Understanding the Impact Graduate Fellowships on Broadening Participation in GEO

University Of Texas At Arlington, Arlington TX

Investigators

Abstract

The workshop seeks to develop national strategies and key recommendations to engage groups currently under-served in the geosciences, including students from key geographic areas and at institutions that serve economically and demographically diverse populations. The workshop effort seeks to support students to pursue graduate degrees in the geosciences by learning about methods that could increase the likelihood of successful applications for Federal graduate fellowships. The project aims to create an initial model for the geosciences that can be tested with and applied to other STEM disciplines. The project will also elucidate the data needed to provide evidence-based understanding of the impacts of different funding mechanisms, especially federal graduate fellowships, on graduate student recruitment, retention and workforce outcomes. This workshop will address two overarching goals: To understand the impact of different funding mechanisms, especially federal graduate fellowships, on both graduate student recruitment and workforce outcomes, and to learn how to leverage graduate funding mechanisms and targeted outreach to broaden participation of under-represented people in STEM, particularly in the geosciences. The workshop will bring together thought leaders in graduate education, broadening participation, the geosciences, and relevant federal agencies, with the aim of recommending evidence-based strategies, achieving greater data transparency, and enabling targeted application support for fellowship applicants. The main outcome of this workshop will be to provide professional development level guidance for UR students on how to leverage graduate funding mechanisms for career advancement in STEM disciplines with an emphasis on the geosciences. The proposed workshop has the potential to develop a path forward for filling in a necessary professional development gap for underrepresented students to gain understanding in the value of fellowship support for career mobility and preparation. The workshop should yield an increased understanding of how graduate student support mechanisms can lead to greater diversity in the geosciences and related disciplines. 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.