BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE APPALACHIAN GEOSCIENCE LEARNING ECOSYSTEM (AGLE) AND SOLUTIONS-ORIENTED CURRICULUM

Emerging “green” economic sectors that address climate change impacts require a workforce with environmental and geoscience expertise; however, people of historically underrepresented racial, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation identities face systemic barriers to environmental and geoscience degree programs that offer entry to these careers. In particular, people from predominantly rural communities in Appalachia experience identity-based exclusion compounded by negative social and educational impacts resulting from pollution, addiction, underinvestment, and decline in mono-industrial economies based on fossil fuel extraction. Currently, even though ~86% of Appalachian students obtain a high school diploma or GED, a rate comparable to the national average, just 24% percent of adults in Appalachia hold bachelor’s degrees compared to the national average of ~31%. To address this disparity in the arena of environmental and geosciences, we aim to establish an Appalachian Geoscience Learning Ecosystem (AGLE) designed to bridge Appalachian high school science students of all identities to postsecondary degree programs in environmental/geoscience fields needed to pursue green careers. To be piloted in WV, the AGLE will organize a trans-disciplinary and multi-generational network of high school students, high school geoscience educators, geoscience professionals, graduate and undergraduate geoscience students, parents/caregivers and researchers within the Appalachian environment. Central to attracting high school students to the AGLE is the place-based and psychosocially aware pedagogy within the Exploring Geosciences Solutions (EGeoS) Curriculum, which explores place-based geoscience solutions and career paths related to climate change while developing competency in geoscience content knowledge and skills in a context that affirms students' Appalachian culture and lived experiences. In addition, EGeoS content will orient Appalachian learners toward university life, on-going climate-related research, and diverse geoscience practitioners working in green careers in Appalachia. Combined, the AGLE and EGeoS integrate diverse ways of conceptualizing climate change to support all identities in entering green environmental/geoscience careers.