National Science Foundation workshop focuses on diversity within geosciences

The Texas A&M University recently hosted a weeklong workshop to aid in enhancing diversity in the College of Geosciences, particularly in the field of atmospheric sciences. Colleagues at Texas A&M University and system schools, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M International University and Texas A&M-Kingsville, collaborated on this project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The workshop took place May 14th through the 20th in College Station at Texas A&M University.

The workshop brought in students from various system schools, and other Texas institutions of higher education and even had a student from another state. The participants worked in groups with faculty and graduate students on collaborative projects and presentations on topics such as lightning strikes, radar measurements and atmospheric chemistry.  Several faculty members and graduate students in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences worked to organize the sessions contained within the workshop, which included faculty presentations of recent research, a tour of the KBTX weather forecasting facility, and a field trip to the atmospheric sciences sampling tower located near Lick Creek Park in College Station.

Dr. Mary Jo Richardson, a Professor of Oceanography and Geology and Geophysics was one of the coordinators of the workshop.  Dr. Richardson said that the overall goal of the workshop was to increase diversity within the College of Geosciences and inform Texas undergraduates of the opportunities available specifically in the Atmospheric Sciences. Texas A&M University is the only institution of higher education in Texas to offer a degree in meteorology.

“The geosciences have very little representation of individuals from under-represented groups. That’s why we partnered with colleagues at system schools because the demographics of the students are different at those campuses,” Dr. Richardson said.

Dr. Richard Orville, who was another coordinator of the event, echoed Dr. Richardson’s sentiments, saying that it is of the utmost importance to increase the diversity in the College of Geosciences, particularly in the Department of Atmospheric sciences.

“I think it is important that our College reflect the distribution of our population. This refers to all people in its simplest form. We are the only atmospheric department in the state of Texas. Therefore, if students in other colleges and universities want to major in the atmospheric sciences, they will have to come to Texas A&M. Our one week workshop gave them the opportunity to ‘sample’ the atmospheric sciences without making a commitment to transfer,” Dr. Orville said.

Dr. Orville was one of the professors who worked with a group of students on a presentation. He gave an account of the experience and what did that process entailed:

    “I worked with one student group on the subject of lightning ground flash density. We selected three students, one from the Norfolk, VA area, one from Laredo, TX, and one from the Austin, TX area. Each student identified the cloud-to-ground lightning characteristics of their area and worked to explain why the areas have different lightning characteristics. They worked with recent lightning data that have not been analyzed in our NSF research program. Thus, the students were making an original contribution to the meteorology of lightning in their respective areas in which they live. Consequently, the excitement and enthusiasm of research permeated their workshop time. They loved it!”

Dr. Richardson said that even though this year’s workshop was the College of Geosciences first foray into such a project, the feedback from the participants was extremely positive.

“Since this was our first year of doing this program and we were all new to the delivery of this program. It was an exhausting week; the students were busy all the time. But they had a great time. We had a lot of positive comments from students and the system school colleagues," Dr. Richardson said.

Dr. Orville said that owing to the sucess of this year's workshop, it is possible that the College of Geosciences and the National Science Foundation may collaborate to create such a workshop again next year.

“It was successful, so we should consider a follow-on program. I say why not? We can do it and only require the necessary support from the NSF. The success of the workshop was amazing and the cooperation of all involved showed how much we can accomplish when we work together,” Dr. Orville said.

For more information on the National Science Foundation, visit http://www.nsf.gov/.