PROMOTING DIVERSITY IN THE GEOSCIENCES THROUGH USGS PIPELINE PARTNERSHIPS

According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the geosciences are the least diverse of all the STEM majors. A recent article reports there has been no progress in diversifying the earth sciences despite 40 years of diversity programs. Many bright and talented students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) do not have access to the full suite of earth sciences curriculum required to pursue employment or advanced degrees in geoscience fields. These students lack opportunities to learn about earth-science or why these careers are important. HBCUs and MSIs represent a significant, largely untapped source to recruit diverse students into the geosciences. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working to address the diversity issue by developing pipeline-partnerships with MSIs. Longstanding programs with the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and the City College of New York provide a model for the newest partnership with Tennessee State University (TSU), a HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee.

TSU and Vanderbilt University recently received a NSF GeoPaths grant to focus on bringing a geoscience curriculum to TSU, and the USGS Youth and Education in Science program is actively partnering with these two universities to help support this new curriculum. This partnership—called Earth Horizons—will provide students with seminar experiences, geoscience courses, experiential learning, and interactions with professional geoscientists. An introductory geoscience course and a field studies course will be taught at TSU. TSU students can take courses at Vanderbilt University at tuition prices equal to those at TSU. The USGS will provide monthly speakers who will discuss their science, and engage with the students in discussions around science topics and careers. Earth Horizons program students will have paid internship opportunities with the USGS. USGS scientists have been mentoring TSU students for a decade, successfully placing nearly 2/3 of these students in earth science career pathways; the GeoPaths grant and the increased USGS investment provide an opportunity to strengthen and grow this pipeline. The Earth Horizons partnership will introduce more students to geoscience opportunities while providing a strong foundation for earth science careers.