Preparing Students of Color for a Career Pathway in STEM through a Geoscience Undergraduate Research Program

Studies have shown that participation in an undergraduate research experience increases the persistence of students of color in STEM, reinforces their STEM disciplinary identity, and prepares them for the STEM workforce. The report, Undergraduate Research Experiences for STEM Students: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017) highlighted the benefits gain by students of color from their participation in these programs. In addition to being mentored and being exposed to a dynamic and supportive STEM community, students of color are given a first-hand experience of the technical and communication skills needed for the geoscience workforce. More importantly, the transferability of their STEM knowledge into the geosciences provides them with additional tools that can be utilized in the STEM/geoscience workforce and graduate school. Results from assessing a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program (AGS #1834549) will show how students of color are prepared for a STEM career pathway through a one-year geoscience remote-sensing research program.