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Undergraduate research is well recognized as an effective high-impact educational practice associated with student success in higher education. Actively engaging students in research experiences is considered as one of the several high-impact practices by many agencies including the American Chemical Society. Developing and maintaining an active undergraduate research program benefits both the faculty and students especially those from under-represented minority groups (URM). The infusion of research experiences into undergraduate curriculum enables students from all backgrounds to develop independent critical thinking skills, written and oral communications skills that are very important for successful careers in “STEM” area. Several strategies and activities such as a Peer Mentoring Program (PMP), funded research activities, the infusion of research into organic chemistry labs, undergraduate professional development, research group meetings, presentations at regional/national conferences, and publishing as co-authors on peer-review papers are vital in creating a welcoming research group that promotes the diversity, equity, and inclusion in organic chemistry education. The experiences working on funded research projects, presenting their research data at conferences and publishing papers as co-authors will greatly increase the under-represented minority (URM) students’ chance in landing a job or getting admitted into graduate/professional programs in STEM area.
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Re-Envisioning Undergraduate Research Experiences to Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Harness the Power of Diversity in Ocean Sciences
Diversity in ocean sciences lags far behind US demographics. A substantial body of research highlights barriers that limit the participation and success of students from underrepresented minoritized (URM) and other marginalized groups in STEM disciplines, and a wealth of studies highlight successful interventions that improve the persistence of these groups in STEM higher education. Despite this knowledge, over the past four decades, ocean sciences has made limited progress in growing diversity within its workforce, suggesting new strategies are needed. Undergraduate research experiences are a pivotal pathway toward graduate education and future careers in ocean sciences, but they are plagued by many issues that limit the participation and success of persons from URM and other marginalized backgrounds. Here we summarize obstacles that limit participation of diverse populations in ocean sciences and highlight successful strategies for overcoming these obstacles. By re-envisioning how we approach undergraduate research experiences and bringing intentionality to the recruitment of students and the training environments that they experience, we can more effectively grow diversity in ocean sciences and unleash the power of diversity to address the pressing local and global problems facing marine ecosystems.
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- PAR ID:
- 10544033
- Publisher / Repository:
- The Oceanography Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Oceanography
- Volume:
- 36
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1042-8275
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 22 to 34
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.140
