This session will bring together professionals in the ASLO community to discuss opportunities for scholars in geosciences and the value of research internships, fellowships and graduate programs to enhance the current and future STEM workforce.
Lead Organizer: Paul Kemp, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (paulkemp808@gmail.com)
Co-organizers:
Rebecca North, University of Missouri-Columbia (northr@missouri.edu)
Presentations
02:30 PM
BROADENING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN MARYLAND SEA GRANT PROGRAMS (8935)
Primary Presenter: Michael Allen, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (mra142@gmail.com)
The Sea Grant Network has long been a champion for increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and accessibility within our programs and for our constituents. In 2016, the Network created a community of practice and developed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) 10-year vision (2018) to spread knowledge internally and advocate for mindful inclusivity and engagement. At Maryland Sea Grant, we built on that vision, focusing internal efforts on educating and empowering staff and a DEI committee to lead initiatives to improve our climate and inclusivity. We support DEI conversations and reading groups, organize retreats, research methods to improve policy and process, and offer management skills and conflict resolution training. For external programming, we seek to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles into our existing and new projects. For example, our Research Experiences for Undergraduates program has made significant changes to the application process; adjusted selection criteria to reflect our vision for a diverse cohort; added pre-program and orientation programs that promote inclusion, empathy, and reduce imposter syndrome; experimented with hybrid and virtual programming; and offered full travel planning and financial support for summer program and conference participation. Through these efforts, Maryland Sea Grant is working to build an inclusive environment and geosciences workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.
02:45 PM
Building a More Inclusive and Impactful Marine STEM Undergraduate Research Experience: Five Years of the Marine Science Laboratory Alliance Center of Excellence for Broadening Participation (9664)
Primary Presenter: Aly Busse, Mote Marine Laboratory (alybusse@mote.org)
Mote Marine Laboratory serves as the lead institution on the National Science Foundation-funded Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation: Marine Science Laboratory Alliance Center of Excellence (MarSci-LACE). The goal of this innovative Center of Excellence is to understand the impact of marine STEM undergraduate research experiences on undergraduate students’ learning, psychosocial factors, and career aspirations, including the impacts of the approaches and perspectives of mentors, institutional support of student learning and mentor skill development. Through this project a number of resources have been developed, including the MarSci-LACE Mentor Development Workshops, Intern Resource Guide and Website, Mentor Resource Guide, as well as recruitment and selection tools. Additionally, this project is collecting quantitative and qualitative data on a number of student factors including impacts on psychosocial facets, perception of peer, mentor, and institutional support, impact of the experience, and intention to persist in STEM. This will provide a summary of the lessons learned, models developed, resources available, and findings from the five years of this project.
03:00 PM
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES TO SUPPORT RETENTION OF INDIVIDUALS WITH MINORITIZED IDENTITIES IN STEM AND AQUATIC SCIENCES (9073)
Primary Presenter: Aimee Bonanno, UMass Boston (aimee.bonanno@umb.edu)
To support the equitable advancement of underrepresented and minoritized students in aquatic sciences, we offer immersive educational experiences that focus on fostering a supportive space with an emphasis on retention through a multitude of tools, including collaborations between minority serving institutions and research intensive universities, multigenerational mentoring, cohort building, focused recruitment, and program funding. Immersive educational experiences quickly build trust among cohorts, develop sustained STEM identities, and incorporate transdisciplinary thinking. These experiences range from 3 to 10 days and are fully funded experiences for the students including food, lodging, and transportation. Providing a stipend has increased the diversity of the cohort. The experiences are designed around a purpose, the PATHwayS Camp has an engineering design challenge, and the D-ENTERPRISE summer immersive experience will expose undergraduate fellows to potential Ph.D.-level careers in support of Naval-related ocean research. There is an intentional layering of planned experiences, food types, exposure to diverse experts, and new spaces and places as well as valuing of students’ lived experiences and cultural strengths. After travelling and learning as a group, the students present what they’ve learned to an exterior audience. Through these immersive experiences, students make lasting relationships with each other and the mentors on the trip, they enjoy time spent in a minority majority space, and they carry that strength forward with them upon returning to campus.
