A lack of qualified teachers and low enrollment in the geosciences exist at both secondary and tertiary levels in the United States. Consequently, it is unlikely that students will be able to achieve scientific literacy without an…
We describe our efforts at building programs in Earth and space science over the past decade at four Minority Institutions, Medgar Evers College, Norfolk State University, South Carolina State University and the University of…
Startling national statistics continue to illuminate the need for increasing the number of underrepresented minority students graduating with degrees in the geosciences. With increasing minority populations in the U.S., diversity…
This commentary examines the role faculty play in broadening participation in the geosciences through the implementation of equitable and inclusive pedagogy.
Taking a critical, performative stance, this study aims to advance our understanding of diversity management enhancing ethnic equality at work. Relying on a multiple-case study, we inductively identify organizational practices that foster the valuing of multiple competencies and the ability to…
An effective partnership with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) has been established with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Building on a commitment to increase…
Employers have experimented with three broad approaches to promoting diversity. Some programs are designed to establish organizational responsibility for diversity, others to moderate managerial bias through training and feedback, and still others to reduce the social isolation of women and…
This commentary examines the use of Spanish-English bilingual geosciences communication within the United States as a way to broaden information about the discipline and inspire youth to develop a passion for STEM careers.
The Geosciences Institute for Research and Education at the University of Michigan–Dearborn has been an example of a successful and effective model in increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the geosciences. The…
Out of all the physical sciences, earth sciences has the lowest participation of underrepresented minorities. Past research on factors contributing to the lack of diversity in geosciences, has focused on inadequate teacher preparation, lack of relevance or undefined career path, isolation and…
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) attract, retain and award science degrees to African Americans at a higher rate than majority institutions. Because they offer life-changing and career-orienting experiences for…
Geoscience department websites are a public representation of the department and discipline. This exploratory study investigated the characteristics and culture communicated about geoscience departments through their website…
Geoscience faces dual recruiting challenges: a pending workforce shortage and a lack of diversity. Already suffering from low visibility, geoscience does not resemble the makeup of the general population in terms of either race/…
Recent efforts to increase diversity within the geosciences, do coincide with how geoscientist are being portrayed in academic textbooks. This article reexamines previous efforts that analyzed the presence of racially diverse geoscientist in physical geology textbooks. Although there was an…
Data available from the National Science Foundation Division of Science Resources Statistics demonstrate that since 1966 fewer bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees have been awarded in the geosciences than in any other STEM…
Summer programs are a common strategy for increasing interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers among K-12 students. Here we report four years of results from a two-week program designed to expose…
Researchers participated in a week long field experience for high school students to increase the pipeline of diverse students into the geosciences major. Surveys were conducted with students and their parents to understand what the participants had learned about geosciences. About 56% of…
A model deployed at Savannah State University (SSU) for enhancing diversity in the geosciences provides much needed African-American role models in the sciences for school aged children in the surrounding community. The most common…
The Geosciences Awareness Program (Project GAP), a collaboration between the Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College, was designed to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in geosciences at both…
AGI estimates that 275,000 physical geology text books are sold in the United States per year. We selected 15 texts from nine different publishers. Data was collected from photos with scientists. Gender data was divided into male,…
The geosciences have the lowest ethnic and racial diversity in all of the STEM fields and this might be related to students' sense of belonging. Underrepresented students in the geosciences are often faced with imposter syndrome and or stereotype threat, which influences how they perceive…
The geosciences continue to lag behind the other sciences in both diversity and degree completion rates of students transferring from two-year colleges (2YCs). Critical to strengthening the transfer student…
The author discusses their experiences as a member of the LGBT community within the geosciences discipline. The author references a study conducted in 2015 that surveyed LGBT people in STEM fields.
Despite gains over the last decade, the geoscience student population in the United States today continues to lag other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines in terms of diversity. Minority-serving…
Meeting the future demand for a qualified geoscience workforce will require efforts to increase recruitment, retention, and graduation of an increasingly diverse student body. Doing this successfully requires renewed attention to…
Mentoring relationships are crucial in the development of student scientists. The purpose of this study was to identify the role of mentors in supporting career satisfaction among students in Earth System Sciences (ESS). Attendees…
NOVA interviewed a geoscientist to inquiry about the diversity gap within the geosciences. The geoscientist outlines reasons such as limited opportunities to take geoscience courses in high school as well as limited exposure to earth sciences knowledge through field trips, museum visits or…
There has been little change in the last forty years in the number of ethnic and racial minorities that receive doctorates in the earth, atmospheric and ocean sciences. This article presents statistical data of the lack of representation as well as recommendations to increase participation of…
This is a case study of an NSF funded program to increase participation in STEM and geosciences for American Indian students. Culturally relevant practices were utilized such as the Circle of learning, a conceptual framework that emphasizes trust and relationship building between researchers,…
The authors discus the role geographic perspectives can play in creating access for participation in STEM. A case study highlighted in the article presents practical initiatives such as job and career networking, as an avenue for nurturing diversity and encouraging instructors to present…
The authors surveyed individuals working within STEM fields who identify as part of the LGBTQA community. The authors analyzed 1,427 responses from a 58-item questionnaire reporting the experiences the participants in regard to whether their work and social communities were welcoming to their…
The University of New Orleans (UNO), Department of Earth and Environmental Science has been successfully recruiting minority geoscience students since 1974. The basis for that program is a field trip for high school students…
Ethnic and racial minorities constitute an important part of the geosciences community because of their diverse perspectives and backgrounds. However, the geosciences have the poorest diversity record of all the science and…
This study examines discrepancies between geoscience career knowledge and biology career knowledge among Mississippi science teachers. Principals and in-service teachers were also surveyed about their perception of geoscience…
In order to assess the effectiveness of projects intended to increase the participation of members of traditionally underrepresented groups in geoscience careers, short-term indicators of "success" must be identified and developed…
This paper discusses experiences and lessons learned from developing an interdisciplinary graduate program (IDP) during the last 10 y: The Howard University Graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS). HUPAS is the first…
The MS PHD'S Program facilitates the involvement of minority undergraduate and graduate Earth system science students in a series of activities designed to: (1) increase exposure to and engagement in the Earth system science…
In this commentary, we argue that social capital theory, the idea that membership in a group creates opportunities to acquire valuable information and resources from other group members, is a useful framework in which to consider…
The author of this blog explains how limited exposure to the outdoors as a youth, might be a contributing factor for the lack of representation of underrepresented minorities in the geosciences.