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Written by Kristen Kusek, Former Communications Director for USF CMS

Students learn in any introductory ocean science class that a diverse ocean鈥攐ne that is home to a colorful kaleidoscope of life鈥攊s a productive, healthy, and resilient ocean. Similarly, research laboratories that include a are more productive than those that do not.

But go to any ocean science conference and it鈥檚 clear: people of color are hard to find.

According to a recent piece in , little progress has been made in the last 40 years to diversify geoscience. The geosciences, which include ocean science, are the least diverse STEM field. In 2016 a whopping 85 percent of those who earned PhDs in a geoscience field were white. That number has remained the same since the dawn of the 1980s 鈥� when most phones were tethered wall fixtures, music was played from reels of magnetic tape, and Windows could open and close but didn鈥檛 have anything to do with computers.

Given that everything else has evolved over the last several decades, how has STEM diversity remained so stubbornly stagnant? The statistics are tough to accept, especially at a time when a diversity of perspectives is critical to humanity鈥檚 ability to solve the grand challenges facing our planet today.

鈥淥ur College, in collaboration with the College of Engineering, has a good record of working to improve diversity in STEM, in ways that have been recognized externally,鈥� said David Naar, PhD, associate dean of academic programs and student affairs.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently rated USF as the top institution in the nation in awarding marine science PhD degrees to Hispanic/Latino and African-American/Black students, and number two for master鈥檚 degrees. USF was also selected as one of eight University Center for Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM) Programs nationwide that is recognized by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Within this elite group, USF is the only one that is not yet a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU).

鈥淎lthough we have made great strides, we still have a lot more work to do,鈥� said Naar, who has been at the USF College of Marine Science for 30 years.

This year, about 12 percent of the College鈥檚 student body are from traditionally underrepresented groups. That鈥檚 better than the percentage of underrepresented groups at science conferences (5-10 percent) and better than many other marine science schools, but still not good enough, Naar said.

Averaging out the statistics over the past 15 years, the College of Marine Science has grown its diversity from about two percent to an average 15 percent of the student body. Its best year on record in this regard was 2013, when it awarded seven of 14 PhD degrees to students of color who identify as African American or Black, Hispanic or Latino, Pacific Islanders, Native American, or Alaska Native.

A Welcomed Perfect Storm

The College鈥檚 fight to improve STEM diversity started in the early 2000s when then Dean Peter Betzer, PhD, set forth a goal: to create a pipeline of graduate students from underrepresented groups who would go on to become faculty in the ocean sciences who continue to advocate for underrepresented students in other locations.

Step one was to hire African American faculty members on its own staff, including Ashanti Pyrtle, PhD, who was one of the first African Americans to earn a doctoral degree in oceanography from Texas A&M University. While no longer at USF, Pyrtle (whose last name is now Johnson) played a pivotal role in helping Betzer to launch a perfect -- and perfectly welcomed -- storm of support involving the National Science Foundation (NSF), the St. Petersburg business community, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

In 2004, they secured $972,000 in NSF support that enabled the College of Marine Science, in partnership with the USF College of Engineering, to launch the 51在线-Georgia Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (FGLSAMP) Bridge to the Doctorate fellowship program. The fellowship still exists today: it provides $32,000 per year that covers full tuition, fees, health insurance, and a monthly stipend for up to two years for new STEM graduate students.

Since those early days, USF has landed eight major NSF awards totaling more than $8 million that have enabled the College of Marine Science and College of Engineering to support more than 100 underrepresented graduate students.  The most recent award covering the years 2019-2021 was for $1,087,000.

At roughly the same time as NSF鈥檚 inaugural Bridge to the Doctorate grant, Betzer led a parallel effort at the College of Marine Science to launch a Bridge to the Doctorate Endowed Fellowship to help support underrepresented students in perpetuity. The tendrils of these early funding efforts are still felt today, more than 15 years later.

