THE SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CHICANOS AND NATIVE AMERICANS IN SCIENCE (SACNAS) GEOSCIENCE INITIATIVE

The declining interest in the physical sciences among U.S. students has been recognized as a vital issue for the continued health of science. In particular, the declining number of geoscience students, especially US citizens, threatens the country’s future preparedness in natural hazards mitigation, resource development, national security, and education. Furthermore, the geosciences suffer from poor representation among underrepresented groups, even by comparison to other sciences and engineering. Thus, exciting young scientists from all backgrounds into the geosciences must remain a high priority for all geoscientists, educational institutes, national laboratories, and industry. Several organizations have been successful in mentoring and recruiting minorities into science. The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) focuses on encouraging undergraduate and graduate Hispanic and American Indian students to pursue higher degrees. For over 30 years, SACNAS has provided strong national leadership in improving science and math education, as well as expanding opportunities for minorities in the scientific workforce and academia. Currently, SACNAS has added a geological science emphasis to its existing programs to address the need to diversify the field. This talk will outline this approach, and outline how SACNAS has been able to grow over the past 30 years.