The University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington) is offering 22 S-STEM scholarships to academically talented and financial-needy students who enter the AUGMENTS (Advancing Undergraduate to Geoenvironmental Masters for Engaged Needs-based Talented Students) program. AUGMENTS is accepting undergraduate students from geology, environmental science, and related disciplines, then shepherding them through their baccalaureate degrees into the Masters degree graduate program in Earth and Environmental Sciences at UT Arlington. The program is recruiting students from UT Arlington and partnering programs at UT Brownsville and UT Pan American. An integrated network of academic and professional support that includes multi-layered mentoring and performance tracking are contributing to the goals of AUGMENTS and are helping to ensure retention and progression to degree completion. A defining element of the program is having the students participate in a "summer learning experience" before their senior year, through which AUGMENTS is aiming to infuse excitement about learning with a hands-on, real world, geosciences research experiences. The summer learning experience is also aiming to instill the skills and confidence students need to master the work of geosciences professionals. The goals of the AUGMENTS program are improving educational opportunities for underrepresented students with financial needs by enabling them to complete undergraduate studies successfully and to earn masters degrees in earth and environmental science. With the growth of the green economy, AUGMENTS is providing students with the relevant experiences and technical skills that employers in this sector expect and need from the next generation of STEM graduates.
