Best Practices for Preparing Two-year College Students for a Geoscience Career and Transfer

This workshop will explore successful two-year college (2YC) transfer and geotechnical workforce programs and practices in Texas, effective student research and internship programs, and geoscience career resources for 2YC students and faculty. Discussion will also include strategies for easily and effectively incorporating career information and professional skills into introductory geoscience courses. The workshop is co-sponsored by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) and the Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE ) and, as part of the SAGE 2YC project, is funded by the National Science Foundation. This workshop will be valuable for faculty and administrators from two-year colleges and from four-year colleges and universities who desire effective 2YC transfer programs.

Registration for this workshop is closed.

Workshop Goals

Publicize programs, activities, and resources that support the preparation of 2YC students for geoscience careers
Identify and document the challenges in preparing 2YC students at Texas colleges for geoscience careers and discuss strategies for addressing them
Disseminate information on geoscience career options and identify knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for success in these careers
Explore successful strategies for improving the preparation of 2YC students at Texas colleges for geoscience careers and degrees
Expand the network of people interested in promoting and supporting the career preparation of 2YC geoscience students in Texas

Dates

The workshop will begin at 5:00 PM on Friday, May 31, 2013 and end at 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 1, 2013. Participants must attend all sessions and register by May 6, 2013.

Expectations

Participants will be expected to:

before the workshop -

register by May 6, 2013
bring a laptop or notebook computer
create a Science Education Resource Center (SERC) account if you don't already have one; it's quick, easy, and free and you'll need it during the workshop.

during the workshop - participate in discussions, complete an action plan, and fill out an online workshop evaluation
after the workshop - implement your action plan

Costs

The operational costs of the workshop as well as room, board, and workshop materials are covered by a grant from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE-1122660). This grant will cover dinner and shared lodging on Friday night, May 31. Lodging will include breakfast, and lunch will be provided, on Saturday, June 1. The grant will also pay for parking at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus. Participants are expected to pay their own travel costs, including any meals before and after the workshop.

Facilities

The workshop will take place in the state-of-the-art conference room (Room 1.603) of the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) located in Building 196 on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus at 10100 Burnet Road in North Austin. Lodging will be in a nearby hotel. Additional information is available about workshop logistics.