Pathways to Ocean Sciences

Institute For Broadening Participation, South Portland ME

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funding for the Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) to establish a program called Pathways to Ocean Sciences; the proposed project will employ a set of outreach activities and complementary digital tools to network and support students and faculty involved in the National Science Foundation's ocean sciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites programs. Using extensive virtual and face-to-face outreach, digital communication tools, and IBP's National Student Directory, Pathways to Ocean Sciences will 1) assist REU PIs to increase the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students applying to NSF ocean sciences REUs, 2) encourage networking and collaboration among REU PIs, Faculty, and Administrators, particularly in regards to strategies for promoting diversity within their REU programs, 3) facilitate networking and communication among students during and after their REU experience, 4) introduce students to new emerging fields of ocean sciences 5) track ocean sciences REU students as they progress through their educational pathway, and 6) assist REU students in bridging to graduate programs by matching students with appropriate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) resources such as graduate school fellowships and other funding resources.