6676 Views (as of 05/2023)
  1. Sharon Cooper
  2. E&O Manager
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Indiana University of PA
  1. Raquel Bryant
  2. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  3. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
  1. Katie Jo Campbell
  2. https://katiejocampbell.wixsite.com/portfolio
  3. Undergraduate Senior
  4. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  5. Indiana University of PA
  1. Jonathan Lewis
  2. https://www.iup.edu/geoscience/faculty/lewis,-jon/
  3. Professor
  4. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  5. Indiana University of PA

STEM Student Experiences Aboard Ship (STEMSEAS)

NSF Awards: 1701168, 1701174

2019 (see original presentation & discussion)

Undergraduate

The STEM Student Experiences Aboard Ships (STEMSEAS) program provides ship-based, 6-10 day exploratory experiences for undergraduates from diverse backgrounds aboard NSF-funded research vessels. Students are recruited from a wide range of institutions, including community colleges, HBCU’s, HSI’s and others. Students who are considering a career in STEM but haven’t figured out their exact direction are especially encouraged to participate. Once selected, students sail with experienced faculty mentors and engage in geoscience and oceanography activities (while also having fun)! This video explores the range of experiences and activities students engage in and the impacts of the program on their vision and ideas about the future.

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Discussion from the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase (37 posts)
  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 12, 2019 | 05:05 p.m.

    Hello and welcome to our presentation about STEM Student Experiences Aboard Ships (STEMSEAS), a project that aims to help undergraduates chart futures they have yet to discover.  The presentation was created by one of our undergraduate participants, co-presenter Katie Jo Campbell, a student that just graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania!  We welcome your thoughts on the project. 

  • Icon for: Laura Guertin

    Laura Guertin

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 12, 2019 | 10:00 p.m.

    This is a really exciting program and opportunity for undergraduate students. As a student that was a geology undergraduate major and had to wait until graduate school to gain time at sea, this would have been an amazing opportunity to become immersed in the field and to start networking with ocean scientists. This is something I will certainly share with my students!

    What happens after the students spend time at sea? Is there a network they stay in touch with? Have you been able to track if spending time on the ship does lead to students pursuing Earth science-related degrees and career fields? (I know it is early in the project). I'm curious about the post-sailing networking and mentoring that happens. Thanks for participating in this poster session, and congrats to your student for creating an enjoyable video!

     

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 13, 2019 | 07:19 a.m.

    Hi Laura.  Thanks for writing and for sharing STEMSEAS with your students!  

    We're keen to measure the impact of going to sea so keeping in touch with the participants is key.  We have two STEMSEAS Facebook communities, a page open to all and a page for alumni.  We also have a presence on Instagram.  So far, it seems that our cohorts are staying in touch with each other.  On the alumni FB page our participants post personal updates, pose questions and announce opportunities of all kinds.  

    Another mechanism for maintaining connections among participants and with the PIs is reconnecting at meetings (e.g., AGU, ASLO, SACNAS). We've been able to help the students come to meetings and with networking.  One of our students from 2016 gave a talk in ASL (with a speaking translator) at the Denver GSA meeting.  Another student gave a TEDX talk.  Each of these follow up activities provided additional, yet informal, mentoring and networking opportunities.  

    Lastly, we've made some connections for what we describe as "added value science" that our on-board mentors and collaborators have fostered.  We're always on the lookout for synergies.  From this we've had students do shore-based work with Kristen St John (James Madison), Mark Leckie (UMass-Amherst), Jess Conroy (U. of Ill.) and Diane  Thompson (U. of Az.), among others.

    We're doing pre- and post-surveys to gauge impact and so far it looks like students' understanding of geoscience career paths is increasing significantly. 

  • Icon for: Laura Guertin

    Laura Guertin

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 13, 2019 | 08:54 a.m.

    Great news on all fronts - thanks for responding to my questions. I wish you continued success!

  • Icon for: Erin Kraal

    Erin Kraal

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 13, 2019 | 04:12 p.m.

    Cool Project!  What a great use of ship time between official research projects.  I'm wondering what the breakdown of different majors (geoscience vs. other majors), and what those other majors are.  

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 13, 2019 | 04:51 p.m.

