The 38th Annual Technical Conference of the National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG) was convened in Fayetteville, AR, 4-7 September 2019. NABG is a leading professional organization serving African Americans and Black people of other national origins within the national geosciences workforce. The conference is student- centered, and the focus of all conference activities is to advance the scientific, engineering, and educational experience of African Americans, Black students of other national origins, and other students-of-color. As such, the conference is an opportunity for students to:

1) Participate in professional development workshops;

2) Interact with role models from a broad spectrum of experience levels within the geosciences;

3) Gain experience presenting results of research to professional audiences;

4) Expand their professional network and acquire social capital within the geosciences workforce;

5)   Share experiences as people-of-color in a profession where people-of-color are profoundly underrepresented;

6) Advance awareness of NABG among students-of-color as a professional organization providing service to them;

7)   Increase student participation in NABG through active membership in the organization.

During the 38th Annual Technical Conference of NABG, major activities related to the overall objectives of the award were:

1. A pre-conference student professional development workshop sponsored by Exxon-Mobil related to hydrocarbon exploration. Students participated in a simulated hydrocarbon exploration project to identify viable prospects for hydrocarbon development given a variety of parameters (geological information, geophysical data, economic models, environmental constraints, etc.);
   
   
2. Student professional development seminar to help students understand social capital and develop networking skills, non-technical competencies desired by employers but often overlooked in the technical educations students receive at the educational institutions; This workshop was delivered by Dr. Pranoti Asher (American Geophysical Union) and Ms. Tahlia Bear (Geological Society of America).
   
   
3. All student participants were required to present research results in oral or poster formats during technical sessions of the conference. NABG professional members mentored students providing significant feedback on their individual presentations. Student presentations were judged by NABG professionals and top presenters in poster and oral formats were recognized with awards provided by NABG. A number of students were presenting at a professional conference for the first time;
   
   
4. Students had many opportunities to interact directly with near-peers, advanced peers, and professional members to expand their professional network and social capital. Specific opportunities to receive mentoring and speak directly about shared experiences with professional members were provided at the opening reception, conference breaks, lunches, informal dinners with NABG members, and formal evening discussion groups.
   
   
5. A tradition of the NABG Annual Technical Conference is an evening discussion group/town hall meeting with NSF personnel and NABG professional members speaking in concurrent sessions to women-of-color and men-of-color.
   
   
6. As a consequence of participation, all students gained awareness of NABG as a professional society that serves them. Students connected to NABG through its social media platforms and a number of students volunteered for active roles in NABG management functions. Students also share their knowledge and experience of NABG with other Black students with whom they are acquainted nationally. The network of students-of-color who are aware of NABG has increased nationally each year that NSF sponsorship has supported this conference. A total of 331 students have participated 611 times in NABG technical conferences since 2006; 298 students have participated 579 times with NSF sponsorship since 2009;
   
   
7. The network of students familiar with NABG increases each year. These students share a good deal of information with each other about the organization and help recruit new participants for the conference annually.
   
   
8. Half-day field trip to observe and learn about outcrops of Pennsylvanian Period fluvial stratigraphy of northwest Arkansas (Parthenon Sandstone and Cane Hill Member of the Hale Formation). Field trip was led by Prof. John Shaw, University of Arkansas.

The demonstrable record of achievement of NSF support for the Annual Technical Conference of NABG is a model for other STEM disciplines and professional societies to advance diversity and inclusion of diverse identities in STEM. The success of these efforts with NABG since 2009 led the PI to earn additional significant NSF support for professional development of students with diverse identities. An innovative GEOPATHS project (NSF #1801569; GP-IMPACT: Professional Development Pathways to Diversifying the Geosciences Workforce) engaged over 180 students from underrepresented groups in workshops to advance their participation in geosciences. The PI was also successful securing significant support to engage other professional societies to embrace and normalize diversity through an NSF-sponsored Research Coordination Network (NSF #2037271; RCN: Geosciences Associated Societies Committed to Embracing and Normalizing Diversity (Geosciences ASCEND). Over the next two years, lessons learned from NSF support for NABG will be leveraged to push cultural change toward greater participation and inclusion of diverse identities many additional geosciences-oriented professional societies. These efforts benefitted from and are a direct consequence of NSF support for the Annual Technical Conference of NABG.

Last Modified: 11/03/2022
Modified by: Stephen K Boss