Fall 2021: PROmoting Geoscience Research, Education, and SuccesS (PROGRESS)

Affiliations:
Project Leader:	Qiyue Zhang qiyue.zhang@tamu.edu Educational Psychology
Faculty Mentor:	Paul Hernandez, Ph.D.
Meeting Times:	TBA
Team Size:	2
Open Spots:	0
Special Opportunities:	You will have the opportunity to engage with and learn first-hand about federally-funded social science research. There may also be opportunities for you to lead or support answering research questions and present at local, regional, or national conferences.
Team Needs:	As an undergraduate research assistant on the PROGRESS project, you will have the opportunity to engage with and learn first-hand about federally-funded social science research. We need two or three undergraduate assistants who are reliable, motivated, and can commit between 5 – 10 hours per week to the project. The primary tasks you may be involved in include: (i) learn about the science of mentorship by reading/discussing research with team members, (ii) attending team meetings to coordinate our research efforts, (iii) learn to help design/test research surveys, (iv) conduct follow-up calls/text messages to encourage research participation, (v) learn to help log and manage research data, (vi) learn how to analyze data (if desired)
Description:	The world is facing daunting challenges, and will continue to face unknown trials in the future. Challenges related to energy, air quality, climate, water availability, food security, and natural disaster forecasting are rooted in the geosciences. To live sustainably on this planet, we must leverage every human resource available. Unfortunately, women are severely under-represented in the geosciences (such as environmental science, biology, and chemistry)—only 16% of the geoscience workforce are women. This has left the world short of scientists, engineers, and other professionals critical to tackling some of the world’s most important challenges. Our project, called PROmoting Geoscience Research, Education, and SuccesS (PROGRESS) is one way we are tackling the problem of under-representation in these critical sectors. In the PROGRESS project, we implement a mentoring-based intervention designed to increase graduation rates among people who identify as women in the geosciences majors. To implement this intervention and study its effects, we need your help!