Geoscience Education and Inclusion

Diversifying and training the next generation of geoscientists

Mission Statement

Geoscience Education and Inclusion

Progress on the challenges facing earthquake hazards research, both in the short- and long-term, requires concerted focus on preparing and diversifying the next generation workforce. The Geoscience Education and Inclusion Committee seeks to build that capacity by providing research and training opportunities for aspiring geoscientists from minoritized and other groups. Research and training experiences and summer schools create opportunities for students to participate in subduction zone science, to build skills essential to research, and to position themselves for meaningful careers in science and beyond.

Students holding a sediment core (Photo Credit: Harold Tobin).

Major Activity

Cores to Code

Cores to Code (C2C) is a 3-week summer research experience that will delve into the interdisciplinary study of the earthquake and tsunami history of the Cascadia subduction zone. The program will be based out of Cal Poly Humboldt, a minority-serving institution. Students will conduct geologic fieldwork in Humboldt Bay coastal marshes, collect marsh sediment cores, conduct laboratory analysis on the cores, and explore how these geologic data are integrated into the geophysical models that help characterize past earthquakes along the Cascadia subduction zone. At the end of the program, students will synthesize and present their findings to their peers, mentors, and local community.

Student application open.

visit Cores to Code

Students working in the lab as part of a summer internship program (Photo Credit: Michael Hubenthal).

Major Activity

Training Workshops

In response to the pressing demand for expertise in advanced fields such as earthquake geology, tectonic geodesy, and AI-driven geoscience, CRESCENT will sponsor a series of technical short courses to help train the next generation of geoscientists. These courses will employ modern pedagogy and focus on widely employed research techniques in subduction zone geoscience with practical applications.

Major Activity

Undergraduate Twinning Program

This yearlong research experience aims to increase participation of undergraduates from minoritized communities in subduction zone science and hazards research. A pair of mentors (the Project Director and a collaborator, a faculty adviser from a home institution or other professional participant) support and mentor the undergraduate. The “twinning” concept aspires to create an opportunity for a student to participate in a research project that involves more than one institution. The student is thus introduced to different mentors and a mode of scientific collaboration that closely mimics real-world experiences. Students work at their home institution on their project during the academic year. Over the following summer, students will have the option to travel to the Project Director’s (or the other mentor’s) institution to complete the project. Student support includes a monthly stipend throughout the year as well as travel funds for the summer.

Project Director applications are now CLOSED for our 2024-2025 Twinning Program.

We are now accepting mentor applications for the 2025-2026 Twinning Program.

Visit TWinning

Major Activity

Highschool STEM Pathways

This summer STEM experience for high-school students who identify as Indigenous and are from Indigenous communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. During the summer students visit one institution involved in CRESCENT for a three-day experience designed to expose students to higher education in a STEM-related discipline and active research. Participants in the program will travel to Pacific Northwest schools with a paid chaperone, and are housed in university dormitories that are unoccupied during summer months. The students have meals in the university dining halls, and utilize university infrastructure—all mimicking the undergraduate experience. The STEM pathways organizers work with the volunteer PIs and graduate students to design experiential learning activities in earthquake and tsunami science that are fun, social, and interactive.

people hiking — *Students hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park as part of a seismometer deployment (Photo Credit: Amanda Thomas).*

Major Activity

Graduate Student or Postdoc Professional Development Fellowships

CRESCENT offers fellowships to graduate students or postdoctoral candidates for travel to workshops focused on professional development. Appropriate professional development events should provide information, skill development, and networking opportunities that help participants prepare for careers as teachers and researchers. Workshops should include leaders from a variety of institution types and career paths to provide guidance that helps participants to be stronger candidates for academic positions and to succeed in academic jobs.

Applications are now closed for our 2024 Fellowships

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CRESCENT Partners

National Association of Geoscience Teachers

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News, Events and Announcements

2024 Twinning Participants

Learn about this year’s 6 Undergraduate Twinning interns and their projects!

Cores to Code Application

Now accepting student applications!

Mentor Application

Now Accepting Mentor Applications for 2025-2026!

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Meet The Team

Geoscience Education and Inclusion Committee Leadership

The Geoscience Education and Inclusion Committee coordinates and oversees the high school STEM pathways, undergraduate research programs, graduate fellowship and postdoctoral mentoring activities, and technical short courses. Its members are experts in modern pedagogy and ensure that all workforce programs are broadly advertised and accessible to students with diverse backgrounds.