Traditional geoscience field camp models have historically served as a gateway experience into the profession; however, these immersive formats may unintentionally create barriers for students with caregiving responsibilities, financial constraints, employment obligations, and other competing life demands. This project explores alternative approaches to field-based geoscience education designed to expand participation while maintaining meaningful experiential learning opportunities.

This poster presents an emerging conceptual and curricular framework for accessible geoscience field experiences situated at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Drawing from literature on field education accessibility, professional identity development, belonging, and community-engaged learning, the project examines how alternative field structures may support broader participation in geoscience pathways. Proposed approaches include distributed weekend field experiences, place-based regional investigations, scaffolded preparation models, and community-engaged field activities that integrate local environmental and geological contexts.

The framework is informed by ongoing dissertation research investigating how students experience belonging, self-efficacy, and professional identity formation within field-based geoscience environments. Particular attention is given to the experiences of student parents and students balancing multiple responsibilities while participating in geoscience coursework and field activities.

This poster highlights the theoretical grounding, curriculum redesign considerations, and early implementation planning associated with these alternative field models. The presentation also discusses how culturally responsive and regionally grounded approaches may strengthen participation and persistence in the geosciences, particularly within historically underrepresented communities.

Rather than replacing traditional field instruction, this work contributes to broader conversations about flexibility, access, and inclusive participation in experiential geoscience education while preserving the disciplinary value of immersive field learning.