PREPARING GEOSCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE WORKFORCE (Invited Presentation)

Geoscience employment is expanding in breadth and size with geoscientists filling a wide variety of professional roles using constantly evolving technologies. Geoscientists are needed to solve many of society’s most critical issues. Working with complex systems, temporal and spatial reasoning, and collection, interpretation and analysis of complex natural data are crucial to addressing future geoscience related grand challenges affecting our global society.

Geoscience education must prepare students to meet these challenges. The Vision and Change in the Geosciences: The Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education initiative provides a comprehensive assessment of the concepts, skills and competencies needed for the future geoscience workforce. Departments across the country are implementing changes to undergraduate curriculum and pedagogy, including experiential learning that provides multiple opportunities to solve problems using real data, practice skills, and use concepts and technology. An increased emphasize on quantitative, computational and data skills is required, in addition to essential geoscience content and skills.

Career mentoring and guidance is increasingly important as the employment landscape changes. Working with students on an Independent Development Plan (IDPs) early in a student’s education allows them to explore career paths, the skills and competencies needed, and how to develop them through courses and other activities. Many programs now have certificate programs (e.g. in business, energy management, data analytics, etc.) and are developing joint degrees or minors, cooperative programs with industry, capstone project-oriented courses focused on solving applied problems, and collaborative interdisciplinary team projects. Co-curricular activities also help build the breadth of knowledge and skills required for successful careers. E-portfolios provide a way of documenting these all these accomplishments.

Lastly, students need to be prepared for life-long learning -- the careers of today will not be those of the next decade.