Undergraduate research is a powerful way to strengthen geoscience pathways, yet access remains uneven in marine sciences, one of the least diverse STEM fields. Students from historically excluded groups often encounter limited, informal, and unsupportive entry points into research, which undermines their sense of belonging and persistence in the field. The goal of the Identity, Belonging and Inquiry in Science (IBIS) mentoring program is to address this problem by creating more equitable research entry points in marine science. IBIS prepares graduate students through a structured curriculum in evidence based and culturally responsive mentoring, then pairs each graduate mentor with one undergraduate from a historically excluded group for a six-month, academic year research experience that runs alongside regular coursework.

We present outcomes from the first IBIS cohort, showing that undergraduate mentees report gains in scientific self-efficacy and science identity, stronger psychological connection to the scientific community, and higher ratings on thinking and working like a scientist and attitudes and behavior scales than matched peers who do not participate. Mentees also describe growth in technical, analytical, and communication skills and clearer interest in future research and graduate study, while graduate mentors report improvements in mentoring, teaching, and communication skills, greater enjoyment of research, and increased confidence as leaders despite time and project design challenges.

In this presentation, we share what we have learned from this first cohort, including key program structures, mentoring design principles, and assessment tools, and discuss how IBIS can be adapted at other institutions to build inclusive, sustainable research pathways that support both undergraduate retention and graduate professional development in geoscience.