CREATING PATHWAYS FOR NON-GEOSCIENCE, UNDERREPRESENTED STEM MAJORS TO ENTER THE GEOSCIENCE WORKFORCE

The United States will face dire consequences if its geoscience workforce continues to dwindle at its current rate. The supply-demand gap for the geoscience workforce keeps widening, and although best practice ideas and strategies exist and have been implemented, new, innovative paradigms are needed to ameliorate the pending geoscience crises. A creative geoscience workforce program at the New York City College of Technology has been designed and tested for the last three years to assist with this geoscience plight. The one-year program for non-geoscience majors targets minority and first-generation STEM undergraduates - a cohort of students that have traditionally been excluded from participating in the geosciences for one reason or another. A total of 35 undergraduates participated in the structured geoscience workforce model program that consisted of geoscience – Exposure, Preparation, Apprenticeship, and Experience (EPA-E). The students were supported with cohort-building activities, and they participated in two geoscience internship programs. Preliminary results from the EPA-E program showed statistically significant increases in the undergraduates’ awareness, knowledge, skills, and interest in the geosciences. The students’ confidence in pursuing careers in the geosciences also dramatically increased. After completing the program 37% of the students were offered and accepted either full-time or part-time employment at local and federal geoscience agencies within New York City.