The Environmental Sciences Program of the University of Puerto Rico, RÃo Piedras Campus (UPR-RP), in collaboration with state and federal environmental-related agencies and non-governmental organizations in Puerto Rico, and two US universities have partnered for the creation of the Geo-Internships Project. This is a unique effort aimed at increasing the diversity in the geosciences by exposing Environmental Sciences and Geography majors from UPR-RP to real-life professional experiences that complement their academic development. This project will allow students to develop semester-long projects in different work settings at environmental-related institutions in Puerto Rico. These experiences will be enriched through one-to-one mentoring with geoscience faculty and by student participation in existing environmental seminar series and in peer mentor training programs. Students will also be encouraged to apply to summer research internships at The University of Vermont and at The University of Colorado-Boulder. At the end of their Geo-Internships Project experience, about 30 undergraduate students are expected to have a more realistic view of their potential as future geoscience professionals. Of these, those that continue on to graduate studies in the geosciences will be tracked.
