The GEOPATHS project (Track 2) is implementing a program to increase the participation of underrepresented students in the geosciences within the framework of Phase III of the Louis Stokes Missouri Alliance for Minority Participation (LSMoAMP). The project is being conducted through a partnership between the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and the Kansas City Missouri School District (KCMSD). Project objectives are to: 1) Increase middle school and high school teacher knowledge content in geosciences to help meet the new science curriculum and Missouri grade level expectations; 2) Increase the performance of KCMO School District students on statewide science exams by integrating inquiry-based geoscience educational modules into the new science curriculum; 3) Increase student awareness of earth systems and environmental science and the potential for careers in the geosciences; and 4) Increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering geoscience fields at the undergraduate college level. Thirty KCMSD teachers will participate in rigorous professional development activities during two summers, leading to up to 9 graduate credits in the geosciences that can be used for certification. These inquiry-based activities, based on the GLOBE and IRIS program curricula, will utilize concept mapping and learning cycle strategies. During the school year, these teachers will develop and field test instructional units that mirror active scientific inquiry and field based problem solving in the geosciences. During the third and fourth year, UMKC faculty will mentor teachers who completed the two-year professional development course and help them to obtain certification to teach college level environmental science at KCMSD high schools. Teachers who have trained through the GEOPATHS program will be asked to nominate up to 5 motivated upper level high school students for participation in a paid 6-week summer research internship program working with geoscience faculty at UMKC each year. In addition, 5 Excellence in Geoscience Scholarships ($5,000 each) will be offered each year to a select group of incoming minority students with interests in the geosciences who are applying to any of the LS-MoAMP colleges and universities. Continuation of these scholarships is dependent on academic performance and continuing interest in the geosciences. Outreach to local schools and communities through a science guest lecture program and community events during Earth Science Week will be used to advertise the GEOPATHS program and increase awareness about educational and career opportunities in the geosciences.
Geoscience Education Opportunities Partnerships to Advance Teaching & Scholarship (GEOPATHS) is a multi-year program funded by the Education and Diversity Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of GEOPATHS is to raise the profile of geosciences among populations that are traditionally underrepresented in the discipline with the aim of increasing minority student enrollment in the geosciences at the college level. GEOPATHS is a collaborative project between the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, and the Kansas City Public Schools District (formerly Kansas City Missouri School District - KCMSD). The project was designed to respond to stated needs of the KCMSD teachers and students and the unique opportunities that these needs present to strengthen the position of geosciences in the emerging science curriculum landscape in the state of Missouri. The programs implemented as part of GEOPATHS include two years of high quality professional development in geoscience content and inquiry pedagogy for middle and high school teachers recruited mainly from KCMSD; summer science enrichment activities for high school students; lectures and visits to community colleges and secondary schools by professors and industry professionals to provide information about career opportunities in the geosciences; and recruitment scholarships for incoming freshman and community college transfer minority students to attract them into the geosciences related degree programs at UMKC. The GEOPATHS Teacher Professional Development Institute provided twenty-seven science high school teachers from the Kansas City area high quality professional development in geoscience content and inquiry pedagogy over a two-year period. Through these teachers, GEOPATHS potentially impacts the learning outcomes and career choices of over 1000 students per year in the Kansas City area. Additionally, GEOPATHS supports the ongoing partnership between KCMSD and UMKC for addressing pipeline issues through the Students as Scholars program designed to provide summer science enrichment/mentoring opportunities for high school minority students. In total, sixteen students from various high schools in the Kansas City area benefited from intensive summer research enrichment experiences and college entrance preparatory coaching offered through the Student as Scholars program. Finally, GEOPATHS awarded twelve Excellence in Geosciences Scholarships worth $5000 each to minority students recruited into various undergraduate degree programs in the department of geosciences at UMKC. These scholarships enabled the department to more than double its enrollment of minority students. Beyond the absolute number of minority students, which has increased dramatically; the UMKC Department of Geosciences is increasingly perceived by minority students at UMKC as a welcoming and supportive department where they can succeed. This should translate into even higher minority enrollment in the department’s undergraduate degree programs in the coming years. More information can be found at the GEOPATHS website: /cas.umkc.edu/geosciences/geopaths/index.html/
