GETTING FIRED-UP ABOUT GRADUATE SCHOOL: THE ROLE OF PLACE IN COMMUNITY BUILDING AND FIELD-SPECIFIC TRAINING

Successful collaborations between diverse scientists are significant in disciplines such as geology and ecology where, scientists work across complex large-scale multifaceted problems. However, many graduate programs, particularly in the United States, risk losing diverse individuals due to a lack of intentional community building that support collaborative research endeavors [1]. Fieldwork is a requirement for disciplines of geology and ecology and can be defining for people’s careers. Decisions to persist in a field-based discipline is strongly influenced by affective factors like emotion, motivation, and connection to Earth. However, the role of place in community building and its implications for student retention is underexplored. Drawing from self-determination theory [2], we argue for the role of place in community building and field-specific training.

We draw from the evaluation of a novel graduate program entitled Field Intensive Research Emphasizing Diversity Up in the alpine (FiredUp) that seeks to build autonomy and competence in field skills and enhance relatedness among incoming (EBIO) graduate students. In 2022, a diverse group of incoming graduate students (n=18) spent four weeks at the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station (MRS) and partnered with faculty, staff, and students to collect ecological and environmental data using different methodologies.

Participants were interviewed before, during, and after the program to identify elements that supported community building during the field work. Inductive coding of interview data indicates that the remote location of the MRS supported community building. The program also supported the development of skills like critical thinking, student agency, and interdisciplinarity. International students identified that multiple opportunities for networking added to their repertoire of resources for navigating graduate school. The findings of this study can benefit field-based graduate programs in United States and break down stereotypes of fieldwork as exclusively male, heterosexual, and white. The findings have potential to transform the current graduate school model which is identified as a lonely place.

References: [1] Zavaleta et al., (2020), Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 35, No. 11; [2] Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-Determination Theory. (pp. 416-437, Vol. 1).