T159 Beyond the Numbers: Strategies for Inclusive Education Practices across the Geological Sciences II

Tuesday, 6 November 2018
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 234

USING GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS AS A BRIDGE FROM TWO-YEAR COLLEGE TO UNIVERSITY

Paper number: T159-15
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 11:25 AM – 11:40 AM

Authors

Abstract

The transition from two-year community college (2YC) to four-year university (4YC) is a critical educational transition that often functions more like a barrier than a bridge, especially for students without access to proficient mentoring or transfer counseling. 2YC students, many of whom are first generation college students and/or from underrepresented minority groups, represent a largely untapped pool for geoscience programs, so facilitating this critical educational transition should be prioritized in recruitment efforts. This study examines the impact of a geoscience research internship program at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) for 2YC students from Riverside City College (RCC). The program, designed to increase recruitment of earth science majors at both institutions, is one component of the Geoscientist Development (GEODE) Program and is funded through the National Science Foundation IUSE:GEOPATHS program. In three years, eight students participated in paid, ten-week internships. Of the eight students, three have transferred into the Earth Science major at UCR and the remaining five intend to do so within the next two years. The impact of the program was evaluated qualitatively through a series of interviews with participants. The interviews were analyzed using thematic content analysis rooted in a grounded theory framework. Common themes reported by participants include: 1) increased commitment to pursuing a geoscience major and career, 2) development of new technical research skills, and 3) growth in size and composition of students’ geoscience community. This study provides evidence that research internships for 2YC students can ease the transition into a 4YC geoscience program and increase the recruitment and retention of a diverse cohort of geoscience students.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-317825

© Copyright 2018 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.