j

t '

1.

Broadening Participation in the Earth Sciences

Eric M. Riggs Co-Director, Center for Research and Engagement in Science and Mathematics Education, Departments of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences and Curriculum & Instruction, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Claudia J. Alexander Project Manager, U.S. Rosetta Project, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Recent studies have demonstrated that the Earth and pace sciences have the lowest participation rate of

underxepresented minorities com.pa1·ed with all other physicaf sciences (e.g., NSF Publication 04317, 2004). Only 1-2% of the undergraduate student population emailed in geoscience degree programs . isAfrican-American or Hispanic and only 1 % of the PhDs produced in these disciplines in recent years have gone to minorities (Czujko, R., 2005). As the Am.erican population becomes increasingly diverse and minority populations expand, continued failure to interest ninority students b1 the geosciences will likely have several negative consequences for the research conununity. At a time when m\dergraduate enrollments in the geosciences have declined and foreign graduate students have increasingly attractive options outside of U1e U.S., developing new strategies for attracting talented students from all possible sources will be essential for the future health of the geoscience workforce.

In the last few years, the issue of recruiting underrepresented students into the geosciences has become a front-burner concern. The National Science Foundation Geosciences Directorate and NASA Earth and Space Science enterprises have established major programs to fund projects aim.ed at delineating both effective and ineffective strntegies for recruiting and retaining minorities in the Earth and space sciences; and for building the infrasb·uclme, pa1tnersbips, aud networks necessary to help these programs succeed. This investment has readied the point where many of these projects are nearing completion and have concrete results. Growing interest in the topic of diversity and the large number of mature programs with results worth sharing are evidenced by tl1e increasing number of diversity-related programs being offerea at annual scientific society meetings. Clearly, the community working on effective strategies for broadening participation has reached critical mass and now is the ideal time to collect this body of work and share it with the broader creosc.ience education community. With th publishing of this Special Edition of the Journal, we share U1e successes, techniques, approaches and occasionally failures of many of these p:rograms. The papers presented in this volume (called out as references beJow) illusb:ate the many dimensions of U,is work.

The problem of reaching an u11derserved population is not confined to the U1utecfStates. A report contribu.ted by Ni.r Orion and his research grot1p in lsrael (Orion, et al.), mirrors the problems of reaching out to under-represe:nted nuno.dties all over the world, but also points out the co1npelling nature of the earth sciences to reach groups not normalfy attracted to the sciences. This b1ternational example, ru1d others (e.g. Gilligan, M.R., et al.; Mann.el, S., et al., show that the very nature of the earth sciences lends it a concreteness, a re.levance and an jmmediacy that is very attractive to minority students who might not otherwise be drawn to the geosciences. Water resources, enviromnental quality, energy, disaster prediction and mitigation, ocean and fisheries health, space weather and corrununica tions are just a few

examples of aspects of the field that are relevant to all of humanity.

The origins o.f the problem, and the solution required to fix it, are quite complex. In the past, conventional wisdom has focused attention on the lack of exposuTe to the geosciences among underserv·ed populatfons; inadequate teacher preparation in secondary schools serving high minority populations; lack of relevance/lack of a clear career path; isolation and alienation of minority populations in traditionally white institutions. Nevertheless, in forty years of data collected by the National Science Foundation and the American Institute of Physics, the lo-w numbers of minorities graduating b1 the geosciences has not changed in any significant way, despite decades of programs put i.n place to adch'ess the problem (see Robinson, L., et al.).

In this volume, three main themes emerge in the lessons, features, an.d managemen.t sb·uctu:res of the most recent spate of programs:

• The success of many programs rests 011 the realizationthat one size does not fit all when it comes to makingthe earth sciences relevant to specific ethnic a11dcultural audiences. Programs that tal<e one approachand attempt to apply it to a wide variety of educationalbackgrom'ids, ethnicities, economic situations andliviJ1g conditions are bound to miss critical ingredientsthat result in raising the matriculation numoers. Aneducational and recruitment approach that focuses onthose aspects of the geosdences most relevant toaudiences in their area and most appropriate to llieexpertise of the scientists involved, can have highefficacy (see, for example, Sedlock� R., and Metzger,E.).

