California State University Fullerton (CSUF), the John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center, and various Orange County, California high schools and community colleges are engaged through this award in a planning effort to develop a new geoscience paleontology-based internship program for underrepresented minority students. Five workshops that engage representatives from the partner organizations are being held. Major focus areas of the planning activity are to: build understanding and trust among the different stakeholders; identify the institutional, administrative, and logistical barriers to implementing a successful and sustainable internship program; develop co-curricular activities; and, develop a tracking and assessment plan to monitor students participating in the various programs. The ultimate goal of this program is to engage diverse students in geoscience education and career pathways through hands-on, scientist-mentored research experiences based at the Center. The internship will capitalize on the recently established Cooper Center, which offers numerous opportunities for students to learn about fossil curation and preservation and work alongside professional geoscientists. Additional participants include Fullerton Union, Troy Tech, and Magnolia High Schools and Fullerton, Santa Ana, Santiago Canyon, Mt. San Antonio, Orange Coast and El Camino community colleges. This project directly serves the NSF and GEO Directorate goals of broadening participation in STEM disciplines, generally, and in the geosciences, specifically.
Project BONES: Building Opportunities for New Experience in Science aimed to engage high schools and community colleges in a planning effort to develop a new geoscience paleontology-based internship program for underrepresented minority students. Due to changes in available NSF funding opportunities, the only available program that came close to our original goal was the NSF Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) program. This program focuses on funding student scholarships to encourage and enable talented students, with pecuniary difficulties, to enter the STEM workforce. In August 2014, proposal #: 1458878 titled: "Project GEODES: Geoscience Experiences and Opportunities to help Diversify and Educate Students" was submitted to the NSF S-STEM program and requested $624,241 primarily to support students via tuition scholarships. A growing need for geoscientist exists due to the natural and human activities that affect our planet. Despite the growing need for geoscientist, a gap between available, qualified talent and need exists most likely due to the lack of visibility of geoscientist in our communities –especially in underrepresented populations. Project GEODES aimed to introduce underrepresented minorities to the field of geosciences through focused curriculum, peer-cohorts, and unique internships including opportunities at the John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center (Santa Ana, CA). The Project GEODES sought to: 1) Increase early exposure to geoscience careers, 2) Enhance the academic preparation of CSUF students, and 3) Enhance retention and degree completion of CSUF geoscience majors to help the geosciences keep pace with our nation’s changing demographic. Project GEODES anticipated awarding 70 scholarships out of which 47 reserved for undergraduates and 23 for Master’s students and planned to recruit GEODES scholars from our CSUF population, regional 2-year colleges, and at regional/national geological science meetings. Intellectual Merit: The GEODES project aimed to provide the first focused efforts on our campus to address the real need within the geoscience workforce and potentially provides new career opportunities to skeptical students. The program planned to offer early field research experience, integrate workforce preparation into our curriculum, and offer unique internship opportunities, while providing academic, personal and professional support. The project focused on techniques and practices that foster deeper learning experiences and thus, will ultimately help increase STEM major retention, degree completion and career placement. Broader Impacts: GEODES activities would have broaden the awareness of geoscience career options by providing underrepresented minorities with geoscience opportunities. We aimed to work toward diversifying the geosciences workforce, which will ultimately break down the skepticism of the geoscience major. Thus helping make the geosciences a sought-after career path for students interested in the STEM fields. Proposal #: 14588781 received two very good ratings and one good rating in review. As a result, the panel rejected the proposal. We are in the process of revising the proposal to address the concerns of the reviewers, and will resubmit at the earliest opportunity.
