| NSF Org: |
RISE Integrative and Collaborative Education and Research (ICER) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 25, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 3, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1700851 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Brandon Jones
RISE Integrative and Collaborative Education and Research (ICER) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $398,866.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $398,866.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3410 TAFT BLVD WICHITA FALLS TX US 76308-2096 (940)397-4315 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
TX US 76308-2036 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | IUSE |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Non technical:
The BEST (Bridge and Earth Science Training) program is a new high school bridge program between North Texas high schools and Midwestern State University (MSU) that acts a conduit to educate students, teachers and parents about the opportunities for geoscience careers. Each summer, a cohesive long-term cohort of high school juniors will begin an inquiry based geoscience camp at MSU. The BEST camp will focus on developing the relationship between the student and local industry professionals, and learning how real geologists apply scientific concepts to their careers. Field trips to active workplaces and laboratories will reinforce this link and provide additional exposure to the role of geoscientists in the real world. Each member of the cohort will participate in a research project on water quality and environmental parameters in conjunction with the Red River Authority (RRA) and Texas Stream Team (TST). The students will learn to take measurements from industry professionals, and their data will contribute to an ongoing research collaboration between MSU, RRA, and TST. Each member of the cohort will be provided with an invitation to attend MSU as a geosciences major, and they will have the opportunity to continue their research as a part of their undergraduate experience. More than 143,000 geoscientists are expected to retire in the next 10 years, and our project aims to train sufficient professionals to meet the demand in energy and hydrology workers across the United States. This project will allow students to explore new opportunities by working with professional geoscientists and engage with career-relevant, field-based research that will allow them to build a successful career. By generating career-relevant experiences in geoscience education, the BEST program works towards providing a brighter future for Earth-related fields that promote clean air and water, secure our energy future, and promote public understanding of science.
Technical:
The BEST Program will establish a multi-year research collaboration among academia, industry, and government employees, which will engage geoscience professionals in the training of future geoscientists.
The first component of the BEST Program is an inquiry-based residential geoscience camp each summer. A cohesive, long-term cohort of high school juniors and seniors will learn how geoscientists apply scientific concepts to real-world problems. Each participant in the camp will be trained by scientists from the local Red River Authority (RRA) and the Texas Stream Team (TST) to participate in the TST water quality monitoring program using protocols established by the Texas Council on Environmental Quality. BEST students will investigate and test hypotheses related to the relative contribution of various forcings such as variation in rainfall severity, extended dry or seasonal changes, and rates of change of key water parameters to overall water quality in the Red River watershed. During this 7-10 day experience, the BEST Program will focus on developing the relationship between the student, MSU geoscience faculty, local geoscience professionals, and current MSU students who will serve as BEST Camp counselors. Field trips to workplaces and laboratories reinforce this link and provide additional exposure to the role of geoscientists in the real world. Cohort members will be invited to attend MSU as geosciences majors, where they continue their research and engage in geoscience data gathering and analysis activities, present to and meet with professionals involved in similar work, and share their experiences with other students. Through this collaboration, students? research will inform policy makers as they make decisions related to land use, water use, or permitting, which will impact residents in the Holliday Creek and Red River Watersheds. The BEST Program will also test the IUSE Geopaths Program's Theory of Change, which is that novel, authentic, career-relevant geoscience experiences will increase the students? desire to pursue degrees and geo-related careers.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The Bridge and Earth Science Training (BEST) Program provided novel, authentic, career-relevant geoscience experiences to prospective college students with little-to-no background in geosciences. The project tracked each student's sense of belonging, the development of a geoscience STEM identity, and interest in pursuing careers in the field. The data showed an increase in the students? desire to pursue degrees and geo-related careers in the program's first two years; the pandemic forced the third year into an online setting, but permitted extension into a fourth year. The students in these last two cohorts were not as strongly impacted, but it is likely that the trend seen in the first two years would have persisted if the program were not affected by the setbacks of the pandemic (e.g. remote setting, reduced capacity, and fewer interactions with geoscience professionals). Despite setbacks, the program strengthened our college students' ability to discuss geosciences with prospective students and the greater community. In their roles as mentors to the high-school participants and as articulators of the program, they greatly improved their sense of belonging and identity.
Although the program only slightly increased the number of talented geoscience matriculants, it permitted developing new opportunities to expose students to professional geoscientists, and engaging high-school students with career-relevant field-based research. Those who participated in the summer camp and then continued into our geosciences program engaged one or more research endeavors, and became well prepared for graduate education. Two are already engaging M.S. programs.The BEST Program established a multi-year research collaboration among academia, industry, and government employees, and engaged geoscience professionals in the training of future geoscientists. Although the pandemic impeded full implementation, the program established important connections. It launched student and faculty participation in the Texas Stream Team monitoring program, which will continue with support from the Kimbell School of Geosciences. TST research and training has been integrated into classes.
Thanks to the program's successes, secondary teachers, guidance counselors, and students learned geoscience concepts and career opportunities. Geoscience career counseling and mentoring has improved, and the funded program developed an integrated network that is now used in recruiting efforts by the Kimbell School of Geosciences.
Last Modified: 01/23/2022
Modified by: Jonathan D Price
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