EDMAP: AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY’S NATIONAL COOPERATIVE GEOLOGIC MAPPING PROGRAM

The primary objective of the EDMAP component of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) is to train the next generation of geologic mappers. EDMAP is a one-year, mentor-guided program involving rigorous field mapping and the production of a geologic map. To do this, the NCGMP provides funds for undergraduate and graduate students in academic research projects that involve all activities relevant to the creation of geologic maps (defined broadly as all maps relevant to any earth science discipline). Through cooperative agreements, the NCGMP hopes to expand the research and educational capacity of academic programs that teach earth science students the broad range of techniques relevant to geologic mapping and the analysis of field, geophysical, borehole, and remote sensing data. Another important goal is to increase the level of communication between geological surveys across the Nation (both the USGS and State Geological Surveys) and those contributing to the geologic framework in the academia. As of 2021, EDMAP has funded over 1,370 students from over 170 universities.

In this presentation, we will highlight some of the changes made to the EDMAP Program Announcement for FY2022 with the goals of increasing the volume of applicants, increasing the diversity of the applicant pool, and increasing the skillsets targeted by EDMAP to support evolving foci of the NCGMP. An EDMAP applicant will still have the option to apply for funds to support development of geologic mapping techniques through rigorous field mapping, now called an EDMAP-Traditional Proposal. However, an additional proposal option was added for FY2022 in support of evolving NCGMP priorities: EDMAP-Hybrid. Although a student must still participate in a mentored field experience and produce an earth science map product when receiving funding under EDMAP-Hybrid, development of different skillsets may be prioritized, such as GIS (Geographic Information Science) skills, subsurface modeling, coding, and/or other earth science skills that support the development of a map and/or mapping data. The NCGMP hopes that in diversifying the skillsets funded under the EDMAP Program will increase the diversity in participating institutions and students and enhance the resulting geologic data and maps.