    Hi Erin.  Thanks for writing.  We do have data on the majors of our applicants and those that sail, but I don't have a breakdown to share at this point.  Our main target is early-stage, STEM-curious but as yet uncommitted students. In 2018, for example, 29% of our participant were in 2-year colleges. We are keen to help students find success in moving from 2-year to 4-year programs.  Generally we also aim to sail one student that is fully geoscience-committed. We also try to sail one student from a subset of non-STEM fields to help generate interesting conversations and reflection (e.g., Journalism, English, Communications Media, Film Studies). Non-geoscience students that have sailed to date include majors in Ecology, Environmental Science, Marine Biology and Pre-Med. 

  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 14, 2019 | 09:35 a.m.

    Just to add to Jon's comments, I would say that a lot of our students do not yet have a declared major, and that's our main target - so that we can offer them an exciting glimpse into this world and see if we can persuade them to join it in some way!

  • Icon for: David Andrews

    David Andrews

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 15, 2019 | 07:45 p.m.

     

    Sharon,

    This is such a great opportunity for future science teachers in that it gives future STEM teachers and STEM leaders a chance to actually do or assist in scientific research on topics of such immense importance in these critical times. Working with scientists and seeing how scientific research is done on an ongoing basis will pay dividends over and over and help these students to better understand the real world of marine science. Their future classrooms will benefit for years to come. Excellent project! 

  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 16, 2019 | 07:58 a.m.

    Thanks so much, David! Just to clarify, this program is aimed at undergraduates and not specifically at teachers. I hope that some of them DO become teachers, though!  :) 

  • Icon for: Jay Labov

    Jay Labov

    Facilitator
    Senior Advisor for Educaition and Communication (Retired
    May 14, 2019 | 02:31 p.m.

    Thank you for submitting this video. I agree completely with one of the comments that this is a truly imaginative way to find ship time for undergraduates with minimal costs for the use of those vessels (are there any costs while the ships are in transit besides food, etc.?) and a win-win for all concerned. I have a couple of questions about the program:

    1. How many voyages have been taken to date and how many are planned for the future? What does that work out to be for the number of voyages per year?

    2, Could you provide a few examples of the kinds of research projects in which students are engaged during a trip? I ask this question because there is considerable discussion and ongoing research about the length of time needed for an undergraduate research experience to be effective in terms of increased acquisition or retention of scientific information, changes in attitudes about science or how students view themselves in terms of being part of a scientific community, etc.

    3. Although this project is still in its early phases, do you have plans to collect data about how well students come to learn the science in which they are engaged on the ship and/or its implications in addition to their likelihood to want to continue working toward a STEM degree (especially in the geosciences)?

    4. A stated goal of this project is to increase student diversity in STEM. You appear to be partnering with institutions that can help contribute to this effort. Are you currently seeing similar levels of participation by students from HSIs and HBCUs, for example, compared with other kinds of 2- and 4-year colleges and universities? How were these institutions selected to be partners?

    Thank you again for a very engaging and compelling video!

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 14, 2019 | 09:17 p.m.

    Hi Jay

    Thanks for your encouraging comments and thoughtful questions.  I'll provide some responses now and might be able to add more later. In order:

    1. We had 5 transits in 2018 and have 5 planned for this year.  That's our target but the actuals depend on appropriate transit opportunities among other factors. 

    2. These are basically non-operational transits so we work with the ship operators, our scientific mentor teams and colleagues that have research objectives in the area to do "added-value" science if possible.  That could be running bathymetric surveys across features that someone has interest in, doing molecular biology surveys using water samples collected at different depths from CTD casts, or doing net tows to examine plankton and/or sediment.  We have also partnered with some early-career scientists that have separately funded projects that need samples collected in open water.  We expect some of the sampling work to lead to follow-up shore-based research opportunities for interested students.  

    3. Naturally we hope that some of what they learn is retained but we are not as concerned about the content specifics as we are with the degree that the exposure influences their trajectories in STEM and geoscience.  So far we seem to be having success in broadening the participants' understanding of possible career paths in geoscience.

    4. We have had more applications and participants that identify as Hispanic or Latino than that identify as African American or Black. We are keen to reach more potential applicants at both HSIs and HBCUs.  The MSIs that we have had the most contact with are those with faculty who helped us to build the program.  We have "campus champions" at an array of MSIs but we would like that list to grow. It has grown organically but we are very keen for our network to expand, especially to HBCS as nearly all do not have geoscience programs. 

