ENGAGING EARLY CAREER UNDERGRADUATES IN THE GEOSCIENCES THROUGH FIELD AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a federally-designated Hispanic-serving 4- year public commuter university located in Chicago. The Earth Science Department at NEIU focuses on environmental geology in the urban environment, through both curricula and undergraduate research opportunities. Elements related to recruitment of new geoscientists at NEIU include exposing students to the types of activities performed by geoscientists, educating students about the relevance of geoscience in an urban environment, and revealing the wide array of potential careers in the field of geoscience. Two externally funded programs specifically aim at incorporating these elements with students early in their academic careers. The Muddy Waters: Chicago’s Environmental Geology course, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, is a part of NEIU’s First-Year Experience (FYE) program, and enrolls only freshmen. This course focuses on field and laboratory activities that introduce the relevance of environmental geology and connect geoscience concepts to the urban environment. Students in the course also are exposed to professionals working in the field who have earned their Earth Science degrees from NEIU. The TIERRA project, funded by a United States Department of Agriculture grant, recruits students (primarily non-majors) from the FYE program, and provides them with a summer research experience focused on soil science in the urban environment, while at the same time introducing them to career opportunities in agriculture-related fields through visits to regional governmental field offices and meeting scientists applying geosciences to agricultural issues. The Muddy Waters course is entering its second year, and the TIERRA project was first implemented during the summer of 2011. Assessment tools include pre- and post-surveys to evaluate student increases in content knowledge, acquisition of skills to develop a scientific research project, increases in awareness of careers related to geosciences, increased interest in majoring in a STEM-related field, and changes in attitudes and perceptions of geoscience-related fields. Additional data collected includes enrollment numbers, student demographics, and number of students choosing to major in geoscience-related disciplines.