EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GEOSCIENTISTS: ADVANCING RESEARCH AND INTERCULTURAL SKILLS THROUGH ACADEMIC DIPLOMACY

International experiences for U.S.-based undergraduate and graduate students are highly desired by domestic institutions as they are acknowledged as an opportunity to develop intercultural awareness and skills. Often, international programs available to students in the geosciences are course-based, costly, and lack hands-on intercultural cooperation. Described here is a student-initiated effort to engage geoscience students at Miami University, (Oxford, OH, U.S.) and the University of Geneva (Geneva, Switzerland) through research experiences and career development activities rather than coursework. Miami University is a U.S. institution, nationally recognized for undergraduate teaching, and is emerging in numerous research areas. The University of Geneva is an internationally recognized research university in Switzerland. Both universities have well-established geoscience programs. Research projects explored in the student-initiated program include electron microprobe analysis of oxide minerals in the context of understanding elements of environmental concern, high-pressure/temperature oxide mineral stability experiments for applied mineral material stability analysis, and Raman spectroscopy analysis of consumer talc products for geohealth issues. Professional development activities include visits to the United Nations and the CERN Science Gateway, meetings with faculty from departments outside of geoscience, and meetings with non-profit organizations that encourage academic diplomacy. This approach is congruent with the increasingly interdisciplinary and international nature of geosciences. As the world collectively faces geoscience-related challenges such as hazard mitigation, climate change, and clean energy production, there is an immense need for international collaboration. The role of academia is to spread knowledge and actively encourage creative solutions to the world’s challenges. Geneva serves as an excellent setting for such efforts, being a center for global affairs. In addition to collecting hard-science data, organic connections are developed by the fostering of a student-led effort. By encouraging the continuation of projects like this, a tradition of academic diplomacy will evolve and lead to a sustainable future of global cooperation.