The purpose of this program is to broaden participation in the geosciences by increasing the number of African-American or Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, female, and first generation college students who enroll and succeed in graduate school in atmospheric and related sciences. The foundation of Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) is a ten-week summer research internship at the National Center for Atmospheric Research or at laboratories of other SOARS sponsors. A strong, formal mentoring program and a vibrant learning community support all participants. An ongoing writing workshop is also part of the summer program.
Reaching for the sky with SOARS Project Outcome Report for NSF # 0618874 While significant progress has been made to make the sciences more inclusive, women, certain ethnic minorities, first-generation college students and scientists with disabilities continue to be under-represented in the physical and earth sciences. For the last 17 years, however, Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research Sciences (SOARS), an undergraduate-to-graduate bridge program run by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and supported by the National Science Foundation, has provided internship and mentoring opportunities to help all students follow their dreams. SOARS is built around research, mentoring and community. SOARS participants, called protégés, spend up to four summers doing research with world-class scientists in atmospheric and related sciences. SOARS offers comprehensive financial support for summer research, undergraduate and graduate school funding, conference travel, career coaching and scientific mentoring, and a supportive and inclusive learning community. The results speak for themselves. Since 1996, 147 undergraduate students have entered the program and over 90% have gone onto graduate school. Protégés come out of SOARS with research, writing, and communication skills, the confidence to excel in their careers, and with a strong network of alumni, mentors and collaborators in some of the premium research institutes in the country. As one protégé put it: "I walked away feeling more confident in my abilities and more interested in doing scientific research and incorporating it into my own research project. In the beginning, I felt very intimidated and unprepared. But now, I feel the opposite." Protégés are matched with mentors and projects based on their interests, and are encouraged to help design their own research program during returning summers. By working on real research as part of internationally-respected research groups, protégés are able to hone their own research interests while developing important contacts and gaining exposure to the wide range of opportunities that atmospheric science offers. In many cases, students are able to extend their summer research into senior- or thesis- research projects beyond the summer. Over the length of this grant, SOARS protégés completed research on a range of cutting-edge and societally-relevant topics, including mapping US regions vulnerable to hurricane flooding and exploring renewable energy production from ocean currents and waves. The projects also contribute to better understanding weather, climate and air quality. For example, protégé’s have helped clarify factors that lead to tornados, improve predictions of future climate, and understand rainfall in the Southwest United States. To find out more about SOARS, or to apply to the program, please check our website at www.soars.ucar.edu.
