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STIMULATING HISPANIC PARTICIPATION IN THE GEOSCIENCES (SHIP-GEO) AT RIO GRANDE VALLEY IN SOUTH TEXAS: FINDINGS FROM YEAR ONE
The SHIP-GEO Program involves Hispanic students in authentic research and helps them select and pursue geoscience careers in graduate schools and in the profession. The project addresses NSF’s goal of increasing diversity in the geoscience pipeline by attracting, supporting, and preparing Hispanic students for careers in geosciences.
The project has four objectives: (1) Grow the existing environmental sciences program on campus with the specific aim to recruit and retain students in geoscience; (2) increase community awareness of Earth systems by providing field and laboratory extracurricular research and training opportunities; (3) guide community college and high school students into geoscience careers; and (4) expose undergraduate students to research as a path to graduate school.
Towards this goal, the following are the major accomplishments in the launching year of SHIP-GEO: (1) held local and regional field trips (five field trips impacting more than 200 students); (2) invited external guest speakers (three speakers for career and graduate school opportunities); (3) awarded eleven scholarships; (4) outreach and community engagement (appr. 300 local K-12 students); (5) paired undergraduate students with alumni who are working in the field of interest of the student (three student-alumni-faculty teams); and (6) student research projects presented at South-Central GSA annual meeting (three undergraduate students).
SHIP-GEO has received very positive evaluations as suggested by preliminary data collected. Evaluation data is being analyzed by the project’s external evaluator. SHIP-GEO has become a recognized name among the student body and Rio Grande Valley community in South Texas. With the lessons learned in year one, the project team is applying adjustment measures in moving towards year two.