MINORITY EDUCATION THROUGH TRAVELING AND LEARNING IN THE SCIENCES: A MULTI-YEAR COLLABORATIVE NSF PROJECT PROVIDING GOSCIENCE FIELD EXPERIENCES FOR MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

The NSF-funded project Minority Education Through Traveling and Learning in the Sciences (METALS) program is a collaboration of four geosciences-diversity programs with a commitment to providing geosciences mentorship and access to college for underrepresented minorities. The METALS partnership includes San Francisco State University (SFSU), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), the University of New Orleans (UNO), and Purdue University, and is designed to create pivotal learning experiences for high school students in geologically rich field settings. These settings have included the national parks of Wyoming and Utah, the northern California coast and Yosemite National Park, and the Mississippi River delta. Each partnering institution has coordinated a two-week summer field trip.

Each year METALS has assembled a group 30 high school students and several undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds, with the entire group numbering more than 50 individuals. This challenged the project coordinators to develop teaching strategies appropriate to the circumstances and audience. Strategies employed include: hands-on investigations to further student understanding of the environment; group problem-solving exercises involving observation and culminating in a group presentation of findings; geologist-led hikes in which students travel in small groups to make observations on the trail with mentors; meetings with local experts who work with the students in a particular location; integration of earth science-societal connections through local examples, such as meeting with tribal members to discuss coastal community resilience.

Summer 2013 was the final year of this project and we are reflecting on the achievements of the four years of collaboration. We will examine highlights from the qualitative evaluation and consider lessons learned; discuss the strength of learning outcomes; and weigh options for future work.