180-10 Creating Opportunities in the Earth Sciences: High School Partnership as a Tool for Broadening Participation

Session: Geoscience Outreach Efforts to Broaden Participation (Posters)

Poster Booth No.: 10

Presenting Author:

Hannah Shabtian

Authors:

Shabtian, Hannah¹, Wilk, Kierra², Hoegler, Brianna³, Fischer, Emily⁴, Brown, Sarah⁵, Gilkyson, Nina⁶, Case, Abigail⁷, Jurney, Henry⁸, Jorgensen, Ellen⁹, Miller, Julia¹⁰, Adams, J. Cameron¹¹, Ransom, Daae¹², Sully, Catharine¹³, Prilipko Huber, Olga¹⁴

Abstract:

Geoscience remains one of the least diverse fields in STEM; this is in part perpetuated by systemic gaps in early exposure. Unlike other STEM disciplines, geoscience is often absent from K-12 curricula, especially in under-resourced public schools serving students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in science. This lack of access delays, and often prevents, awareness of geoscience as a potential field of study or career, reinforcing inequities in participation, representation, and opportunity.

 

In Providence, Rhode Island, most public high schools do not offer earth science courses, despite its inclusion in Next Generation Science Standards. CORES (Career Opportunities and Research in the Earth Sciences) seeks to address this structural barrier to equitable participation in the geosciences. A partnership between the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) at Brown University and Hope High School in Providence, RI, CORES brings biweekly, inquiry-driven lessons in introductory earth science to 10th and 11th grade students. Lessons are constructed around the 5E instructional model (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate), and are designed and taught by DEEPS student volunteers. In the off-weeks, the program includes lessons in essay writing and feedback to support students during the application process to Brown’s Pre-College Program. During the summer, DEEPS facilitates research internships and college application assistance for rising seniors participating in CORES. Through sustained engagement across two academic years, CORES builds an opportunity for a more equitable pathway into geoscience careers by introducing foundational geoscience topics, supporting student applications to pre-college programs and universities, facilitating opportunities for research experience and mentorship, and strengthening students’ confidence and sense of belonging in STEM disciplines.

 

We present the structure, progress, and impacts to date of the DEEPS CORES program, and introduce ongoing research investigating how public science communication can enhance students’ engagement and learning. This work offers a model for geoscience outreach that brings together sustained instruction/interaction, mentorship, and public engagement to broaden participation and build early science identity. 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

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