REU Site: Leading Undergraduates in Challenges to Power Academic Development in Geosciences

Unavco, Inc., Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support engaging lower-division students in a pilot program called "Leading Undergraduates in Challenges to Power Academic Development in Geosciences" at UNAVCO. The goal of this program is to provide research experiences for less academically advanced students, who may not be ready for an independent research experience. The program will engage 4 community college and lower-division undergraduate students in an 8-week summer research and professional development experience. It is expected that through this program students will: become interested in geosciences and related careers, engage in collaborative research projects, and have the support needed to pursue degrees in geosciences and related fields. Students participating in this program will develop research-ready, communication, mathematics, and computing skills, as well as geoscience content knowledge. In addition, participants will have access to information about the relevance of geoscience to be shared with the broader intern's networks of family and friends, eventually reaching hundreds of individuals in communities that typically do not have access to such information. Students will be hosted by UNAVCO in Boulder, Colorado and work on collaborative geodesy-focused research projects in the GAGE facility under the mentorship of UNAVCO staff. The program will prepare students from diverse backgrounds for academic and career opportunities in the geosciences through national recruitment at universities and community colleges with limited opportunities in STEM fields.