A DC-based nonprofit, the Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc. (later known as the Consortium for Ocean Leadership), helped Betzer kick off the endowment with five years of support.  This laid the foundation for significant additional support from St. Petersburg鈥檚 business community. Between 2005 and 2008 the , for example, made four gifts to the endowment totaling nearly $160,000. Soon, 25 additional community partners and donors from St. Petersburg joined the effort. These contributions also helped the College qualify for a state funding match.

The swell of support 鈥� especially from the St. Petersburg business community 鈥� drew the attention of the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which has long advocated for equity and inclusion in STEM. After conducting a formal review of the College鈥檚 diversity program, in 2007 the Sloan Foundation agreed to provide additional funding that would continue for the next 15 years. For every fellowship supported by the Sloan Foundation, the College of Marine Science would provide additional funding via its endowed fellowship.

鈥淭he recognition from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation would never have come without the substantial backing of our St Petersburg business community,鈥� Betzer said.

Today USF is one of only eight University Center for Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM) Programs nationwide that is recognized by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Altogether, the Sloan Foundation Minority PhD initiative (2005-2023) has awarded nearly $4 million to USF primarily as direct scholarship payments to minority doctoral students for augmented stipends and professional development enhancement funds, along with discretionary funds to assist with programmatic expenses. The Bridge to the Doctorate Endowment at the College of Marine Science is valued at more than $1.3 million, enabling it to support 1-2 graduate students from underrepresented groups every year 鈥� and its program has grown into a national model for diversity in STEM education.

NOTE: The USF College of Marine Science thanks each of these generous donors who partnered with us to achieve a unique endowment that will support underrepresented students of color in perpetuity.

• St. Pete Downtown Partnership
• Hough Family Foundation
• Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc.
• Mr. and Mrs. Mark Mahaffey
• The Tampa Bay Times
• Drs. Peter and Susan Betzer
• Mr. Michael Morris
• Coda Octopus Group
• Dr. Gus and Mrs. Frances Stavros
• Drs. Luis and Carmen Garcia-Rubio
• SRI International
• Drs. Kent and Jane Fanning
• Dr. Mark Luther
• Mr. Ross Roeder and Ms. Mary Anne Reilly
• USF Research Foundation

Fast forward, and full steam ahead

Today the College leverages a total of six funding streams that help support underrepresented graduate students, including Bridge to the Doctorate Endowment funding, NSF and Sloan funding, and the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program, which is funded by the 51在线 Education Fund. There are three budget lines supporting the Bridge to the Doctorate stream: one from NSF, one provided directly by the College of Marine Science, and the Bridge to the Doctorate Endowed Fellowship.

In 2017 the College, now recognized as a Sloan UCEM affiliate, hired Ana Arellano, PhD, as its diversity recruiter.  She works closely with Sloan advisors and co-directors, David Naar, PhD, and Frank Muller-Karger, PhD, to continue to evolve the College鈥檚 diversity initiatives.

Arellano was herself a recipient of the Endowed Bridge to Doctorate and Sloan Minority PhD scholarship. She earned her doctorate in chemical oceanography in 2013.

鈥淎s a single mom of two young children, I could not have pursued my PhD without fellowship support,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t allowed me to focus on research, without stressing about finances.鈥� Like many graduate students of color at the College of Marine Science, she benefited from a spectrum of fellowship support in addition to the Bridge to Doctorate.

Prior to boomeranging back to the USF College of Marine Science, Arellano completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of 51在线, where she was consistently involved in education and outreach initiatives at schools, fairs, museums, you name it.  鈥淚t鈥檚 part of who I am,鈥� Arellano said.  鈥淚鈥檓 really passionate about this work.鈥�

In 2018 the College invited faculty from five minority serving institutions (MSIs), including Spelman College, Savannah State University, the University of the Virgin Islands, and Xavier University of Louisiana, to visit campus for three days. The goal, which was a component of the Sloan UCEM grant, was to foster collaborations that would help diversify the College鈥檚 enrollment, build reciprocal faculty partnerships with minority-serving institutions, and broaden the participation of minority students in the ocean sciences.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something we鈥檇 never done before, and it worked really well,鈥� Arellano said.

