Digging for the Next Generation

of Geologists: The Effectiveness

of Saturday Science Academy Elysse Hernandez, Philip Stokes, Karl Flessa

– The University of Arizona

Students learning about dendrochronology and how fossils are made

The Problem

• There are not many minorities in geology

• Lack of understanding?

Geosciences

NSF WebCASPAR (NCES/IPEDS)

SAGUARO & MESA

• Saguaro – NSF grant to increase diversity

in geosciences

• MESA – Mathematics, Engineering

Science Achievement: underrepresented

minorities in secondary schools

• Common goals, common events

Saturday Science Academy

• One day event to engage middle and high school students in the geosciences

• Emphasis on minority students

• Held each year at the University of Arizona

• More than 100 students attend each year

• Pre- and post-event surveys in 2010 and 2011

Volcano Eruption

How we do outreach

Who goes to Saturday Science

Academy?

• Middle and high school students

Male 46% Female

54%

19.5%

46.3%

4.9% 4.9% 3.7%

12.2% 8.5%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

Grade Level

of SSA

Participants

Data from our 2011 event

63.9%

4.8%

27.7%

4.8% 3.6%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

American Indian/Alaska Native

Black Hispanic/Latino Asian White

Race/Ethnicity

of SSA

Participants

So, how did we do?

• Did our teaching

increase the

knowledge and

interest of the

students?

• Are there differences

among the

racial/ethnic groups?

The Surveys

• Pre and post surveys

• Incentives used to get

both surveys back

• 2011: 150 surveys

distributed

• 92 collected at end of

event.

Self-reported increase in

knowledge

7.5%

48.8%

26.3%

17.5%

24.7%

48.1%

12.3%

14.8%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

A lot A Few Things Almost Nothing Nothing

PRE POST

How much do you

know about Tucson

floods??

PR

E

PO

ST

2.5%

35.0%

30.0%

32.5%

22.2%

44.4%

17.3% 16.0%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

A lot A Few Things Almost Nothing Nothing

PRE POST

How much do you

know about local

geology?

PO

ST

PR

E

Differences among

minority groups

Differences in reaching each group…

32.0%

50.0%

8.0% 10.0%

56.5%

30.4%

8.7%

4.3%

63.6%

36.4%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

American Indian/Alaska Native Hispanic/Latino White

My family would

support me in

Geosciences

27.3%

63.6%

4.5% 4.5%

52.2%

47.8%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

PRE POST

Hispanic students:

Geosciences are

interesting

20.0%

66.0%

10.0%

4.0%

26.0%

64.0%

10.0%

0.0% 0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

PRE POST

Native American

students:

Geosciences are

interesting

Effectiveness • Program is an overall

success

• Pre vs. post surveys:

increase in self-

reported knowledge.

• Differences seen in

reaching each group

Students learning about river geomorphology

Interpretation

• We increased interest among Hispanic

students

• But not among Native Americans

• Why?

Conclusions

• 2011 results – overall success

– Students more interested in the geosciences

– Students more knowledgable in geosciences

– Teaching them about the kinds of jobs that

geoscience majors can get

• Future Saturday Science Academies

should be culturally sensitive

Acknowledgements

•Philip J Stokes and Karl Flessa – University of Arizona,

Geosciences department

•Dean Gerdeman, Jenelle Zumbusch, Roger Levine and Mimi

Fuhrman – American Institute for Research

•Manny Leon – Mathematics Engineering Science

Achievement

•National Science Foundation

•University of Arizona Geosciences department