's efforts to increase
diversity in the ocean sciences. We also plan to develop a generic version of the game board, so simply changing
the content and difficulty of the question cards will allow the game to be played in different disciplines and grade
levels.
I gratefully acknowledge UH undergraduate Michelle Bradley for her hard work on the eight-lesson unit including
the game; Tracy Tayama for her artwork on the gameboard, and partner teachers BJ Kahawaii and Scott Oberg for
helping develop and field-test the curriculum.
http:cmore.soest.hawaii.edu
ED32A-05
Enhancing Ocean Literacy and Expertise of Diverse Populations via Graduate School Fellowship Opportunities
In 2004, the University of South Florida (USF) was granted by the National Science Foundation a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) site award (HRD# 0217675). As part of the Florida-Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (FGLSAMP), USF is one of thirteen institutions in an alliance that is dedicated to significantly increasing the number of underrepresented minority students who obtain undergraduate and graduate STEM degrees. The BD program at USF incorporates the goals of FGLSAMP and facilitates the recruitment of underrepresented minorities pursuing careers in the STEM fields at the graduate level. The thematic focus of the FGLSAMP USF BD program is focused on the development and application of biogeochemical sensors for marine, aquatic, environmental, remote sensing and biomedical applications. After recruitment, BD graduate fellowship recipients are provided with NSF-funded financial support for two years, and opportunities to participate in professional development workshops, seminars and short courses, as well as additional financial support to pursue and complete their doctoral studies (beyond the initial two years of NSF BD funding), in a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, Alfred P. Sloan Minority Scholarships, Florida Education Fund's McKnight Doctoral Fellowships, USF College of Graduate Studies Fellowships, USF CMS endowed fellowships, USF CMS research assistantships, and USF CMS teaching assistantships. Collectively, 3 LSAMP BD grants have been awarded at USF to support 56 underrepresented minority fellowship recipients, of which 14 are currently graduate students at the USF College of Marine Science (CMS). Since the arrival of the BD Fellowship program, the graduate community has diversified, showing an increase of over 40% in underrepresented minorities at CMS. The BD program has enhanced the research and learning environment for all CMS students, as well as fostered a nurturing community of underrepresented minority CMS graduate students committed to obtaining their doctoral degrees. As of spring 2007, a total of 4 BD fellowship recipients have obtained marine science master's degrees and are currently pursuing their doctoral degrees in the CMS. In addition, in less than two years, a BD endowment fund of more than $900,000 was established. This fund will provide financial support for at least two minority CMS graduate students in perpetuity! Lastly, in response to an identified need for increased ocean literacy among underrepresented groups, several BD fellowship recipients have engaged in activities designed to "give back" via informal and formal education and outreach opportunities within their native communities.
ED32A-06
Recruiting Minority Students to the Geosciences
Queensborough Community College (QCC) and Medgar Evers College (MEC) of the City University of New York have been actively involved in recruiting primarily minority students to the Geosciences by involving students in research and by incorporating innovative and proven pedagogical methods into the classroom. Students at both colleges have been actively involved in doing research in Space and Earth Science. Students work during the summer under the mentorship of CUNY faculty conducting experiments and analyzing data. At the end of the summer students present findings at various science meetings. In the lecture room, the method of instruction was modified to emphasize active learning. Educational materials and pedagogical methods developed at QCC and other 4 year colleges was introduced to the predominantly minority student body at QCC and MEC. Many of these students did poorly at pre-college schools where lecture based learning is the chief method of instruction. It is not unexpected that many of them are having difficulty if the method of instruction has not changed at the postsecondary level. The intent of introducing active learning was to have students develop an appreciation of science, and have an increased understanding of relevant scientific principles. As a result of these activities student scores increased as compared to student scores in a more affluent college. Students also demonstrated increased conceptual understanding of the material, had higher self- efficacy scores, and seemed to enjoy the class better. Lower scoring students demonstrated the greatest benefit, while the better students had little (or no) changes.
ED32A-07
Women, Minorities, and Interdisciplinary Research
Two major issues face the scientific enterprise: the need to engage the next generation of scientists and the recognition that research frontiers don't necessarily fall within disciplinary lines. While research has focused on each of these trends independently, surprisingly few studies have considered how intellectual preferences for and professional consequences of interdisciplinary science might be influenced by one's gender. This presentation assembles some of the first empirical data on gender and interdisciplinarity, showing that women appear to be disproportionately involved in interdisciplinary science. It considers what draws women in this direction and explores the implications of such a tendency. Interdisciplinary research may present a promising angle by which to engage women in the scientific enterprise, and institutions interested in increasing interdisciplinary research may have a greater chance for success if they involve women. Similarly, institutions interested in increasing their diversity may have a greater chance for success if they value interdisciplinary scholarship, which is still an issue on most campuses where disciplinary departments dominate.