EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE PROGRAM AT JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY, JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

To improve participation of minorities in Geosciences, Jackson State University (JSU), Jackson, Mississippi, has established one of first Earth System Science degree programs among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The curriculum includes core science courses (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology) required for students majoring in sciences, and fundamental courses to enhance students’ knowledge about processes operating in the geospheres, in the atmosphere, and in the hydrosphere.

During a seven-year planning period, basic courses and laboratories related to the understanding of the Geospheric processes were developed. Courses and laboratories needed to decipher atmospheric and hydrospheric processes were chosen from the existing curricula at JSU.

The program has five major functions: (1) to educates and graduate minorities in Geoscience discipline in order to improved diversity in this field, (2) to enhance Earth Science knowledge of the general student population through its introductory Geoscience courses, (3) to improve Earth Science education in the State of Mississippi by providing short courses to in-service K – 12 teachers, (4) to produce K – 12 teachers with concentration in Earth Science education, and (5) to pave the way for continuous inflow of students into Earth Science through workshops, short courses and activities for K-12 students. Our undergraduate students participate in summer enhancement programs in major research universities to broaden the scope of their education.