• The most successful programs take pains to accountfor culturally-specific learning styles, cultw-al issueswith pedagogy, community preferences and priorities.A robust, grassroots connection to underservedcommw1ities is very important to the success of theprogram. Cultural literacy and community falll)liarityand coru,ections on the part of the geoscientistsinvolved in projects is critical. Social co.nnections an.dsocial sensitivity and awareness are central to success(Pandya, RE., et al.; Hanks, C.L., et al.).

• top-down efforts to increase diversity on the part ofscience agencies, funding agencies and universities,while a necessary component to any successfulprogram, are not sufficient to ensure success (seeSedioc.k, R., and Metzger, E.). The effm·ts of individualTesearchers and scientists to cormect to �ommnnitiesthey wish to serve are likewise crucial, but risk failureand isolation without institutional support. Thestrongest:programs enjoy a. local sy11ergy of �ssroots,personal, 'labor of love" commitment from mdividualscientists, and the vision and high-level support of th.einstitutions and agencies in whid1 they work.Common failures in programs over the decades haveincluded a lack of synergy between top-down andbottoms-up a:pprnad1es. The greatest gains andsuccesses cons1stently emerge wliere the energy andpassion from the grassroots is met with support and

Riggs and Alexander - Broadening Participation in the Earth Sciences 445

encouragement from local institutional administration (Robinson, L., et al.; Pandya, R.E., et al.).

The papers in this volume are rganized to r fle t what we see as a natural progression through th array f issues. The volume begins with a large scaleoverview of the current state of diversity in the ruth sde.n es, complete with the la test compiled statistics showing gains made to date and the magnitude of the challengesthatremain (Huntoon, J .E., and Lane, M.J.). The volum ~ th n moves to threepapers whi h highlight tl1eo:retical and practica l approaches t ge dence education research in diversity-related work, providing methodological approaches and quantitative and qualitative datathat show how and why we can be most successful in adapting the earth sciences to a more diverse audience worldwide (Levine, R., et al.; Orion, N., et al.; Riggs, E.M. et al.).

From this overview, the volume presents programs that involve multiple institutions and agency-wide efforts. These reports all focus on the successes of the largest scale style of intervention on the part of institutional consortia and science agencies (Walter, D.K., et al.; Robinson, L., et al.; Pandya, R.E., et al.). We are also pleased to fresent reports that highlight the work of individua institutions that far predates organized efforts by geoscience funding agencies to diversify th workfare in the geosciences, pres nting in a few ca es program that have be- perating for upwards of a quarter century with a long legacy of success Hanks,C.L., et al.).

W then turnto regionally focused programs, which make up the bulk of programs currently supported by the Ge science. Directorat of the National Science Foundation and other agencies. Papers focused on the South Atlantic Region, where fisheries and petrol um pr duction co xists with sizeable mjnority popttlations, include Pyrtle, A. )., et al.; Pyrtle, A.J., and Williamson-Whitney, et al., 2007; Gilligan, M.R., et al.; Chigbu,P., et al.; Serpa, L., et al.; Pride, C.J. and Olsen, M. M. A pap r focus d n. the West Coast of the United States, where a sizeable Asian and other under erved populations xist is found in Sedlock, R., and Metzger, E .. Allof th se r f!Orts highlight the importance o · program designs in whtch cultural assumptions, preferenc , and regional issues , re addr ssed. Furth rmor , these r gio~1aUy-focus d program bighlight the strength of university consortia andthe importance of devefoplng regional partnerships between in tituti011S of higher leamingin our efforts to eli versify the geoscience . Thesepartnerships derive str ngtl1 £rom the reaUzation that one un iversity can ra:rely be all things to all stud n ts, but a few universities working together in a region can offer acomprehensi e education and pr vide many attracti e paths into the earth sciences for th broadest range of tudent . These articles highlight sp dfic examples of

best practices, complete with supporting data. Since appropriate n1etrics and tracking of data is an integral componentof any_ contemporaryeducati_onal program... In this volume, Gtlhgan, M.R. et al., ChigbuP., et al.,

filler, K.C. and Carrick, T., pr sent specific example of surveys tl"tat w re part of a snccessfulprogram.