The faculty members from these visiting institutions then recommended students who would participate in the College鈥檚 first Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in the summer  of 2019, a program that was led by Arellano, along with logistical and administrative support from Naar and Bernard Batson, diversity director in USF鈥檚 College of Engineering, who has been a partner in these efforts at USF for more than two decades.

The REU program provided five students with support that enabled them to spend ten weeks developing professional skills and studying marine science with faculty and graduate student mentors. The support included round-trip travel, housing expenses, a stipend, and conference funds to present at a professional meeting alongside their College of Marine Science mentor. It was funded by NSF supplements to existing research grants awarded to Dr. Larry Dishaw from the USF Morsani College of Medicine, as well as marine science professors Brad Rosenheim, PhD, Tim Conway, PhD, Amelia Shevenell, PhD, and (now at the University of Delaware).

The effort, aligned with recommendations by the Sloan Foundation, is another 鈥渋ntentional鈥� approach to building a diverse PhD pipeline, Naar said.

鈥淚t was fantastic to see that three of the five REU students were subsequently admitted to USF,鈥� he said. The College is now working on a new proposal to the NSF for a College-wide REU program in the summer of 2021 that would allow even more faculty to be involved as mentors.

Mentoring and open dialogue: two keys to success

Today those students who are funded by the College鈥檚 diversity-focused fellowships meet as a group under Arellano鈥檚 leadership at least once a month. They complete individual professional development plans, give outreach-related presentations, and, as recommended by the Sloan Foundation, they benefit from a circle of mentors including their 1) research advisor, 2) a faculty member external to their discipline, 3) a peer mentor, and 4) an alumni trainee mentor that provides guidance on PhD expectations, networking, and career development.

But underrepresented students aren鈥檛 the only ones who benefit at the College of Marine Science from this kind of mentoring, and the training and networking opportunities that come with it.

In February 2020 Arellano led the College in launching its Graduate Exemplary Mentoring (GEM) program that Naar founded in December of 2020 to institutionalize the best practices in mentoring inherited from the USF Sloan UCEM program. The GEM program is open to everyone 鈥� all students, faculty, and staff who may feel marginalized for any reason, or simply want to participate, Arellano said. 

The GEM program is only the first of many steps the College of Marine Science will take to institutionalize the Sloan UCEM program in perpetuity. The work toward this goal started three years ahead of schedule, Naar said.  It has also freed up Sloan funds and resources, which expire in 2023, to help diversify other STEM PhD programs within USF, such as within the College of Arts and Sciences on the USF Tampa Campus.

鈥淎dditional steps include making new partnerships with parallel efforts within the City of St. Petersburg and growing the Bridge to the Doctorate Endowment,鈥� Naar said.

A key signature of the GEM programming is a series of regularly held virtual 鈥淒iversi-teas鈥� conversations run by Arellano. These in-person, and now virtual, events foster meaningful conversations about a rich spectrum of topics, such as the value of mentorship to imposter syndrome, mental health, and more. They routinely attract dozens of participants. These are confidential conversations, sometimes led by external facilitators and/or graduate students, that provide a safe place for all, Arellano said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity for us to come together not to talk about science but to talk about problems or to share ideas,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome people just listen in, others come with ideas, and all are welcome.鈥�

In response to the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor 鈥� three individuals who have lost their lives to racial injustice, and whose deaths sparked a national movement 鈥� Arellano has also spearheaded a series on systemic racism.

