New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

The number of underrepresented minorities pursuing STEM fields, specifically in the sciences, has declined in recent times (Lane and Christensen, 2013). In response, the Educational Internship in physical Sciences (EIPS) provides a mentoring environment where students can actively engage in science projects with professionals in their field to gain valuable experience in an academic setting. Assigned research projects focus on identifying surface hydrology in Mexico and New Mexico and creating laboratories related to their research for introductory physics and planetary astronomy classes. These experiences allow students to develop new skill sets and gain in-depth knowledge in their field. Interns harness and build on what they have learned through the program, and directly apply it in an academic environment in El Paso Community College (EPCC) classes on solar system astronomy. Since the majority of interns are transfer students or alumni of EPCC, they give a unique perspective and dimension of interaction, giving them an opportunity to personally guide and encourage current students to pursue available STEM opportunities. Therefore not only will interns gain valuable lessons in teaching, research, and public speaking, but those engaged at the community college will learn of the multiple possibilities and careers in the STEM fields. They will also collaborate with pasts interns on research projects (Enriquez et al, 2017). Their experiences and methodologies are presented here.

References:

1. F. Enriquez, S.K. Terrazas, and J. Olgin, LPSC 1160, 2017.
2. M.D. Lane and P.R. Christensen. (2013) Geophys Res Lett, 40(14) 1944-8007