GP-IMPACT: Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia (IDEA-2.0): Institutionalizing a framework for broadening participation in geosciences

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

The Institute for the Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-IE) and the Department of Environmental, Earth and Geospatial Sciences at North Carolina Central University (NCCU-DEEGS) are implementing a three-year initiative - Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia-2.0, or IDEA-2.0 - to broaden participation in and institutional capacity to offer career-relevant geoscience education at both institutions. Through research and professional experiences, a diverse group of undergraduate students is being prepared for future work in geoscience fields. Additionally, their supervisors are being better prepared to mentor diverse students, improving recruitment and retention in geosciences. IDEA-2.0 represents a coordinated effort between a research-intensive university and a historically black university to bolster participation in geoscience education, especially the participation of URM and women students. The institutionalization of existing, informal partnerships is building a foundation for ongoing support of evidence-based, career-relevant geoscience experiences for undergraduates while also better preparing faculty to mentor diverse students. Additional partners in this effort include the following geoscience departments at UNC-Chapel Hill: Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Geography, Geology, Marine Sciences and the Curriculum for the Environment and Ecology. Over time, it is anticipated that the combination of sustained professional development opportunities for students combined with enhanced preparation of mentors will contribute to cultural shifts within institutions that are likely to promote greater diversity in geoscience disciplines and the workforce. Thus, this project serves the national interest by promoting the progress of science and advancing the national health, prosperity and welfare. The IDEA-2.0 program has a goal of broadening participation in and institutional capacity to offer career-relevant geoscience education at UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University, while generating useful insights into how such practices could be implemented successfully at other institutions. Program goals are being accomplished through the following objectives: 1. Engage up to 30 students - including underrepresented minority (URM) and women students - in evidence-based, career-relevant experiences that prepare them for work or further study in geosciences; 2. Prepare a subset of faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students to mentor a diverse group of students and contribute to broad understanding of how the mentoring experience influences recruitment and retention in the geosciences pipeline; and 3. Build capacity to sustain coordinated programming across departments at UNC-Chapel Hill and to fund and implement new programming at NCCU. By targeting students who are rising sophomores and juniors, IDEA-2.0 focuses on the critical juncture between high school and commitment to undergraduate geoscience programs. The first two years of undergraduate study are a critical time to recruit/retain STEM majors; early engagement in research has been shown to contribute to institutional-level success in engaging URM students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Mentoring interactions also have been shown to reinforce students' confidence in their ability to succeed and are associated with higher grades in STEM courses, higher rates of degree completion, and, for STEM-focused recruitment and retention programs, with participants' ultimate pursuit of science careers. For these reasons, IDEA-2.0 seeks to engage mentors in an ongoing cycle of professional development that prepares them to meet the mentorship needs of diverse students. The explicit focus of this project is on understanding the mentoring relationship - both its influence on student career and academic choices as well as faculty confidence and competence in supporting diverse teams - contributing to our understanding of how to effectively foster diversity in STEM fields.