Funding Years: 2022-2024

Being in the field is considered a capstone experience for undergraduate students in the environmental sciences, yet are such experiences inclusive? If so, which elements are critical to inspiring persistence for underrepresented groups? Inclusive Field Pedagogy (IFP) acknowledges the importance of collaborative learning during which both mentor and mentees can integrate different knowledge to ask and answer social-ecological research questions. The importance of connecting different ways of knowing is the potential to retain students from diverse cultural, geographical, and economic backgrounds in environmental sciences. The GCRT Being in the Field brings new approaches to deconstructing how transitions to an environmental or sustainability science career path has unique tipping points for underrepresented students triggered during the field experience.

Co-Principle Investigators

• Gillian Bowser, Associate Professor, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Warner College of Natural Resources
• Meena Balgopal, Professor, Biology, College of Natural Sciences
• Phil Halliwell, Research Scientist, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
• Sara Bombaci, Assistant Professor, Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Warner College of Natural Resources