BUILDING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPPORT 2YC GEOSCIENCE STUDENT SUCCES (Invited Presentation)

Since 2012, students from Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech), the largest two-year college (2YC) in North Carolina, have been participating in paid summer research experiences under the guidance of geoscience faculty at North Carolina State University (NC State). In 2017, this collaboration was expanded to include partners from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS), the Carolinas Section of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG), and the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). These partnerships have expanded the research opportunities available to our students, as well as providing additional mentoring, professional socialization, and outreach activities to support their success.

Wake Tech geoscience faculty identify potential geoscience majors in our introductory geology courses, and provide mentoring on education and career opportunities in the geosciences. Some of these students are selected to participate in paid summer research experiences at NC State, culminating in a poster symposium at the end of the summer. Additional students are selected to conduct field research in the southwestern United States with paleontologists from the NCMNS. After completing their research projects, the students participate in professional socialization and outreach activities such as presenting their research at professional meetings, interacting with geoscience researchers and professional geoscientists, and volunteering at high school career fairs. Mentoring of the students is woven throughout these activities, from faculty-student to student-student to student-professional interactions.

The program has attracted a diverse range of students, and most of the students who have completed a research project have continued to pursue a geoscience educational track toward a Bachelor’s degree. Several former students are now employed in the geoscience workforce or pursuing a graduate degree. Students in the program have also been instrumental in the recruitment of new students through their participation in the various outreach activities.