STEMSEAS

STEMSEAS

The STEM Student Experiences Aboard Ships (STEMSEAS) project is a partnership between the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, and the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) aimed at addressing three priorities: (1) increasing the number and diversity of students pursuing degrees and careers in geosciences; (2) preparing students for all possible career trajectories in the geosciences; and, (3) contributing to the evidence base for effective student engagement, learning and retention in STEM. The STEMSEAS project is achieving these goals by taking advantage of unused berthing capacity on UNOLS vessels as they transit between U.S. ports in preparation for their next expedition. These short transits offer a unique mobile classroom setting where undergraduate non-STEM, undecided-STEM, and geoscience majors can be exposed to geoscience professional practice and career exploration. By partnering with UNOLS and campus "champions" at universities, including minority-serving institutions (MSIs), historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and community/two-year colleges (2YCs), the project sends diverse cohorts of students and faculty to sea with a small team of geoscience faculty and mentors. While at sea, the students engage in a variety of hands-on activities that incorporate geoscience content, lab exercises, data collection/analysis, career exploration, and discussion/reflection.