    Thanks again for your interest.  I expect that I or my co-presenters will chime in with additional details.   

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 15, 2019 | 04:02 p.m.

    Hello Again Jay

    I wanted to add a bit more detail to my earlier response about our student demographics (#4 above).  For our five transits in 2018 the students self identified as follows: 13% African American or Black; 15% Asian or Asian American; 42% Hispanic or Latino; 4% Native American; 2% Pacific Islander; and 44% White.  In terms of education stage, 29% were in 2-year schools and 57% were either freshman or sophomores.  We're actively working to create deeper connections with faculty at more HBCUs and we're open to new ways of making sincere connections.  

  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 16, 2019 | 09:36 a.m.

    hi Jay - 

    And just to add a little to Jon's comments:

    1. In terms of the research projects, they are not designed to be in-depth, mainly because the timeframe is so short. They are more for allowing students to explore how science works in the field and "real world," ask questions, develop hypotheses, think about how to test them, work with their colleagues and see the breadth of research opportunities that are available to them. It's more a research primer and intro than a project that they might undertake in an REU-type of experience where they are working on one longer-term project for weeks at a time.

    And, yes, we are working hard at increasing our recruiting success and partnerships with HBCUs so that we get more applicants and participants from these communities. In fact, we just submitted a supplemental funding request to assist us in doing this. And if you have additional ideas, we'd love to talk about them!!

    Thanks so much!

  • Icon for: Ivory Toldson

    Ivory Toldson

    Facilitator
    President and CEO
    May 15, 2019 | 12:19 p.m.

    Hello All! My name is Ivory Toldson, professor at Howard University, president of Quality Education for Minorities, and one of the facilitators for the STEM for All Video Showcase. The conversation is off to a great start and I will be chiming in with my own input this afternoon and over the next few days. I'm excited about what we can achieve for the next generation of STEM learners!

  • Icon for: Ivory Toldson

    Ivory Toldson

    Facilitator
    President and CEO
    May 15, 2019 | 03:52 p.m.

    This sounds like an exciting opportunity. You have done well provide real life experiences which can help students not only make more informed career decisions, such as declared career interests and major section, but you have also created in environment where students can further their involvement in the science field through networking and continued mentorship.

    After viewing the video, I have the following questions:

    How have the students who have participated been recruited?

    Have you faced any challenges getting participation from students from diverse groups?

    With so much having been accomplished thus far, what's next? How can this program be taken to the next level to impact even larger audiences? 

     

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 15, 2019 | 04:29 p.m.

    Hi Ivory

    Our posts crossed in e-space (see below).  Thanks for the encouraging comments and questions.  We have advertised the STEMSEAS opportunities using a combination of approaches.  At the outset we made connections with "campus champions," faculty and administrators at an array of schools from 2-year to HBCUs to HSI to R1s. As soon as our calendar is set and we are poised to receive applications we spread word to our partners.  We also post updates to our STEMSEAS Facebook page and to our program homepage.  In addition, because the PIs have deep connections to the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), we share the opportunity with perhaps 100s of IODP scientists in our network. Our target audience is STEM-interested early stage students so we strive for faculty to announce the program in their larger general-education STEM classes for non-majors. Regarding your second question, our applicant pool is not as diverse as we would like.  Roughly 10% of applicants identify as Black or African American.  We are aiming to make new connections with HBCUs with STEM programs in hopes of getting students out to sea so they might see a future that leans to geoscience applications and possibly graduate study in fields such as geochemistry, biological oceanography or geophysics.  The geosciences remain the least diverse STEM field and this means scientists with much needed skills are not currently living/working in communities on the forefront of global change. This is a priority for us. Regarding what is next, we would like to grow our connections to HBCUs, for example to deepen our relationship with Savannah State's Marine Science program and to forge new ones. In particular because geoscience is on offer at only a couple of HBCUs, we are keen to explore current mentoring and research practices at a suite of HBCU campuses with an eye to building a faculty professional development program to that take advantage of the U.S. Academic Fleet. We're keen to explore any number of options and would love to hear from folks with ideas.  

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Ivory Toldson
  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 16, 2019 | 09:39 a.m.

