MULTIPLE PATHWAYS: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, COURSEWORK, AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC ALL SUPPORT GEOSCIENCE CAREER PURSUIT

High paying, high demand jobs in the geosciences and the need for diversity in these fields means undergraduate students who are not aware of this STEM discipline may miss an opportunity to put their interests in science to work. This is especially true of students beginning their undergraduate education at two year institutions, as nearly 54% of minority students in STEM begin their undergraduate education at a 2-year institution. The Geoscience Engagement and Outreach (GEO) project promotes entry and retention in geoscience for underrepresented 2-year college students through cohort development of up to 9 students annually, physical geography coursework, supervised research with 4-year institution faculty, and a six-week public outreach and engagement internship. GEO participants continue research and public engagement activities during the Fall semester, culminating in the completion of a 2-year degree and support for their transfer to a 4-year geosciences program.

Documenting the potential of cross-institutional, integrated research and education experiences developed through this project for retaining diverse students in the geosciences contributes to the literature on STEM recruitment and retention. Project goals include: (1) fostering retention of students at Santa Fe College and transfer into Bachelor's degree programs in the geosciences, (2) strengthening collaborations among Santa Fe College teaching faculty, University of Florida researchers, and Orlando Science Center informal science educators, and (3) increasing student interest in geoscience careers through public outreach development for teachers and public science center visitors. Project evaluation compares Geoscience Concept Inventory scores, increases in science identity, geoscience career interest are compared in pre-post and long-term post assessments. GEO student progress on these measures is compared to assessment of groups of students from Santa Fe College who take the physical geography course as honors or non-honors students. Finally, GEO program participants complete an interview at the end of the program year. Initial findings indicate the multiple pathways of the program facilitate transfer to a 4-year geosciences program and promote student research conference presentations.