BROADENING ACCESS: WELCOME DIVERSE VOICES THROUGH INCLUSIVE HISTORIES

In STEM education, the history of science has been established as an effective and inclusive teaching strategy by hooking students’ interest, revealing the political, social, and cultural climate through which science developed, and showcasing the nature of science. Advancing Geosciences Cultural Change in Access, Diversity, and Inclusion via History of Geology and Environmental Injustice (ADI Geo-History) is an NSF-sponsored, 2-year proof-of-concept effort to engage historically underrepresented groups within professional societies. The History of Earth Sciences Society (HESS) and the Geological Society of America (GSA) invited geoscience students with diverse identities to engage with HESS and GSA through the histories of our disciplines. Student scholars receive mentoring from professional geoscientists of historically underrepresented groups, as well as monetary support to attend history-themed field trips and sessions at the GSA annual meeting. The objective is for student scholars to develop the ‘story behind the story’ pertaining to resource exploration and exploitation, prepare presentations on the topic, and disseminate what they have learned to their peers at their host institutions via colloquia, seminars, or other outreach events. ADI Geo-History student scholars contextualize the history of resource exploitation through diverse lenses to enrich historical perspectives for HESS and to contribute to a more robust historical narrative for GSA.