Project Clearinghouse

Improving Underrepresented Participation in Sustainability Research

Sustainability Problem and Proposed Solution: 

Research is critical for developing sustainability strategies and methods. Unfortunately, minorities are underrepresented in research positions. One reason for this can be financial hardships, as most entry level research positions are unpaid. Our project aims to eliminate financial barriers and form connections between motivated undergraduates and graduate researchers through work on sustainability-related projects.

Jump to: Contact | Project Description | Funding Sources | Metrics for Success | Results
Project Categories: 
Energy & Climate
Awareness, Education & Engagement
Project Status: 
In Progress
Project End Date: 
06/30/2019
(estimated)
Project Location: 
Both on and off campus



Stakeholder Contacts: 
Contact NameEmail AddressDepartment
Hope Ianiri
hianiri@ucsc.edu
Ocean Sciences
Stephan Bitterwolf
sbitterw@ucsc.edu
Ocean Sciences
Natasha Vokhshoori
nvokhsho@ucsc.edu
Ocean Sciences
Theresa Keates
tkeates@ucsc.edu
Ocean Sciences
Funding Sources: 
Campus Sustainability Plan Grant
GradLab

Project Description: 

The project funds undergraduate stipends for two Oakes College students to work on sustainability related research with graduate student mentors. During this time, mentors will work with the students to apply to graduate programs, job applications, and/or other funding opportunities to continue their involvement in STEM after the conclusion of our program. This experience will prepare a more diverse generation of researchers to investigate solutions to today’s demanding climate and energy problems.

Metrics for Success: 

The most tangible metric for success will be the completion of 200 hours of work by two minority undergraduate students. In addition, we hope for a productive collaboration between a graduate and undergraduate student yielding useful skills and confidence to continue in STEM.

Update 5/31/19: As noted above, the most direct metric for success is completion by the two students of 200 hours of work. However, our principle goal was to provide paid research experience to undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM who may not have otherwise had a chance to complete entry level research. In addition, we hoped to allow graduate students to step into a mentor-ship role and learn from the experience as well. Testimonies from both the undergraduate and graduate students involved in this project indicate their experiences have been motivating, inspiring, and they completed some really amazing research! We are thrilled to read this feedback from those involved, as to us this indicates our project as successfully completed it's most important goals.

Kathryn Catamura, Undergraduate: "My research mentor, Emily Reisman, and her passion for her research inspires me, broadens my lenses, and has become a tremendous motivator to my present and future career goals. As her research assistant, who is interested in Public Health, Emily had allowed me to use her research on Almond Production to look deeper into a unique population—such as farmers, Almond Board members, and investors—to recognize, discuss my insights, and also learn from her knowledge and understanding on the going health discrepancies and health inequalities in the world of agriculture. Through my experience with her research, I found a sense of direction in life; I found the confidence and assurance that Public Health is for me. I saw a lot of gaps in the system that fueled my dream to contribute and make a change in our systems. As a lower-middle class womxn of color, who has nothing but her dreams, her research and her mentorship had become my guiding light to move forward and believe in the possibility, realness, and beauty of pursuing an even higher education (Master's/Ph.D). Her work and herself inspires me to reach my highest potential and dismantle systems that has hindered the promises in this country for people of color, especially in the sense of public health. I am beyond any definitions of being blessed given the opportunity to work with her and grow with her".

Emily Reisman, graduate: "Partnering with an undergraduate research assistant not only facilitated my work but gave me a fresh set of eyes. Her inquisitive engagement with the data helped me think through how to communicate my research story to a broader public. It has also been deeply rewarding to know that the relationship we have forged can propel her professional development. I have already written her a recommendation and look forward to serving as a resource as she continues to pursue her academic passions."

Mark Morales, graduate: "The Sustainability Scholarship is an excellent program that provides Oakes College students with the incentive to get involved in applied research related to climate/sustainability and get paid. Through this scholarship Tayra Parra has learned about laboratory techniques as they relate to understanding how and why the early life stages of marine fish populations vary in response to changes in the physical and biological environment of the coastal oceans. These skills will serve her well throughout her remaining degree program and beyond when she becomes a STEM professional".

Next Steps: 
The two undergraduate students paid with funds from the Campus Sustainability Plan Grant have not quite completed their 200 hours/each. However, they are both eager to continue working with their respective graduate mentors, and we plan to request an extension so they can continue being paid for their work in the fall.
Result Categories: 
Education/Outreach
Data Collection & Analysis
Results: 

The project provides funding for 400 hours of work for two undergraduate research assistants during Winter and Spring quarters 2019. The project will be completed at the end of the academic year, 2019. One of the hirees is working with a graduate student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department on a sustainable fisheries project, where she is processing fish otoliths (ear bones) for microstructure analysis. This analysis is used to age juvenile rockfish, determine daily growth rates, develop daily survival indices in relation to historical oceanographic conditions and the full results of this analysis will be used in a mechanistic model of rockfish recruitment. The second hiree is working with a graduate student in the Environmental Studies Department on a project investigating almond agriculture in California and a comparable but more sustainable industry in Spain. She is transcribing audio from interviews with almond workers and businesses. As a student interested in pursuing Public Health in the near future, she has said it is very insightful to see how business and other policies and traditional practices affect health in farm workers. As of the last week of Winter quarter 2019, the hirees had worked 32 and 56 hours, respectively.

Update 5/31/19: As we near the end of Spring Quarter, we have been in contact with the two funded undergraduates about their experience. Kathryn Catamura has completed 134 hours as of 5/31/19, and anticipates she will complete 30-40 more before June 30th. If our request is granted, she will be able to complete her remaining hours during Fall quarter 2019. Tayra Parra has completed about 100 hours, and also hopes to be able to complete her remaining hours during Fall quarter 2019. Both students have made significant progress on their research projects, and students and mentors had wonderful things to say about their experience (see below).