Conferences: Training and Retaining Leaders in STEM Geospatial Sciences

University Of Maine, Orono ME

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on professional development for women in the geospatial sciences (GIScience, remote sensing, spatial analysis, and mapping sciences). The research team will develop and offer a multi-year series of workshops, and the materials that are subsequently produced will be made available for use by the wider community. These materials will include videos, podcasts, and written compilations of recommendations, best practices, and strategies for improving experiences of women in geospatial science careers. Because these fields lack visibility among other STEM disciplines, its practitioners have fewer opportunities for disciplinary-focused professional development, including the development of leadership skills, career retention strategies, mentoring training, work-life balance considerations, and practical knowledge that can be passed onto future generations of women entering academic careers in geospatial sciences. By developing a strong and robust cadre of women geospatial scientists, the project will further contribute to capacity building by addressing confidence and competence in geo-spatial thinking, technology use, and computing, factors that are otherwise limiting to recruitment and retention in these academic fields. This project immediately benefits the current generation of women in geospatial STEM disciplines and creates conditions to then improve experiences for future generations of women and men, altogether contributing to a culture change. The workshop format is optimal for catalyzing a wide support network for women in the geospatial community as it allows the participants to develop confidence around the issues, experience a shared sense of belonging within this professional community, and engage within a mentoring framework that models what has been proven to be an effective STEM strategy, namely, women leading women. The title of this project, Training and Retaining Leaders in STEM - Geospatial Sciences (hereafter TRELIS-GS), is a metaphor for constructing a human capital trellis or scaffold of support for academic and professional development. Moreover, the trellis metaphor recognizes that career paths are often neither singular nor linear and may require jumps or leaps, unlike a traditional single-track "ladder". TRELIS-GS will be conducted through a partnership involving the University of Maine and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), a non-profit organization that has long promoted GIScience within higher education. This partnership will leverage existing UCGIS research and infrastructure and contribute to its long-term commitment to build capacity to share information and resources with the broader geospatial sciences community.