    And to add to Jon's comments, we are also looking at the possibility of expanding ship opportunities to other ships - perhaps working with NOAA and/or ONR. We're open to all possibilities for exploration. Our pool of qualified applicants is always much more than our spots available, so it would be great to have more spaces to put them in.

    We are also making an effort to provide funding for student alumni of the program to sail on "real" research cruises and to present at professional meetings and conferences.

     

    Thanks!

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Ivory Toldson
  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 15, 2019 | 04:03 p.m.

    Hello Ivory

    We very much look forward to hearing your questions/comments and to continued dialog.  

  • Icon for: Judith Dilts

    Judith Dilts

    Facilitator
    Professor Emerita of Biology and Retired Associate Dean, College of Science and Mathematics
    May 15, 2019 | 10:51 p.m.

    Attracting students to the geosciences and oceanography is important. Few students come to college interested in these fields and having a program like this to encourage students to enter is important. The program gives students an idea of the diversity of careers and skills needed and helps them build the confidence to know they can succeed. I particularly like encouraging non-STEM students to attend (e.g., journalism, media, social scientists) because their expertise and interest in the fields will help in educating the public about global change and the importance of the geosciences and oceanography. I was wondering what draws students to participate in the program other than the adventure? Also, are there any plans to expand the number of non-STEM students?

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 16, 2019 | 07:47 a.m.

    Hello Judith

    Thanks for weighing in with your supportive impressions and questions.

    Regarding your second question; we're thrilled to sail non-STEM students and they've indeed played important roles. We've aimed to have one such student except in one instance in 2018 where we partnered with a program at U. AK Fairbanks to share some berths with students involved in a biomedical recruiting program (BLaST). This entailed sailing a postdoc from UAF (Anne-Lise Ducluzeau) who for the first time deployment of a mini gene sequencer. For this exciting transit we sailed more Communications Media and Journalism students than normal.  Indeed, the video you watched was produced by one of these student, our co-presenter Katie Jo Campbell.  The transit also included professional journalists that were documenting the innovative use of the new technology. The postdoc that led this effort is now aboard the R/V Sikuliaq with STEMSEAS readying for another sea trial of the device. The bottom line is that we aim to be creative in assembling our cohorts, leveraging other programs or ship operations whenever possible.  For now we expect that our non-STEM participant numbers to be small but highly valued.  They bring to the closely quartered cohorts really important conversations, reflective practices and questions. A next generation STEMSEAS that included non-STEM is certainly an idea worth considering.  

    In response to your first question about what draws the students in, it varies.  Some articulate the adventure dimension.  Others provide compelling tales of being excited about STEM but with some trepidation about either their particular direction or their abilities.  Still other students tell us that they are committed to a particular field (e.g., marine biology, pre-med, physics) but acknowledge a sincere curiosity about what sorts of geoscience inquiry can be done from a ship.  A priority for us it giving students that would otherwise not get this or similar opportunity purely because of the circumstances of their lives.  

    The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) does a great job of communicating science from the oceans and our lead presenter Sharon Cooper has a video in the showcase you might check out.  https://videohall.com/p/1586

  • Icon for: Judith Dilts

    Judith Dilts

    Facilitator
    Professor Emerita of Biology and Retired Associate Dean, College of Science and Mathematics
    May 16, 2019 | 03:50 p.m.

    Thank you and please tell Katie that she did a really nice production.

  • Icon for: Katie Jo Campbell

    Katie Jo Campbell

    Co-Presenter
    Undergraduate Senior
    May 16, 2019 | 10:42 p.m.

    Thank you so much Judith. To add in on this discussion as well, I just graduated with a Communications Media degree, however, took part in this program this past October as a student. Growing up, I loved marine biology, but wanted to be with people more than just to my studies, so I went a different route. My interest in this trip started as "I love the ocean and if I could find a way to document science and have an adventure, that would be incredible." Before this trip, I did not even know that science communications existed. I learned much more than I anticipated from this trip and now my career goals are more science oriented. Now, I am considering getting some degree or research experience in biology. Without STEMSEAS, I wouldn't have known science communications was a real option for me!

     
    1
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    Jonathan Lewis
  • Icon for: Jason Aloisio

    Jason Aloisio

    Researcher
    May 16, 2019 | 11:43 a.m.

    Great Video and Program!