鈥淚 believe our diversity program and its offerings are unique,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to keep pushing ourselves to create new transformational changes in the traditional academic cultural norms.鈥� 

One key area for improvement is in diversifying faculty at the College of Marine Science, Naar said. He is working with Muller-Karger to update the College鈥檚 strategic plan so that it is more proactive in this regard and reflective of what Black and other colleagues of color state is needed (See, for example, this ).

鈥淏ut it requires more than just recruiting,鈥� Naar said. 鈥淚t requires mentoring, retention, and promotion of new faculty.鈥�

Snapshots of three fellowship recipients: the ripple effect

We spoke with three of the past 22 recipients of the College of Marine Science鈥檚 Bridge to the Doctorate fellowship (who also received Sloan Foundation funding) to capture the longer-term impact of these formative opportunities. Our goal was to showcase the 鈥渞ipple effect鈥� and esprit de corps that can happen as each recipient of the College鈥檚 diversity-related fellowships gives back to his, her, or their community in unique ways.

REGINA EASLEY: paying it forward

Regina Easley, PhD, didn鈥檛 really like chemistry as a young student growing up in southern Virginia where both of her parents grew up working on tobacco farms. Today, with three chemistry degrees in her dossier, she works as a research chemist at the innovation-focused (NIST), housed within the US Department of Commerce in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Easley graduated from the College of Marine Science in 2013 under the tutelage of chemical oceanographer Robert Byrne, PhD. She is a passionate activist for STEM diversity initiatives, the importance of mentoring, and the need to pay it forward. She walks the talk -- routinely delivering invited conference talks; participating in the FabFems speaker鈥檚 bureau for women in STEM and STEMversity, a program for middle and high school students in rural Georgia; conference presenter for the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE); mentoring graduate students; and more.

Opportunities like the NSF FGLSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship and Sloan Foundation Minority Graduate Scholarship do so much more than provide the critical financial support so many deserving students need, Easley said. It 鈥渙pens you up to a world that鈥檚 beyond where you currently sit,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t can give people a hope and a vision that鈥檚 beyond what they鈥檙e used to seeing.鈥�

Enjoy these short video snippets from a Microsoft Teams call we recently conducted with Easley:

Video 1 - Easley shares the power of field research experience, which she gained on a research expedition to the Arctic!

Video 2 - Easley shares more about the power of the investment in these kinds of fellowships.

Video 3 - Easley shares why this fellowship program matters today, more than ever.

KARYNA ROSARIO: the importance of having a voice

, grew up in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico where she nurtured a love for the natural world thanks to her Dad who loves animals (Karyna describes him as 鈥渁nimal crazy鈥�). During her bachelor鈥檚 program, which she earned at the University of Puerto Rico, she participated in an REU program run by Western Washington University that exposed her to marine science. She and the other REU students spent six months at the Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes, Washington.

Rosario graduated from USF in 2010, and now works as a research scientist in the marine genomics lab run by Mya Breitbart, PhD, at the USF College of Marine Science. She crafted the NSF grant that transitioned her into her current role with Breitbart 鈥� a project examining viruses in invertebrates 鈥� one that, at nearly $1 million, was worth far more than the costs associated with her fellowship at USF.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have considered a PhD without the NSF/USF Bridge to the Doctorate fellowships and Sloan Foundation Graduate Scholarship at USF,鈥� she said.  The financial support was critical in her ability to even consider this path. 鈥淚t took such a weight off.鈥�

Rosario emphasized the power of mentorship for underrepresented students. She鈥檚 quick to thank her advisor, Breitbart, for playing a key role in her education success. 鈥淓ven though Mya was only two years older than me when I started, she seemed at the time like a great mentor. She was supportive of me from the get-go and treated me more like a colleague than a student. That was huge for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he always makes me feel like I have a voice.鈥�

Students of color working in marine science often feel isolated and don鈥檛 always feel like they belong, Rosario said. 鈥淭he fellowship really helps you to feel like you belong because you know you have an advocate in your corner.鈥�

These days Rosario mentors other students in as much as she can. Enjoy her recent TEDxYouth talk called 鈥�.鈥�

MICHELLE GUITARD: the power of perspectives (and publishing)

The NSF FGLSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate fellowship was critical in Michelle Guitard鈥檚 ability to earn her master鈥檚 degree in marine science from USF in 2015.  With support from the Sloan Foundation Minority PhD graduate scholarship and McKnight Doctoral Fellowship program, she鈥檚 now pursuing her PhD in geological oceanography under the advisement of Amelia Shevenell, PhD, and plans to graduate this year.

