White paper submissions sought for NSF GEOPAths funding opportunity

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research is soliciting white papers for the National Science Foundation’s Pathways into the Earth, Ocean, Polar, and Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences (GEOPAths) Program.

Summary from NSF: The Directorate for Geosciences supports the Pathways into the Geosciences - Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric Sciences (GEOPAths) funding opportunity. GEOPAths invites proposals that address the current needs and opportunities related to education, learning, training, and professional development within the geosciences community by forming STEM Learning Ecosystems that engage students in studying the Earth, its oceans, polar regions, and atmosphere. The primary goal of the GEOPAths funding opportunity is to increase the number of students pursuing undergraduate and/or postgraduate degrees by designing and testing novel approaches that engage students in authentic, career-relevant experiences in geoscience. To broaden participation in geosciences, engaging students from historically excluded groups or non-geoscience degree programs is a priority. This solicitation features three funding tracks that focus on Geoscience Learning Ecosystems (GLEs):

  1. GEOPAths: Informal Networks. Collaborative projects in this track will support geoscience learning and experiences in informal settings for teachers, pre-college (e.g., upper-level high school) students, and early undergraduates in the geosciences.
  2. GEOPAths: Undergraduate Preparation. Projects in this track will engage pre-college and undergraduate students in extra-curricular experiences and geosciences training, focusing on service learning and workplace skill building.
  3. GEOPAths: Graduate Opportunities. Projects in this track will improve research and career-related pathways into the geosciences for undergraduate and graduate students through institutional collaborations focusing on service learning and workplace skill building.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $400,000 per year

More information about the program and submission process. Submissions are due by Jan. 19, 2024.