Mission Statement

How is CMMAP Increasing Diversity in the Field?

• 2008 Future Tech Conference
  CMMAP Higher Ed and Diversity manager, Melissa Burt, travelled to the University of New Mexico to attend this conference put on by the NSF Science and Technology Center, MDITR November 8, 2008.

• SOARS Students Soar High
  SOARS Protege Alex Gonzalez joins CMMAP scientist Dr. Wayne Schubert researching the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) during the summer of 2008. This article appeared in the SOARS Fall 2008 newsletter about his research.

Diversity in Science

• Broadening Participation in the Earth Sciences, Eric M. Riggs & Claudia J. Alexander

• Diversity in the Geosciences and Successful Strategies for Increasing Diversity, Jacqueline E. Huntoon & Melissa J. Lane
  Data available from the National Science Foundation Division of Science Resources Statistics demonstrate that since 1966 fewer bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees have been awarded in the geosciences than in any other STEM field. Data spanning the time period from 1995-2001 indicate that the percentage of bachelor's and master's degrees awarded to members of racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields was lower in the geosciences than in other STEM fields. The percentage of Ph.D. degrees awarded in the geosciences to students drawn from underrepresented groups from 1995-2001 was similar to the percentage awarded in math and computer science, physical science, and engineering. It appears that the geosciences retain a greater number of students drawn from underrepresented groups during the transition from master's to Ph.D. degree programs, and/or recruit underrepresented students into Ph.D. programs from other STEM fields.

  The geosciences have had success recruiting and retaining women since 1966, and the lessons learned in increasing gender diversity in the field may help the geoscience community increase its racial and ethnic diversity in the future. Four strategies that consistently appear to be effective in increasing diversity are: demonstrating the relevance of the field and opportunities for high-paying careers in it; developing partnerships among multiple stakeholders to reduce 'leaks' from the educational pipeline; promoting strong mentoring relationships among students and geoscience professionals, including opportunities for students to conduct research prior to graduate school; and providing financial assistance when necessary.

• A Decade of Lessons Learned, Donald K. Walter, Shermane A. Austin, Leon P. Johnson, Penny A. Morris, Carlos Salgado
  We describe our efforts at building programs in Earth and space science over the past decade at four Minority Institutions, Medgar Evers College, Norfolk State University, South Carolina State University and the University of Houston-Downtown. We present our institutional models of success and programmatic outcomes as well as barriers to success and lessons learned. The unique path to success for each school is described, along with experiences common among all four. Since these institutions do not offer graduate programs in the geosciences, they have concentrated on recruitment and retention of students in the K-16 pipeline while preparing them for graduate school and careers in the field. These schools represent a range in size, location, population served and in the type and nature of the Earth and space science programs they offer. As such, the experiences described herein offer a broad perspective on what does and does not work in attracting and retaining underrepresented minoritystudents in the geosciences.

• BEST Practices for Broadening Participation in the Geosciences: Strategies from the UCAR Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) Program, Rajul E. Pandya, Sandra Henderson, Richard A. Anthes, Roberta M. Johnson
  This article offers a set of design principles distilled from the Building Engineering and Science Talent (BEST) examination of over 100 programs with documented success in recruiting and retaining minority students in sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. By illustrating these principles in the context of the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program, we provide examples for applying them in the realm of the geosciences. The SOARS Program combines multiple summer research experiences with intensive, multidimensional mentoring and a robust learning community to help undergraduate students complete college and make successful transitions into graduate school in the Atmospheric and related sciences. SOARS has been widely recognized through formal and informal assessments as a highly successful program.

Studies on Diversity - CMMAP's Research

• Academic Self-Perceptions and Performance of Gifted Female Science/Engineering Undergraduates (PowerPoint poster), Samantha Farro, David MacPhee, Sadie Conrad, Silvia Canetto
  This study examined high-achieving, undergraduate students from underrepresented populations majoring in science or engineering upon entrance (Time 1) and graduation (Time 2) of the McNair Mentorship Program. We investigated students' self-perceived academic skills, science and math skills, creativity, and academic preparedness compared to objective measures of students' academic performance. The findings of this study indicate that females and males are similar in regard to academic performance; however, at Time 1 females were significantly more likely to have lower perceived ability than males in several domains. By graduation from the McNair Program, females' self-perceptions had increased to be on par with male peers. This suggests a positive influence of the McNair Mentorship Program specifically on women's perceived efficacy in science and engineering. Analyses also indicated that double minority status students had lower self perceptions and performance, particularly for perceived test-taking skills and on standardized tests.