Statistical data confirm underrepresentation of women, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Native-Americans/Native-Alaskans and persons with disabilities in science and engineering in general, and in the geosciences in particular. The geoscience community is not availing itself of the talents and skills of a large and increasing segment of society, i.e. individuals from underrepresented groups. This report describes the outcomes of two workshops held by the Directorate for Geosciences of the NSF in 2000. The primary recommendation of the workshop was that the Directorate should proceed with developing a program to specifically address underrepresentation in the geosciences. The workshop's recommendations for the objectives of the proposed program were prioritized and are presented here as a strategy for establishing a new program "Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences."
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