Findings and Recommendations - New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences - page 105

of pre-undergraduate outreach. An initiative to target the parents of freshmen with a
kiosk and brochures during “Parents Day” events could help parents realize that the
Earth sciences offer a legitimate career path for their children. Outreach to computer
science majors could highlight the exciting applications of high-performance
computing available in the Earth sciences. The EAR-funded Louis Stokes Alliances
for Minority Participation is a valuable mechanism to attract Earth science majors as
they transition from high school to undergraduate institutions. The NSF Research
Experiences for Undergraduates program has also been successful and could be
further geared toward underrepresented groups.
Finding 3: Place-based research that incorporates indigenous landscapes and ways of
thinking is one way to attract indigenous students. Indigenous peoples are
underrepresented in the Earth sciences despite these cultures having a rich sense of
place when it comes to the natural world (Palmer et al., 2009). Incorporating concepts
like ethnogeology (how geological features are interpreted by cultures) into lessons
can increase the accessibility of the Earth sciences. Presenting the Earth sciences in a
way that is commensurate with, rather than in opposition to, native perspectives of
Earth systems has had some success and is worthy of EAR education resources. An
initiative such as NASA's Earth Science Division's Tribal Earth Science and
Technology Education Program could be partnered with or emulated. The lessons
learned in developing place-based Earth science education for native cultures may
also be transferable to other groups, such as teaching watershed hydrology to urban
students (Endreny, 2009).
Finding 4: The decline in traditional science journalism may be partly offset by
fostering the scientist communicator. Support for the Earth sciences depends on
citizens and policy makers understanding the high social and economic value of the
Earth sciences to the nation. Traditionally, the most effective way of communicating
the results of jargon-laden Earth science articles to laypeople has been through
science journalism. With the decline in the number of science journalists nationwide
(Brumfiel, 2009), the capacity to communicate the Earth sciences to laypeople is
diminished, and there is a danger that U.S. citizens' understanding of the Earth
sciences will be further challenged. One solution is to provide training and support for
scientists interested in popular science writing such as online science blogging, short
videos, or nonfiction topic writing. Assisting scientists in developing a narrative that
explains a new science concept will enhance communication with laypeople as well
as interdisciplinary communication. Writing fellowships, media training, workshops,
and courses that address science communication skills in today's media climate are
several mechanisms for supporting science communication.