The CSULB departments of Geological Sciences and Geography, together with the Archæology and the Environmental Science and Policy programs, have received a second round of funding from the National Science Foundation to continue and expand an innovative collaborative partnership with several community colleges and local high schools. Its goal is to improve the research and educational experiences of underrepresented students in the geoscience disciplines (geology, physical geography, archæology, and environmental science and policy). The goals of GDEP are to:

1. increase the number of underrepresented students who have a broad educational and research experience in the geosciences
2. enhance the quantity and quality of geoscience research and teaching by faculty members from CSULB, community colleges, and high schools
3. increase the awareness by community college and high school students of the geosciences and their associated research careers and educational requirements
4. increase the awareness of the geosciences and their career prospects among parents, friends, and the communities around underrepresented students to build community support for their education in the geosciences
5. enable a smooth transition of underrepresented students from community colleges and local high schools into advanced undergraduate study in the geosciences
6. increase the number of geoscience majors who are retained in their disciplines

Community college and high school science faculty have been invited to the University for professional activities with their CSULB GDEP colleagues. They and their students are collaborating with CSULB GDEP faculty on geoscience research projects during an intensive six-week summer field and lab program and throughout the academic year in research design, data analysis, and presentation.

Students are engaging in data collection and interpretation, conducting web- based geoscience research, and learning safe procedures for the lab and field. The experience will culminate in presentations at professional conferences in the geosciences, possible team-authored publications, and presentations in the student participants' own schools.

Current CSULB geoscience majors are serving as peer mentors for lower division students who are interested in majoring in the geosciences. Underrepresented students in the lower division science courses will be invited to geoscience department open houses to introduce them to careers in the geosciences. CSULB GDEP faculty will conduct bi-annual visits to community college campuses to address issues affecting the ease of transition of underrepresented students to the geosciences and to enhance the support given to students to select a major in the geosciences.

Additionally, GDEP 2 is bringing in the community via family field trips throughout the year. During these trips, families learn about many engaging geoscience topics in the field close to home and about career and salary prospects in these fields perennially affected by labor shortages.