Strengthening geoscience educational pathways for underrepresented students from two-year to four-year institutions

Abstract

An opportunity exists to attract students from historically underrepresented communities into the geosciences, the least diverse of the STEM fields. Home to a diverse population, Riverside County in Southern California supports several community colleges with thriving geoscience programs where students can take a range of geology courses in preparation for a geology major at 4-year universities. The Geoscientist Development (GEODE) Program is designed to recruit and retain students from underrepresented groups into geoscience majors and careers and increase students’ interest in transferring from a 2-year college to a 4-year college. In this study, we examined how participation in a 10-week paid research internship affected students’ interest in studying and pursuing a degree or career in geoscience. Combining quantitative analysis of Likert-style survey questions and thematic content analysis of open-ended questions, we determined that paid research internships positively impacted students’ interest in geoscience and increased their interest in transferring from their 2-year college to a 4-year university. The students reported benefits of new research skills, career preparation, and networking; they struggled with a lack of background knowledge and a lack of research time. These results demonstrate a promising way to strengthen geoscience educational pathways and increase diversity in the geosciences. This program can be implemented at other institutions by forming cross-campus relationships and with relatively small financial commitments.