Professor Jejung Lee of the University of Missouri, Kansas City will lead this pilot project to establish a strong international research program for US minority and female undergraduate students at Lake Chad in Nigeria. The specific objectives of the project are as follows: a. Providing US minority and female students with hands-on international research experiences in hydro-climatology at the Lake Chad; b. Building an international collaborative network to educate students to become geoscientists with global experience; c. Increasing the number of minority students with research experience in earth sciences; d. Establishing a research platform between institutions in the US and Nigeria, e. Creating opportunities for graduate studies for minority undergraduate students from Lincoln University, an HBCU.
Intellectual Merit: The project team consists of academic experts from various fields including hydrogeology, soil physics, climatology, GIS, and satellite and remote sensing from both countries. Students will work on specific research projects during their time in the field in Nigeria. At a post-field investigation workshop, they will learn to interpret and integrate their across fields and so be able to answer important scientific questions about Lake Chad. The post-field investigation workshop will also engage local scientists who are studying Lake Chad, allowing students to expand their knowledge and understanding via face-to-face discussions with other scientists. This program will expose students to international activities in geosciences and allow them to build a strong academic network for their continuing studies or careers in the future.
Broader Impact: The recruitment of underrepresented students will be firmly established through two links: one with Lincoln University and another with GEOPATHS, an NSF funded project that Co-PI Adegoke is leading to attract minority and female students from high schools to the geosciences field in college.
