GP-UP: Strengthening the Geoscience Workforce by Scaffolding Community Outreach and Research Experiences (SCORE) through WaterCorps Grant uri icon

abstract

  • The SCORE through WaterCorps project will create a community of learners at ECU (i.e., the WaterCorps) that will pursue regional service-learning opportunities in the geosciences through a format encouraging development of geoscience workforce skills, particularly those in the environmental consulting field. The WaterCorps will be a student-driven organization at ECU (supported by faculty) that will act as an informal consultancy to address regional environmental geoscience and hydrogeology issues. The WaterCorps will pursue applied projects where teams of students will collaborate with external clients to define and address focused problems of interest that emphasize the need for the application of geoscience concepts and skills. For example, students may need to apply a broad range of skills acquired during traditional geoscience studies, such as performing geophysical surveys, collecting and analyzing core samples, making and assessing water quality measurements, performing field and lab-based characterization of rocks and sediments, creating maps and site conceptual models, and producing reports and visualizations. In addition to these geoscience content related skills, WaterCorps will also support the development of "soft skills", such as team leadership, project and personnel management, and communication. While many of these skills can be achieved through traditional group research experiences, the framing of WaterCorps as a consultancy provides an important context for service learning and real-world applications that directly illuminates geoscience careers and prepares students for the geoscience workforce. WaterCorps will recruit a wide range of students (e.g., geology, engineering, biology, education, etc.), thus will introduce students to opportunities for pursuing geoscience related jobs and professional networks that they may not have been aware of.

date/time interval

  • August 2021 - August 2025