GP-GO: A near-peer mentoring ecosystem revealing new pathways into the Geosciences

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to enhance retention of students in academic Geoscience, and the Geoscience workforce more broadly, by creating a “stepping stone” pathway allowing undergraduates to “see” themselves as successful geoscientists. The program will also help graduate student mentors gain confidence, new mentorship skills, and identities as successful mentors who can support all of their students more holistically. The researchers will address these goals by piloting and testing the effectiveness of an active learning program where graduate students in the Geosciences receive skill-based training in evidence-based mentoring practices and are then paired with an undergraduate student in Environmental, Biological or Physical Sciences, and with a demonstrated desire to explore the Geosciences for a mentored research experience. The program is expected to create a learning ecosystem model that strengthens the cohort by developing and deepening the community (including faculty) and connecting all students to networking opportunities showcasing academic and nonacademic pathways within the Geoscience workforce for both graduate and undergraduate students. Through this project graduate students will receive skill-based training in evidence-based mentoring practices and then engage in research mentoring of undergraduate students likely to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Geosciences. Surrounding the pairs of graduate and undergraduate students is a Geoscience Learning Ecosystem composed of activities and support structures that individually and collectively address issues that may impede success in Geoscience Programs. The expected outcomes of the project are (1) elevating the competency of the graduate students as skilled mentors as they transition into the next stage of their career; (2) provide discovery-based research training, skill building and networking opportunities to undergraduate students as they explore careers and secure their pathways into the Geosciences. The work tests a piloted model of a "stepping stone" pathway in the Geosciences, and assigns a series of assessments, pre- and post-intervention, addressing both academic and non-academic/psychosocial metrics. The goal is to create a sustainable model of near-peer mentoring that can not only continue post-award at the university, but also be exported to other institutions. 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.