03:15 PM
Building a marine science program away from the ocean (9354)
Primary Presenter: Sarah Sojka, Randolph College (ssojka@randolphcollege.edu)
Student interest in marine science has grown in recent years, but many institutions feel unable to address this interest because of a landlocked campus. This presentation will highlight the development of a marine science program at Randolph College. The presentation will highlight the use of free field experiences for students and the flexible curriculum focusing both on core scientific content and pressing issues in marine science. The presentation will also highlight effectively utilizing oceanographic data in the classroom to build student analytical skills and deepening understanding of marine science phenomena. Expanding the availability of marine science programs and course content in inland areas is essential for expanding and diversifying the marine science workforce, particularly as many students choose to attend college near home.
03:30 PM
THE ASLO MULTICULTURAL PROGRAM: 36 YEARS OF LEADING THE WAY FOR DEI SUCCESS (9650)
Primary Presenter: Benjamin Cuker, Hampton University (cukerbenjamin@gmail.com)
The ASLO Multicultural Program began in 1990 as one of the earliest efforts by a scientific society to address the issues of diversity and inclusion. It helped blaze a pathway for other similar efforts in the aquatic and environmental sciences. This includes the concept of meeting-mentors that was invented by ASLOMP in 1991. Over 1,400 diverse students have participated in this annual event. Undergraduates (82%), graduate students (18%), women (68%), men (32%), African Americans (43%), Hispanic Americans (33%), Native Americans (6%), Pacific Islanders (5%), Asian Americans (1%) and white Americans (6%) filled the ranks of participants. Although data is lacking until recent years, LBGQT+, first-generation for college, bi- and multiracial status, differently abled, as well as intersectionality is also well represented in later cohorts. ASLOMP fully funds the participation, including travel, housing, food, registration, and abstract fees. Special programming includes an opening dinner with a keynote speaker, a hands-on field trip, a student symposium, a system of meeting mentors, and special workshops to prepare the students and mentors for fuller participation and better networking. ASLOMP has changed the face of ASLO. It produced the first African American student and regular members elected to the ASLO Board of Directors. It also pioneered special programming for students at ASLO meetings.
03:45 PM
CREATING MEANINGFUL PATHWAYS FOR UNDERSERVED HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH TO ENTER THE GEOSCIENCES: THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA’S CORE PROJECT (9228)
Primary Presenter: Joy Ramstack Hobbs, Science Museum of Minnesota (jramstack@smm.org)
The aim of the Science Museum of Minnesota’s (SMM) Connecting Opportunities for Research Experiences in the Geosciences (CORE) project is to develop inclusive pathways for high school students to enter undergraduate programs and careers in the geosciences. This NSF GEOPAths-funded project brings together two highly successful groups within SMM: the St. Croix Watershed Research Station (SCWRS), a field research station specializing in primary research in the geosciences, and the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center (KAYSC), a group that specializes in out-of-school programming for underserved youth with the goals of building leadership skills, career and workforce development, and fostering confidence in STEM. The specific goals of CORE are 1) to engage KAYSC youth in a defined and meaningful research project in paleolimnology, working alongside SCWRS scientists on a project within the student’s community, 2) to provide KAYSC youth with access to geoscience undergraduate programs and careers by creating a regional network of college faculty and geoscience professionals, and 3) to train adult mentors (both internal and external to SMM) in STEM Justice practices. We will describe successes, challenges, and evaluation summaries from year one and updates on how the program is evolving in year two. The length of time of the program has allowed for significant relationships to be built between youth and scientific mentors, and the SCWRS/KAYSC partnership has allowed the youth to work alongside scientists while still receiving the support of an established youth development program.
EP03B Mitigating Barriers and Re-imagining Geosciences to Harness the Power and Brilliance of US STEM Academic Programs for our Current and Future Workforce
Description
Time: 2:30 PM
Date: 31/3/2025
Room: W208