    I really like that students from from 2-year colleges and non-geoscience majors are being included in this program. Is the program fully funded for the student participant? 

  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 16, 2019 | 11:56 a.m.

    Yes, it is! Thanks to the NSF grant!

  • Icon for: Justin Fair

    Justin Fair

    Researcher
    May 17, 2019 | 09:54 a.m.

     I love the inventive way to find time on ships for students.  Using the repositioning time, a necessary evil, to provide immersive experiences surely has an impact on future career plans. The student-made video is a great touch!  I love that you involve not just STEM students, but also communication and social science.  Awesome! 

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 17, 2019 | 10:22 a.m.

    Thanks Justin!

    Recognition that there was unused capacity on ships in the U.S. academic fleet was an aha moment for us. We've come to learn that others had similar eureka moments and many acted on these in one-opportunity-at-a-time fashion.  Our timing was lucky and we found incredible enthusiasm from UNOLS leadership and the NSF to test this model more systematically. STEMSEAS would not be possible without their support, nor without enormous help from the ship operators (U. Del., URI, UAF, OR State U., Scripps, and WHOI thus far), graduate students keen to help, and faculty from across the U.S. that share the STEMSEAS vision.  

  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 17, 2019 | 10:29 a.m.

    Ditto on this, Justin. We were in the right place at the right time, and pulled from experience with IODP and the scientific drilling ship, JOIDES Resolution, with whom we had been doing a similar thing for a number of years. We're very excited to share this resource with students!

  • Icon for: Raquel Bryant

    Raquel Bryant

    Co-Presenter
    May 17, 2019 | 04:31 p.m.

    Thanks to all for checking out STEMSEAS! As a graduate student who has been able to be involved with the program, it has given me the opportunity to interact with engaged and motivated undergraduates and develop my mentoring skills. Through my experiences with STEMSEAS (3 transits!), I have realized that having a near-peer mentor is an important part of recruiting and retaining diverse students. Many students who chose to participate in STEMSEAS are doing something new for the first time and they can really benefit from having a (near-peer) role model and someone to provide support during their new science experience. Post-transit, the mentoring opportunities change but are still meaningful. I continue to support students who are applying to graduate school or looking for internship opportunities and make sure to share opportunities that comes my way with the STEMSEAS alumni community. I'm happy to answer any questions about grad student mentors, thanks again for checking out STEMSEAS! 

     
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    Sharon Cooper
  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 17, 2019 | 06:10 p.m.

    Thanks, Raquel!!

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 19, 2019 | 06:53 a.m.

    Thank You Viewers

    The timing of the 2019 video showcase is fortunate for anyone interested in STEMSEAS because we have a cohort now heading from San Diego to Seward.  I hope you will check out our wordpressinstagram, and facebook updates to get a sense for the project.  

  • Icon for: David Andrews

    David Andrews

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 19, 2019 | 06:10 p.m.

    Thanks for the heads up. Exciting project.

     

    David

  • Icon for: Tim Spuck

    Tim Spuck

    Director of Education & Public Engagement
    May 20, 2019 | 08:07 a.m.

    Great project and video Sharon and crew!! I want to go! These kinds of authentic experiences are what can change a kids life and make them aware of the amazing possibilities STEM careers provide.

  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 20, 2019 | 08:56 a.m.

    Thank you, Tim!!

     
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    Tim Spuck
  • Icon for: Ivetta Abramyan

    Ivetta Abramyan

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 20, 2019 | 04:03 p.m.

    This is absolutely wonderful! As an oceanography professor, I always wondered why these field opportunities weren't more available to students. Keep up the great work, team!

     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Tim Spuck
    Jonathan Lewis
  • Icon for: Sharon Cooper

    Sharon Cooper

    Lead Presenter
    E&O Manager
    May 20, 2019 | 04:04 p.m.

    Thank you, Dr Abramyan! Please share with your students!

     

  • Deanne Snavely

    Higher Ed Administrator
    May 20, 2019 | 04:37 p.m.

    Hello,

    This is a life changing experience for the students and the faculty participants. Thanks to all  who make this program a reality!

  • Icon for: Jonathan Lewis

    Jonathan Lewis

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 20, 2019 | 04:49 p.m.

    Thanks, Deanne! 

  • Further posting is closed as the event has ended.