GP-EXTRA: MARLANI. MARine and LANguage Interdisciplinary approach to enhancing number, diversity, and professional development of undergraduate students in Earth Sciences

Cuny College Of Staten Island, Staten Island NY

Investigators

Abstract

Part 1 The overarching goal of the proposed project is to conduct a three-way transformative program that uses oceanography and Spanish language education, international and national teaching experiences, and co-mentoring tools to enhance number, diversity, and professional development of undergraduate minorities in Earth Sciences. The study of the ocean provides inspiration to train, energize, and challenge the next generation of Earth scientists in a connected global world. At the core of our MARLANI project is the combination of 2-week courses at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 3-week courses at Spanish Institute of Oceanography, and the creation of two institutes for mentoring and career planning run by undergraduate minority students themselves, to mentor undergraduates from a two-year undergraduate college over a two-year period. Part 2 The City University of New York, College of Staten Island, will undertake a marine science and language interdisciplinary approach to enhance the number, diversity, and professional development of undergraduate students in Earth Sciences. The project will implement a transformative program that will include classes and research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole MA, a study-abroad at Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Malaga Spain, and an intense peer-to-peer mentoring program in geosciences for Hispanic and non-Hispanic undergraduates. The project will test the hypothesis that the benefits of an educational experience that offers the opportunity for Hispanic undergraduates to visit and learn at top oceanographic research institutions in both the US and Europe, will increase retention and improve career prospects. This three-year program aims at: (1) attracting Hispanic students from two-year undergraduate science programs into the four-year undergraduate B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science; (2) developing a mid-term framework, the MentorPad, that retains them and spread their interest in the Earth and ocean sciences; and (3) creating a long-term platform, the CareerPad, that facilitates these students' professional development and transition into graduate programs in Earth and ocean science or the job market. We will document their experiences through questionnaires, personal diaries, and interviews to shed light on their academic experiences, compare the educational pathway of participants with those of students who did not participate, and follow up with alumni over the long-term through the CareerPad. By quantifying the association between participation in this project and attraction of minorities into geosciences (attraction metrics), retention of participants and mentored students in these programs (retention metrics), and the acceptance of participant and mentored students into graduate programs (transition metrics), the project has the potential to become a model to achieve greater diversity in the geosciences in the US. 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.