USING VIRTUAL FIELD EXPERIENCES TO SHOWCASE A GREATER DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE AND PROFESSIONS

Diverse students from economically disadvantaged communities in Texas have been participating in field experiences with GeoFORCE Texas of the Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG) at the University of Texas at Austin each summer since 2005. GeoFORCE is the largest program of its kind in the geosciences and is unique in its continuity and long-standing partnerships with school districts, families and communities. In response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, GeoFORCE and JSG staff, researchers and students shifted to virtual programming for eight academies of up to 40 students, each 5-6 days long. In place of traveling to locations across the U.S., students visited field sites virtually. We selected existing materials from reputable sources such as NASA, Texas Parks and Wildlife, NOAA and Arizona State University Virtual Field Trips around which to build curricula. The virtual nature enabled travel to exotic locations such as oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico, alpine glaciers in Switzerland and the Curiosity landing site on Mars. It was possible to simulate field skills such as observation and sketching, and the 12^th Grade Academy remained a capstone “challenge-based” learning experience. In parallel with field investigations, students gained exposure to geoscience careers through a “Spotlight on Careers” day. An opportunity provided by the virtual platform was to intentionally showcase scientists, engineers and professionals from underrepresented backgrounds who otherwise would not have participated in an in-person experience. Students had live “Q&A” sessions with geoscience professionals and GeoFORCE alumni in college, graduate school and in the workforce and watched videos of diverse STEM professionals. Logistically, features of the video conferencing platform zoom (Zoom Video Communications, Inc.) enabled group work and breakout sessions, potentially with more small group interaction than an in-person format sometime allows. Looking forward, we will be capitalizing on lessons learned to provide more programming during the school year to maintain communication and to prepare for field academies, as well as extend the programming offered and career exposure to populations beyond those we traditionally reach. Our packaged virtual field experiences are some of the only options existing for the K-12 level and will be made available through the DIG Texas Blueprints site for use by educators anywhere.