SIU research team wins $1.33M NSF grant to train sustainability-focused geoscientists

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Sustainability is for everyone, and a Southern Illinois University Carbondale research team is creating a scholarship program aimed at bringing that mindset together with science and engineering training to target low-income transfer students who will become the next generation of geoscientists.

Led by Ruopu Li, associate professor in the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, the team has secured a $1.33 million grant from the National Science Foundation for a project "Converging Earth Science and Sustainability Education and Experience to Prepare Next-Generation Geoscientists." Li and the rest of the team will use the grant to fund Earth-Sustainability Scholarships of up to $10,000 each for at least 40 low-income transfer students pursuing bachelor's degrees in geography and environmental resources, and geology. The students will also receive research-based support services, and may be eligible to develop their own grant-funded sustainability projects.

"It's an exciting education research experiment that is expected to support four cohorts of sustainability-minded next-generation geoscientists," Li said. "If successful, this project may be used as a model for earth science education in the U.S. and the rest of the world."