Multiculturalism in the Aquatic Sciences

MAS Resources

The following is a partial list of resources that should be of interest to minority scientists and students, and anyone who is interested in minority issues. Please send additions to Benjamin Cuker.

Summer and Semester-long Programs

Marine Sciences Careers
If you are interested in a marine science career, the page will introduce you to a wide range of career possibilities and people working in those fields.

NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
Minorities are welcomed at all sites. The above link provides background information on the REU program. From that page you can find links to all REU sites. Or, click here to go directly to the list of sites sponsored by NSF's Ocean Science program.

Minority Serving Institutions and minority-targeted programs
Several minority-serving institutions offer undergraduate and graduate programs in the aquatic sciences. There are also many summer and semester-long programs developed for minority students with interests in the aquatic sciences. This site provides a partial list of resources.

Coastal Studies Semester
This semester-long interdisciplinary travel semester aims to attract and retain women and minority students in the earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Minority Fellowship Program
Educational opportunities in oceanography for minority undergraduates who are enrolled in U.S. colleges or universities.

Aquatic Science programs
A listing of aquatic science programs for majority and minority students.

Minority-Focused PhD Programs

Hall-Bonner Program for Minority Doctoral Scholars in Ocean Sciences
Hampton University, Old Dominion University, and The College of William andMary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science have established a new minority doctoral scholars program in ocean sciences. Hall-Bonner Scholars will receive fellowships and additional funding for tuition, research and travel to scientific meetings. Within the ocean sciences, fields of specialization may include biological, chemical, physical or geological oceanography, biogeochemistry, ecology, immunology and disease processes of marine organisms, fisheries, or marine policy-related studies. Program Scholars will matriculate in either Old Dominion's Department of Ocean, Earth andAtmospheric Sciences (OEAS) or William and Mary's School of Marine Science (SMS) and will be expected to fulfill the Ph.D. program requirements of the home institution. Hampton University is the center for coordination and administration for the program. Hampton is known for its undergraduate program in Marine Science and innovative programs to promote the participation of minorities in the aquatic sciences.

Minority Scholars Program

Consortium for a Strong Minority Presence, Minority Scholar-in-Residence program (http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/dean/csmp/). The Minority Scholar-in-Residence Program grows out of the conviction that a strong representation of minority scholars on the faculties of liberal arts colleges is essential. Member institutions of the Consortium for a Strong Minority Presence at Liberal Arts Colleges, an association of selective undergraduate institutions, have developed a program to meet this challenge. Its immediate aim is to assist minority scholars in the early stages of their careers. The further aim of the program is to produce a pool of minority scholars who will have firsthand experience teaching at liberal arts colleges and may, therefore, choose to apply for positions at member institutions of the consortium or at similar institutions as these become available.

National Science Foundation's Minority Programs

In addition to the REU sites listed above, NSF supports several programs which are dedicated to the aquatic sciences. These include:

ASLO/Hampton University Program
This program is organized by Ben Cuker of Hampton University. The program provides support for minority undergraduate and graduate students to attend the annual meeting of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography.

Mote Marine Laboratory
This program provides Research Experiences in Estuarine Science for Undergraduates at Mote Marine Lab, with special focus on Native Pacific Islanders. The 10-week program focuses on providing research experiences in estuarine science to advanced undergraduate students.

Oregon State University Native Americans in Marine and Space Sciences (NAMSS)
The Native Americans in Marine and Space Sciences Program (NAMSS) provides internship opportunities for undergraduate Native American, Native Hawaiian and Alaskan Native students interested in gaining internship experience in math, science, engineering and other technical fields.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Minority Training Internship Program
Students have the opportunity to conduct high quality research with dedicated scientists and learn new and exciting information about marine sciences. They can also develop skills in scientific literature review, project development, data processing and analysis, report writing and oral presentation.

Western Washington University's Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Program (MIMSUP)
Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Program (MIMSUP) is designed to introduce members of racial or ethnic groups under-represented in science and engineering to academic and professional careers in marine science. Targeted groups include Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, African Americans, Latino/Hispanics and Pacific Islanders.

Government

U.S. Government Programs for Students
This site catalogs government programs for students, including financial aid.

Professional Societies

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

National Action Council on Minorities in Engineering (NACME)

National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)

Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

Society of African-American Marine and Environmental Scientists (AAMES)

Minority Websites

American Geophysical Institute Minority Participation Program
The broad goal for this program is to maintain and increase incrementally the number of underrepresented ethnic-minority students in the geosciences.

