GEOSCIENCE ALLIANCE TO ENHANCE MINORITY PARTICIPATION (GAEMP): A UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIVE TO PREPARE AFRICAN AMERICANS AND HISPANICS FOR EARTH SCIENCE CAREERS

The Louisiana State University Department of Geology & Geophysics and nine minority serving institutions (MSIs) are linked in a 5-year research and education venture to increase under-represented minority participation in geoscience. Seven of the universities are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and two are Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The program, sponsored by NSF, targets junior-year degree candidates (16 students/year) in chemistry, physics, life science, or environmental sciences and provides an advanced, content-rich, field and research-oriented introduction to geoscience during a six-week summer course taught by 14 LSU faculty. After the summer course, the students may define an individual research project to conduct during their senior year in their home institution with support from LSU and their local mentor. Opportunities are provided for the students to present their research results at professional meetings. In workshops, or during recruiting fairs, the participants will learn about geoscience career opportunities in government, industry, and academia. The special mentoring approach incorporated in GAEMP closely follows that formulated by Professor D. Bagayoko and associates in the Timbuktu Academy at Southern University. It emphasizes individual and collaborative development of academic skills and guides the students through a structured, highly personal program. GAEMP will support 64 students in the summer program, four students in an M.S. program and two for a Ph.D. Other students will be encouraged to seek admission to graduate programs in geoscience at other universities. Based on our experience with non-geology degree students in the graduate program, these students with strong credentials in another science should be able to compete favorably in the discipline after they have been through the summer course and the other special mentoring activities provided by GAEMP.