39-4 From Early Exposure to Career Readiness: Supporting Professional Growth Across Geoscience Internship Programs

Session: Learning to be a Geoscientist: Professional Exposure, Agency, and Transferable Skills in Undergraduate Education. (Posters)

Poster Booth No.: 168

Presenting Author:

Kelsey Druce

Authors:

Druce, Kelsey L.¹, Schmeisser McKean, Rebecca², Dawson, Matthew³, Reynolds, Barbara⁴, Thiry, Heather⁵, Charlevoix, Donna J.⁶

(1) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA, (2) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA, (3) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA, (4) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA, (5) University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA, (6) EarthScope Consortium, Washington, DC, USA,

Abstract:

Becoming a geoscientist requires more than gaining scientific knowledge and technical skills. Students also need opportunities to explore career paths, practice professional communication, build relationships, and understand how their academic experiences can translate to the workplace. EarthScope Consortium, a non-profit which operates the NSF National Geophysical Facility (NGF), leads three summer internship programs supporting professional growth at different points in a student’s academic journey.

Geo-Launchpad introduces community college students, many with no previous research or internship experience, to research, technical skills, and careers through mentored geoscience projects. Research Experiences in Solid Earth Science for Students (RESESS) provides more advanced undergraduates with intensive mentored research experiences in geophysics. The EarthScope Student Career Internship Program serves undergraduates, recent graduates, and graduate students through project-based positions within EarthScope and the NSF NGF. Together, the programs create a progression from early exposure to more advanced research and career preparation.

EarthScope staff provide intentional professional development training to students in all three programs. The training is focused on goal setting, workplace professionalism, collaboration, networking, career exploration, and scientific communication for different audiences. Interns practice these skills through their projects, relationships with their mentors, interactions with geoscience professionals, and poster and oral presentations.

External evaluations of the internship programs conducted in 2024 and 2025 included intern surveys, focus groups, mentor surveys, and an alumni survey. Results show professional growth that reflects the different academic levels and goals of each program. In 2025, Geo-Launchpad interns reported that their understanding of geoscientists' daily work increased from 50% to 100%, while their ability to initiate networking interactions increased from 25% to 75%. Among RESESS interns, their awareness of resources for pursuing a career in science increased from 45% to 92%, and their comfort networking with professional scientists increased from 38% to 77%. Student Career interns reported that their understanding of daily work and career paths within scientific non-profit organizations increased from 25% to 100%. Internship alumni findings also suggest that these benefits last beyond the summer: 86% of Geo-Launchpad alumni reported that the internship helped them secure later educational or professional opportunities. External evaluations of the 2026 programs are underway, with results expected to demonstrate that interns in all three internship programs experience similar positive trends in professional growth.

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