Understanding the Experiences of Undergraduate Atmospheric Science Students

An important aspect of atmospheric science education research (ASER) involves conducting research on how students learn and think about the field. However, what would happen if there were no students available to teach or work with anymore? In a relatively small field like atmospheric science, it is important to grow and maintain majors for years to come. The researchers of this pilot study are investigating why undergraduate students choose to stay or leave their atmospheric science program. Currently, there is limited research that focuses specifically on retention of atmospheric science students. Previous work has been done within the geosciences more broadly, however the growth of ASER has provided a need for a closer evaluation of the structures and climates of atmospheric science departments. We anticipate that this study's results will lead to a set of "best practices" that undergraduate institutions can implement to cultivate diversity and inclusion, as well as a sense of belonging, in department environments. A survey was disseminated to assess the retention of undergraduate students in 4-year atmospheric science programs across the United States. This survey is composed of Likert-scale questions and open-ended questions for current atmospheric science undergraduate students about their experiences while in their program including involvement, internships, and mentorship. Following the survey's distribution, a subset of participants will be interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences in their undergraduate atmospheric science program. Our intent is for this work to serve as a catalyst in learning about perspectives of atmospheric science students during their undergraduate studies. Future work could include surveys for administrators, faculty, and staff to get their perspectives about undergraduate students in their departments.