IMMERSIVE OUTREACH: BRIDGING THE DIVIDE FROM HIGH SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TO UNDERGRADUATE GEOLOGY

There is an entrenched disconnect between high school science curricula and an appreciation for Geology as a potential career option for science-motivated students. This disconnect is especially apparent when considering the significant number of high school students that enter college programs with an interest in environmental science but rarely consider declaring as Geology majors. Most high school guidance counselors, and undergraduate admissions counselors, fail to represent Geology as a career option. High school curricula generally ignore Geology as a recognized discipline and few schools offer Geology as a stand-alone course on equal footing with Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. In order to overcome these barriers, it seems essential for undergraduate faculty to take an active role in advertising geology as a career option, potentially through offering professional activities and developing personal connections with middle and high school educators. As part of an NSF-funded field camp project through the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), a subordinate outreach program, “GeoSLIPSTREAM” endeavors to establish a more intimate connection between high school environmental science and undergraduate geology. In summer 2022, three faculty at two universities of the PASSHE system collaborated to offer an immersive outreach program to select high school teachers and their students. The program offered a guided visit to an abandoned mine treatment system that included instruction and practice with geochemical testing and analysis where high school students and educators used research-grade equipment to assess the effectiveness of remediation. Undergraduate field camp students served as “mentors” for the event, providing them the opportunity to interact with attendees and share their experience. Post-event anecdotal and survey evidence suggest deep levels of engagement and better recognition of the role of a geologist in environmental careers. Future events both as part of the ongoing GeoSLIPSTREAM project and outside of it are in the planning phase for 2023.