College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

WKU has been selected for the AGU Bridge Program, which seeks to increase diversity in the geosciences. Pictured are some of this year's students in WKU Geosciences graduate program.

WKU’s Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences is one of 15 new partners selected for a national program through the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to increase diversity in the geosciences.

The AGU Bridge Program seeks to increase diversity in the geosciences by providing students from historically marginalized populations who are looking to pursue a master’s degree or Ph.D. with a network of peers, mentors and advisers to support and serve them before, during and after graduate school.

“We are honored and excited to be selected as one of the new partner departments in the AGU Bridge Program,” said Dr. Leslie North, Interim Chair of Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences. “Acceptance of our application to join the program is reflective of our commitment to increase diversity in our department and create meaningful opportunities for historically underrepresented populations to study the geosciences. Participation in this program will allow us to take more significant steps toward achieving the goals outlined in our departmental DEI strategic plan and upholding the standard we established for ourselves through our EEAS DEI statement.”

AGU Bridge Program partners are drawn from geoscience graduate departments at universities and institutions around the country that are seeking to increase diversity in their departments, adopt best practices in admissions and retention of students, and create a welcoming culture within the greater Earth and space sciences community. These departments partner with AGU to provide opportunities and guidance to students from historically marginalized populations.

In 2021, 54 departments applied to become AGU Bridge partners and 15 were selected for a total of 46 partners since the start of this program. AGU connects more than 150,000 people worldwide through its membership and partner programs, providing a large network from which potential student recruits and Bridge Program institutions can enhance recruiting and admission toward program diversification.

WKU’s Geosciences program will continue to explore innovative ways to enhance diversity and inclusion in the STEM disciplines through this program.

Dr. Jason Polk, Graduate Program Coordinator for the Geosciences master’s program at WKU, said: “I have been an AGU member both as a student and faculty for over 15 years and benefitted greatly from the networking and mentoring provided by their programs, so this seemed like a natural avenue to pursue to expand opportunities for students interested in our Department. This initiative is exciting for our graduate program and potential applicants interested in the Geosciences, because it provides additional support, mentoring, and resources for underserved student populations who are showing increased interest in graduate degrees in this competitive field.”

Dr. David Brown, dean of WKU’s Ogden College of Science and Engineering, said the program will not only benefit students, but the larger community.

“EEAS is a strong scientific department with an excellent record of providing students unparalleled hands-on training,” Dr. Brown said. “We’re proud of EEAS’ commitment to inclusive education and the AGU Bridge Program. The Ogden College of Science and Engineering at WKU strives to bring scientific training to our whole community. This program in EEAS will help us reach our goal and create opportunities for students.”

The application portal for students wishing to apply to the AGU Bridge Program closes on March 31. Interested students should visit the AGU Bridge Program website for details or contact Dr. Jason Polk at jason.polk@wku.edu.

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Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.