Geosciences as a whole, including Atmospheric Sciences, ranks last of all the sciences in terms of participation by the traditionally underrepresented groups. This fact undermines the effectiveness of education in our field; in failing to attract diverse students, we miss an opportunity to provide all our students the increasingly necessary experience of working in diverse teams. A lack of diversity among students entering atmospheric sciences also jeopardizes our future workforce, especially in light of the fact that underrepresented groups, particularly Latinos & Hispanics, are growing much faster than the population as a whole. The aging of our current workforce exacerbates this problem. For all these reasons, efforts to enhance diversity in the atmospheric and related sciences are important and timely.

The Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) seeks to broaden participation in Atmospheric Science by helping undergraduate students enter and succeed in graduate programs in atmospheric and related sciences. SOARS combines multiple summer research experiences with intensive, multidimensional mentoring to help undergraduate students make successful transitions to graduate school. Each SOARS protégé is guided by up to four mentors. This extensive and multifaceted mentoring and multi-year participation sets SOARS apart from typical undergraduate research experiences. SOARS is also unique in providing extensive leadership and communication training, support for conference presentations and for graduate school, and a strong scholarly community that develops from the critical mass of protégés living and working together in Boulder.

Over the program's eight years, 90 protégés have participated in the program. Twenty-four protégés have completed Masters degrees, 29 more are working toward their masters, and eight protégés are working toward doctoral degrees. Nineteen protégés are employed in Science and Technical Fields, four within NOAA, and one at UCAR.

The strategies employed in SOARS should be considered by institutions seeking to develop their own programs to broaden participation in atmospheric science. To provide additional guidance, we will also report on an independent review of SOARS that will highlight best practices and document lessons learned.