Engaging All Geoscience Disciplines at the National Association of Black Geoscientists Annual Conference

University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides partial support for about 10 faculty from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and for about 50 students-of-color from across the nation to participate in the Annual Technical Conference of the National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG), 4-7 September 2019 in Fayetteville, AR. Engaging HBCU faculty in professional development opportunities such the NABG will help maintain their scholarship and social capital among prospective employers of their graduates. The objective of this project is to expand the disciplinary representation of NABG to include more people-of-color interested in broader disciplines of Geosciences, including ocean (marine), atmospheric and earth sciences. A primary aim is to engage faculty and students in HBCU environmental science programs and aid their participation in a national conference of importance to placing them in the 21st Century geosciences workforce. Despite the efforts of professional organizations like NABG, underrepresentation of African Americans in geosciences remains low. Recent assessments found that degree awards in geosciences to persons from underrepresented groups remain very low; <10% of geoscience degrees at every academic level are awarded to those with minority status, and African Americans earn fewer than 3% of geoscience baccalaureate degrees. Furthermore, most HBCU degree programs of relevance to the geosciences are environmental and atmospheric sciences programs. Students in these programs are historically under-represented at the NABG annual conference. Earlier participants in NABG meetings have continued in their academic preparation in geosciences or entered the national geosciences workforce; including 100% career advancement for students who attended at least four NABG conferences. Thus, participation of students-of-color in NABG appears to be strongly correlated with career success. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.