Black Collegian.com
The Black Collegian provides information on career resources for black college students. It is the companion to Black Collegian magazine.

Diversity, Inc.
This site provides up-to-date news about diversity issues. It is a commercial site, designed to be a one-stop source of information on how diversity affects companies' relationships with their key stakeholders: employees, suppliers, customers and investors. It also includes a minority resource directory.

IMDiversity.com
This site provides minority professionals with comprehensive job seeking and career management skills.

Minority Scientists Network (MiSciNet)
MiSciNet is a bimonthly online journal focusing on issues relevant to underrepresented minority scientists.

National Association of Black Scuba Divers

Scholarships, Fellowships & Postdoctoral Awards
This site catalogs information about college, graduate school and postgraduate financial aid for African Americans, Aleuts, Eskimos, Hispanics, Micronesians, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and Polynesians.

Publications

Blockstein, D., B. Mandula and J. Ploetz. 1992. Survey of AIBS Societies: Membership trends and perceptions of the future. BioScience 10:786-788.

Cuker, B.E. 2007. Programs for building ethnic diversity in the aquatic sciences. Bulletin of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. 16: 42-45.

Cuker, B.E. 2006. Programmatic approaches to building diversity in the aquatic sciences. Marine Technology Society Journal. 39: 13-16.

Cuker, B.E. 2003. Minorities At Sea Together (MAST): A model interdisciplinary program for minority college students. Current, The Journal of Marine Education. Current, The Journal of Marine Education. 18:45-51.

Cuker, B.E. 2001. Designing diversity in to COSEE programs: Inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups in the ocean sciences. Current, The Journal of Marine Education. 17:26-29.

Cuker, B.E. 2001. Steps to increasing minority participation in the aquatic sciences: Catching up with shifting demographics. Bulletin of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. 10:17-21.

CPST. 2000. Up Hill Climb: The Status of African Americans in Science and Technology.
http://www.cpst.org/web/site/pages/pubs/African%20Americans/Status%20Report1.htm.

Fleming, J. 1984. Blacks in College. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. 276 pp.

George, Y. S. 1988. Creating mathematics and science "linkages" in the Black community. AAAS, Washington, DC.

Gilligan, M. R. 1996. Promoting diversity in the fisheries profession: The role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Fisheries 21:26-29.

Gilligan, M. 2002. Testimony Before the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Southeast Regional Meeting, January 15-16, 2002, Charleston, South Carolina. Click here to download.

Harbowski, F.A. and W. Pearson. 1993. Recruiting and retaining talented African-American males in college science and engineering. Journal of College Science Teaching 12:234-238.

Ibarra, R.A. 1996. Latino experiences in graduate education: Implications for change. In N. Gaffney (Ed.), Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education VII. Washington, DC Council of Graduate Schools.

Jearld, A. Jr. 1996. Expanding Opportunities in Ocean Sciences. Conference Proceedings, Sept. 11-12, 1995, Hampton University, NMS, Silver Spring, MD. National Marine Fisheries Service.

Jearld, A. Jr. (Ed.) 1999. Expanding Opportunities in Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. Proceedings of a Conference to Strengthen Linkages among HBMCUs, NOAA, and Graduate Studies in Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, March 29-31, 1999, Richard A. Henson Center, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Maryland. Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document 99-18, 148 pp.

Marks, J.L. 1995. SREB Factbook on Higher Education 1994-1995. Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA. As cited in Gilligan (1996).

Mervis, J. 1999. Minority postdocs are rare, independent breed. Science 285:1529-1530.

National Science Foundation. 1988. Changing America: The new face of science and engineering. NSF, Washington, DC.

National Science Foundation. 1996a. Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Diversity in the Scientific and Technological Workforce Conference Proceeding, Sept. 21-23, 1995, Washington, DC. NSF 96-81.

National Science Foundation. 1996b. Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 1996. NSF 96-311.

National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Studies. 1999. Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 1997. NSF 99-323, Author, Susan T. Hill (Arlington, VA 1999).
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm.

National Science Foundation. 1999. Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities: Summary Report 1998. Sanderson, A., B. Dugoni, T. Hoffer and L. Selfa.
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/srs00410/start.htm.

Aquatic Science Career Information

Careers & Jobs in Marine Biology & Oceanography

Sea Grant Marine Careers