What We Do
The NSF SOARS program provides intentional research, mentoring, and community support for students and professionals in the atmospheric and Earth system sciences (ESS). The program is designed as an undergraduate-to-graduate bridge program. Our Proteges (interns) can opt to conduct research through NSF SOARS for up to four summers, starting as undergraduates and extending through graduate school if desired. We offer comprehensive financial support for our Proteges to live in Boulder and conduct summer research, and to attend one annual conference to present their findings. Over 70% of NSF SOARS Proteges advance to graduate school, with many entering the workforce with a master’s or PhD degree.
NSF SOARS invites students from multiple STEM disciplines: chemistry, ecology, engineering, geography, mathematics, meteorology, physics, and social sciences. Successful Proteges deepen their understanding of ESS by conducting authentic research projects. The program's alumni go on to become early-career professionals who actively contribute to solving our most pressing scientific and societal challenges.
Research
Each summer, Proteges spend eleven weeks conducting original research in the ESS at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR), UCAR Community Programs (UCP), or the laboratories of other NSF SOARS partners. By the end of the summer, Proteges will have a final writing deliverable (e.g., paper, proposal, policy brief, etc.), share their research as an oral presentation, and present a scientific poster.
Mentoring
To help Proteges succeed, NSF SOARS offers each student up to five mentors: a research mentor, a writing mentor, a computing mentor, a community coach, and a peer mentor. Research shows that this comprehensive, multi-dimensional mentoring is a key contributor to the continued personal and professional success in STEM (Nicholson et al. 2017; Smell and Newman 2020; Moore 2021).
Community
NSF SOARS encompasses a community of students, program alumni, and mentors who learn together. Our Proteges form professional and personal relationships, and build the leadership and communication skills to sustain those relationships through the program’s professional development series. Proteges are encouraged to grow not only as researchers but as leaders who view science as an opportunity to contribute to a better world.
Disclaimer
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
References
Nicholson, Brittany A.; Pollock, Meagen; Ketcham, Caroline J.; Fitz Gibbon, Heather M.; Bradley, Evan D.; and Bata, Michelle, "Beyond the Mentor-Mentee Model: A Case for Multi-Mentoring in Undergraduate Research" (2017). PURM, . Retrieved from https://openworks.wooster.edu/facpub/373
Smell, Adrianna, and Harmony Newman. “Multi-Tiered Mentorship Models: Increasing Learning Outcomes of Underserved Populations.” Journal of Applied Social Science, vol. 14, no. 1, 2020, pp. 23–39. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27100154.
Moore, Erika. "One mentor isn’t enough: Here’s how I built a network of mentors. Science Careers." Science Careers, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.caredit.abi6939