Insights from the OEDG program on broadening participation in the geosciences

Abstract

The Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) program, operational between the years 2001 and 2013, was a signature effort by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Geosciences (NSF/GEO) to invest in broadening participation of historically underrepresented populations in geoscience education programs and careers. Nearly 200 individual grants totaling more than $50 million in federal funding were provided by the OEDG program to a diverse portfolio of projects that targeted a variety of audiences and age levels. Project-level evaluation and assessment has demonstrated that most OEDG-supported projects achieved successful outcomes and impacts, according to their design. Integrating geoscience content with meaningful cultural context and relevance, authentic research experiences, cohort-based mentoring, direct financial support, and minority–majority institution collaborations have been found to be some of the most fruitful approaches for engaging, recruiting, and retaining minorities in geoscience pathways. Synthesis of the outcomes and impacts attained through the entire OEDG portfolio by a third-party evaluator demonstrated that the 10-year program achieved its primary goals. Despite these individual successes, progress in making the professional geoscience workforce more diverse has continued to be slow, especially at the doctoral level. Although OEDG research has shown what types of strategies can be effective for engaging and retaining diverse students in the pipeline, many require resources that make it challenging to bring such efforts to scale. Better progress can be achieved if a larger community of geoscientists is engaged in advocating for and fostering diversity within the geosciences using the most cost-effective approaches. Significant and sustainable change will only be realized, however, when the levers that drive behavior in the educational and professional systems of the geosciences are tuned so that diversity is recognized as a core value and fundamental feature of scientific excellence and integrity.

Keywords:

• Broadening participation in the geosciences
• diversity and inclusion
• geoscience workforce

Acknowledgments

Although an attempt has been made to highlight and acknowledge many specific projects developed throughout the lifetime of the OEDG program, it was not possible to feature all of the outstanding programs created. Project investigators not mentioned should know that their contributions have been equally appreciated and impactful. Creation of the OEDG program could not have occurred without the vision and commitment to diversity of Margaret Leinen, former assistant director for GEO. The following individuals, listed alphabetically, who worked at NSF as program directors, science assistants, and Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows assigned to the GEO Directorate, helped with development, oversight, and management of the OEDG program; their contributions to making this manuscript possible cannot be overstated: Paul Filmer, Jenelle Hopkins, Jacqueline Huntoon, Lara Hutto, Nicole LaDue, Tiah McKinney, John Moore, Heather Pacheco, Jewell Prendeville, Keith Spangler, Rhonda Spidell, Beverly Stambaugh, David Thesenga, and Carolyn Wilson. Technical support activities and evaluation-based insights provided by Roger Levine, Joan Ruskus, and the team at AIR were crucial to the success of the OEDG program. The generous and sage counsel of Lina Patino, Lisa Rom, Manda Adams, Marilyn Suiter, and Jody Chase are also greatly appreciated.