CISM Diversity: Goals and Objectives

• To involve historically underrepresented minorities and women in space weather research

• Increase number of underrepresented space weather professionals

• Focus both on recruitment and retention

•The Space Weather Weekend is a means to meet our goals and objectives

CISM_DX Live DVD

• This CISM product was originally

developed for the Space Weather

Weekend, but it has seen broader

utility in the CISM short courses run by

Knowledge Transfer• Based on KNOPPIX Linux distro in

bootable DVD format plus standard

CISM_DX installation•DVD contains data and DX networks

for exploring MAS, ENLIL, LFM, TING• All students got a copy•Stripped down CD version also exists

Summary

• The third CISM Space Weather Weekend was organized and conducted in Spring 2007• Evaluation indicates that it is a success with students, and participants who apply to CISM graduate schools will have personal contacts to help them• A new resource, the CISM_DX Live CD was produced• Further evaluation will determine long-term impact, but already two students have been recruited to participate in CISM programs (including grad school at AAMU)

The Space Weather Weekend: A new CISM Diversity InitiativeR. E. Lopez1, M. Schamschula2, R. Lal2, R. Bruntz1, J. Hughes3

1 Florida Institute of Technology, 2 AAMU, 3 Boston University

Recruitment Strategy

• The recruitment was done using networks in the African-American and Hispanic Physics Communities including NSBP and NSHP meetings

• We also recruited during visits to MSIs

• Faculty at minority-serving institutions were contacted directly and asked to recruit students

• Students had a financial incentive - $200 stipend plus expenses

• 9 students participated, from AAMU, Fisk U., Florida International University, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón, Lincoln University, Moorehouse College, and Tennessee State University

Schedule

• Held April 31 to May 1 at AAMU

• Loosely based on the CISM Summer School

• Saturday - Lectures (w/ peer instruction) on Sun, Magnetosphere, Ionosphere, CISM, and space weather

• Special session on applying to graduate school - very general, though we do talk about CISM

• Two sessions working with CISM_DX and tracing a space weather event from Sun to Earth

• All meals eaten together, including Saturday night dinner at the hotel, to build sense of community

Evaluation and Outcomes

• Formative evaluation shows 4 or greater on 1-5 Likert scale for useful/valuable

• Student comments indicate positive impact on considering graduate school and 5 indicated new interest in space physics grad school

• “My ideas were not in space weather for grad school but now I am considering moving into the field.” “It is possible that I might study space physics at the graduate level. However, I am definitely sure that I will do graduate studies in physics. The workshop was definitely an eye-opener to the world of space physics and graduate world on a whole. The information I learned on this weekend has certainly encouraged me to further my studies in physics at the graduate level.”

Who did what?

• AAMU hosted the event and arranged local logistics. Fl Tech took care of stipend and travel arrangements.

• Fl Tech produced the CISM_DX Live DVD (and CD)

• Scientists and staff from AAMU, Boston U, and Fl Tech made presentations and ran the labs

• CISM staff at NCAR and AFRL contributed material for talks

Space Weather Weekend: Our Objectives

• Use the excitement of space weather to recruit students from Minority-Serving Institutions to apply to CISM graduate schools - just a few students will significantly impact demographics of field

• Expose participants to a new field of science in an innovative teaching environment.

• Establish personal connection with participants