GeoFutures

Faculty and staff at the University of Washington (UW) will organize and lead GeoFutures, a conference-based mentoring program housed within a professional scientific conference in 2025. The Geo-Futures program will provide student attendees with mentoring before, during and after their conference experience to help them maintain the intellectual momentum acquired during their time at the conference. The program will help students develop a sense of community within the geosciences and assist them as they begin to define their academic and professional pathways through the discipline. GeoFutures will use previously developed engagement strategies for recruiting and retaining students and perspectives that will be required to address the emerging workforce needs of 21st century geoscience. GEOFutures offers students pre and post-conference training that will prepare them to participate in a national scientific research conference. Pre-conference activities will provide students with an introduction on navigating a scientific conference and networking with geoscientists in attendance. Conference activities will provide students with an introduction to original research being conducted in the geosciences and examples of career pathways that can be engaged in as a professional geoscientist. Beyond providing students with guidance on how to pursue academic and professional careers in geoscience, the GeoFutures program can help them understand how their talents and perspectives can contribute to a scientific workforce that will be called upon to address the emerging needs of 21st century geoscience research. The GeoFutures program forms an alliance among geoscience professionals to help recruit, engage and retain students in the geosciences through a conference based mentoring program. The GeoFutures program aims to 1) recruit up to forty student participants and those with prior experience in an NSF Geoscience Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program; 2) engage students in innovative professional development activities; 3) provide students with high-caliber mentoring; and 4) provide rigorous support and training for students to ensure continued interest and involvement in the geosciences. A vigorous recruitment and outreach effort leverages connections with early career research programs from across the United States and the experience of the leaders in engaging with students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.