Minority students from three HBCU;s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and a major university (The University of South Carolina) will work with three geology professors for two summers; additionally, students from the local HBCU (Benedict College) will have the opportunity to continue working on their projects during the academic year. The program proposes to accomplish two main objectives: (1) to provide research experiences in the geosciences for regional minority students, and (2) to expose them to alternatives to strictly theoretical approaches to science; many minority students never get this opportunity. The participants will gain experience in geologic field work; sample collection/preservation; data gathering and analysis; and oral and written presentation of scientific results. Inherent to these research experiences will be exposure to geologic information (both formally and informally), and the opportunity to work with accomplished researchers. The projects include environmentally relevant areas of research, namely: (1) the physico-chemical properties of saprolites of the South Carolina Piedmont, and biogeochemistry of salt marshes of South Carolina.