Guitard grew up in southern California, where it鈥檚 fairly easy to fall for the ocean. She felt lucky to have been supported in her early passions for body surfing, digging in the sand, and eventually pursuing a college degree in oceanography by her parents, who were also natural STEM advocates; her Mom is a nurse and Dad is an electrical engineer.

鈥淏ut graduate school was a different story,鈥� Guitard said. 鈥淲ith the loans I had from undergrad, I absolutely couldn鈥檛 afford to go to graduate school without the Bridge to the Doctorate fellowship.鈥�

Being able to trek to Antarctica as a master鈥檚 student to help reconstruct the history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet was 鈥渂eyond my wildest dreams,鈥� she said. She returned to the Southern Ocean as a PhD student as part of an Integrated Ocean Drilling Project (IODP) expedition in 2019. In total she has more than 100 days at sea in the Southern Ocean.

Guitard said her hometown in southern California was ethnically diverse, as was Hilo, where she did her undergraduate work (at the University of Hawaii). 鈥淚t actually wasn鈥檛 until I got to USF and St. Petersburg that diversity in the sciences became something to think about.鈥� She鈥檚 quick to point out that the faculty, students, and marine science community were welcoming and supportive.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just that very few people looked like me,鈥� she said.

Upon experiencing her first conference in Goa, India, itself a diverse, internationally popular tourist destination, she said it became obvious that scientists of the same nationality tended to stick together.  鈥淢any of the Americans at that conference didn鈥檛 look like me,鈥� she said.

鈥淪cience is not purely objective,鈥� Guitard said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about perspective, and you can鈥檛 separate who you are as a human from who you are as a scientist. It all affects how we work and approach questions, and there鈥檚 no doubt that more diverse perspectives will solve more problems.鈥�

As a PhD student, Guitard makes time to contribute her voice to the conversation about STEM diversity via the printed word.

鈥淚 enjoy contributing what I can,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut I want this to be clear: yes, I鈥檓 underrepresented as a Hispanic woman in science. But my perspective and story reflect just one person 鈥� my own unique experiences.鈥�

Enjoy two of Guitard鈥檚 recent diversity-related pieces here:

鈥淎 diverse set of perspectives is critical to elevating the geoscience community, but perspective extends beyond one鈥檚 ethnic background or gender identity. It comes from our natural curiosity, our sense of duty to a community, and our concern for the planet. Who we are informs how we conduct ourselves in science; a scientist鈥檚 perspective cannot exist without their culture, their values, or their abilities. Perhaps with this shift in thought, we can broaden our thinking and increase our problem-solving abilities to ultimately benefit our research and society.鈥� 鈥� Michelle Guitard, Geoscientist.

STEM Diversity Resources

General

Anti-Racism in STEM:

• (IAGD)
• (NACME)

Chicanos/Hispanic/Mexican

• (SACNAS)
• (SOLESS)
• (SHPE)
• (Latinos in Science and Engineering)

Native Americans

• (SACNAS)

Blacks/African Americans

• (AAWIT)
• (NABG)
• (NOBCChE)

Asian

• (SASE)

Indian

• (AISES)

Differently Abled / Disabilities

• (AHEAD)
• (BRL)
• (CATEA)

LGBTQ

• (NOGLSTP)
• (oSTEM)

Women

• (CWSEM)
• (AWIS)
• (NCWIT)
• (AAUW)