DID-NOW: Developing an Inclusive and Diverse Naval Oceanographic Workforce
Abstract
This proposal addresses the need to engage STEM students in Navy-centric educational opportunities in order to develop pathways to t,he Department of the Navys current and future workforce. The geosciences, and oceanography in particular, have significant underre,presentation of women and minorities with regard to recruitment, retention, and promotion in academic and research positions. Under,graduate internships can be especially effective in directing students to pursue new career paths because the participants tend to b,e eager to learn, open to new opportunities, and uncertain of their direction. APL-UWs extensive and wide-ranging research program,s can provide stimulating and life-changing experiences that broaden education beyond the classroom and motivate students to pursue,STEM careers with Navy relevance. Our approach will be to establish the DID-NOW (Developing an Inclusive and Diverse Naval Oceanogr,aphic Workforce) program, a comprehensive summer undergraduate fellowship program that will provide (1) project-based research exper,ience, (2) mentoring and support outside the research activity, (3) community building and support opportunities through peer-to-pee,r relationships, and (4) tools and strategies to navigate the pathways to a Navy-relevant career. This broad-based strategy is inten,ded to go beyond the research experience itself by providing supplemental perspectives and resources to participants. Recruitment wi,ll target racial and ethnic minority students and military-connected students through community and Navy partnerships. Weekly meetin,gs will include guest speakers in Navy-related jobs, tours of APL-UW laboratories and facilities, and career counselors familiar wit,h DON STEM pathways. The program will include community-building activities to enable the intern cohort to strengthen peer to peer r,elationships. All interns will be given the opportunity to participate in a one-day training cruise on the UW research vessel R/V Ra,chel Carson in Puget Sound.The educational foundation of the summer internship program will be our partnership with the University o,f Washington Undergraduate Research Program (URP), which is under the auspices of the Undergraduate Academic Affairs office. The he,art of the internship will be the pursuit of an independent research project under the guidance of a member of the research staff.,Interns will present the results of their research at a lab-wide colloquium that will be advertised and open to the UW community, Na,vy and outside partners, and local maritime industry.The impact on DoD capabilities will be the establishment of a robust summer und,ergraduate program focused on enabling pathways to Navy-oriented careers. Our long-term goal is to establish a permanent position f,or an individual to coordinate laboratory-wide programs related to training and educating the future Naval STEM workforce. To that,end, we will supplement the proposed budget with laboratory discretionary funds sufficient to support the program director for a per,iod of up to two years. This period of internal support is intended to allow time to establish additional STEM funding from a varie,ty of sponsors to ensure longevity of a broad-based, laboratory-wide STEM program.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142212163
Entities
People
- Andrew Jessup
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Washington