Most of the pa~rs stress the persof a robust m ~todng_ effort P~n~ya, R.E., e~ al; Pyrtle, ~-J - ~ ~t al.; Pyt tl , A.]., and Uliam on-Whttney, V.A., Gtmgan, M.R., et al .; Chigbu, P. "t aJ.; S rpa, L., et al.; Pride, C.J., and Olsen, M. M.), or the pitfalls · f the lack of a sufficiently strong one (Sedlock, R., and Metzger, E.). Pyrtle, A.J., and Williamson-Whitney, V.A., specifica~y discuss way in which to struchtl' a m ntoring program. Th human component is particulmly important for the

hi~h sch ol to undergraduate transiti n, whi h is a Cl'Jtical junctur in th earths i>nce educati n pipelln .

he undeq:~>t·adnate to graduate transition ls important as .veil, but at this p int mo t students are already well in to a mentorship y tem that provides for much p rsonal support and gui ance theymov away from their h m ·egions and schools. But, for 111any students at the earlier phase of their geoscience education, that transition from grade school and b:igh school into w1iversity, staying close to home and family is often crucial to u c ss. To maximizer crullment int the earth sciences at this important decision point in students' lives and to ensure their success, and a tightly-knit consortium of regional geoscience departments and teachers reaching from high school through community c 11 g to undergraduate degre -granting departm nts is a very successful approaclt, as suggested by the last group of paper in this vo.lw.ne (Mannel, S., tal.; Stokes, P.J., et al.; Pecore, J.L., et al.; Miller, K.C., et al.). Successful networks actively track and "hand-off" students to one another, and are much more lik ly to succeed in serving th bl·oade t anay of students and also gain the support of their home conununities. This is especially tru witl1 sp ciiic ethnic gToups, and witll other non-traditi nal students, for wh m staying engaged locally with th ir families and commw'l.ities 1S crucial to th ir academic interest and success. The earth sciences as a discipline can only benefit from this attention to the human dimension of our work and our recruitment sb·ategies.

Thls special issue of th Journal of Geoscience Education represents a milestone in collaborati n among three entities deeply concerned about broadening the participatio11 in the practice of the earth sci nces, the National Association of Geoscien e Teachers (NAGT), the Am ri an Geophysical Un.i n (AGU), and the

ationa l Scien Foundation (NSF). The NAGT -publisher of the Journal of Geoscience Education - an organizalion that xists to promote and impr ve the teachil"lg and learning of the earth ci n es, is committed to the goal of broadening the range of ethnic and cui tu ra 1 perspectives and in tell. ctual ki lT! brought to bear in the study of the earth ystem. The AGU, a worldwide cientific community that exists to advanc the

geoscience by catalyzing and supporting - tlu·ough uu elfish cooperation - the efforts of individual sci ntist , has ru'\ obligation to improve the workfare by engagirlg the conununity to ensw·e ruvers.ity in the Earth ana spac sciences. SF joins the ACT and the AGU in these aims, and contributed fund to support the creation and distribution of this volume. AddihonaJiy, the SF has u pported programs across the nati n to broaden the participation of w1der-represented minorities in th ge iences, many £which ar featured in this volume. The r spons of th broader geoscience c mumnity a the urg ncy of th issue increases, from agencies through colleges and uni ersities of all sizes, to increased diversity in geoscience is undeniable and impressive. We are heartened by these efforts, and it is our pleasure to present them in this volume.

REFERENCES Czujko, R., 2005, Presentation of Statistics -- Where We

Are Now with Minorities in Atmospheric Science, Presented to a Special Session for Retaining and Recruiting Minorities in Atmospheric Science at the 85th American Meteorological Society Armual Meeting, January 12, 2005.

National Science Foundation, 2004, Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2007, ns£04317.

446 Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 55, n. 6, December, 2007, p. 445-446