PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 16: Ecology Education
Tuesday, August 9, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
How is the SEEDS program doing?
Jurgensen-Armstrong, Melissa*,1, Taylor, Jason1, Hoffman, Katherine 1, Strickland, Jeramie 1, 1 Ecological Society of America, Silver Spring, MD
ABSTRACT- The second phase of the Ecological Society of America′s (ESA) SEEDS program (Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability) is in its third year. The main goal of SEEDS is to diversify and advance the profession of ecology by promoting opportunities that stimulate and nurture the interest of underrepresented students in an ecology career. Over the past 3 years the program has sought to accomplish this goal through an intensive student-centered approach to promoting ecology nationwide. The four core opportunities of the program include: Student Field Trips, ESA Annual Meeting Travel Awards, Undergraduate Research Fellowships, and Campus Ecology Chapters. Through these opportunities, SEEDS serves upwards of 200 students each year, but the program does not end once the individual opportunity is over. SEEDS is committed to supporting students through their career and making strides to promote ecology long after a student has participated in a specific program activity. Two key questions we are asking in our assessment are: Has the program been successful with this student-centered approach? How does the program define success? There has been an increased awareness about the program as evidenced by numbers of applications, number of student contacts in the SEEDS database, and an increase in the number of schools that are in the SEEDS Chapter network. Results of student follow-ups provided insight into the ways that SEEDS has effected students′ decisions about ecology. We also have information on the impact of SEEDS opportunities on students′ efficacy and knowledge of ecology, and their career path. Student data were compiled with ESA member volunteer and Chapter faculty data to show the SEEDS program has been successful in recruiting students into the field of ecology. An upcoming survey of the ESA membership will determine whether any change has occurred within the demographics of ESA.
Key words: SEEDS, assessment, underrepresented, undergraduate