IMMERSING ETHNICALLY DIVERSE PRETEENS IN SCIENCE: A LONG-TERM APPROACH TO IMPROVING DIVERSITY IN THE GEOSCIENCES

It is well documented that loss of student interest in science accelerates in the preteen years, approximately at the transition from elementary to middle school, and that this accelerated loss is especially high in minorities underrepresented in the sciences . Improved participation in geoscience careers by underrepresented groups may need to start with helping students maintain their intrinsic interests in sciences as they enter middle school, even in the face of cultural pressures. The Paleontological Research Institution immersed an ethnically diverse group of 12 preteens (mostly 5th graders) in geoscience experiences (e.g., hands on activities, student-scientist research partnerships, exhibit prototyping, and student-led discussions) at PRI's Museum of the Earth in 2005-06. These students, attending an afterschool program at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) in downtown Ithaca, will go on to help host a second cohort in 2006-07, thereby becoming mentors and content experts and helping fill the void of science role models.

Preliminary results suggest that cohort 1 participants came to feel "at home" in a science museum environment and with the idea of participating in science. Initial interviews with the students suggested science was beyond their career scope, but by end-of-the-year interviews most indicated a science career as a possibility. Students who feigned lack of interest at the start of hands-on activities such as hunting for fossils in shale and loose sediment frequently became the most enthusiastic participants by the end. And, despite conflicts with sports and other end-of-year activities, the core group of students remained engaged in the program. Evaluation of the impact is ongoing, and students will continue to receive magazines, family memberships to PRI and a local science center, invitations to fossil collecting, a newsletter, and other resources to help keep them connected. This work is supported by NSF grant GEO-0503583.