Page 26 - i1052-5173-32-3-4

Who is a Geoscientist?

Who do you picture when you hear the word “geoscientist?” This helps participants see themselves and others like them as
For many, the image does not match who they see every day in geoscientists and increases confidence in their own abilities.
the mirror and in their communities. It is no secret that geoscience Yueyi Che, one of the OTF students who attended GSA Connects
is the least diverse of all the scientific fields. GSA is aware of this 2021 in Portland, Oregon, USA, shares:
disparity and has a long history of working to address it. One of
the ways GSA has endeavored to expand representation in the geo- My most vivid memory from GSA 2021 was the moment I spoke to
the microphone when I was on stage giving my first oral presentation.
sciences is through the On To the Future (OTF) program, which My voice sounded a bit high-pitched with occasionally a little giggle
was started at the 2013 annual meeting as a part of GSA’s 125th because I was shy and excited at the same time. The voice from the
celebration. Since then, more than 650 students have received microphone sounded just like me, but it sounded so unfamiliar to me.
OTF scholarships. At that moment, I realized that I have never associated the voice from
The OTF scholarship helps students who are underrepresented a podium with the sound of a young woman. I realized how deep the
stereotype of a scientist was embedded even within myself. That is
in the geosciences not only attend their first GSA annual meet- why we need to bring more diverse people to the podium. We need to
ing—through travel support and meeting registration—but also hear their voices more so we will be used to listening and sharing dif-
pairs students with a one-to-one mentor and provides opportuni- ferent perspectives. I think that is what a meeting is all about, bringing
ties to meet with GSA leadership. Mentors help the students navi- voices from around the world together to generate new ideas.
gate their first professional scientific meeting, provide career Recognizing the importance of the OTF program, one long-
advice, and introduce students to their networks. OTF students time, generous GSAF donor is committed to making sure other
also receive a one-year membership to GSA, which helps them people don’t run into the same problems they did when trying to
remain connected to the science and continue to build relation- become a geologist. Challenging fellow members, they will match
ships started at the meeting. one-to-one, up to US$10,000, every gift made to the On To the
Many OTF students and alumni have shared that being a part of Future scholarship (https://gsa-foundation.org/fund/on-to-the-
the OTF cohort introduced them to other people who are experi- future-fund/) between now and 30 June. Please consider making
encing the same challenges—imposter syndrome, feelings of iso- a gift today to provide students with an On To the Future scholar-
lation which have been exacerbated by the pandemic, lack of a ship (see https://gsa-foundation.org/donate/). Every gift helps stu-
network, lack of confidence in presentation skills, and no repre- dents become a part of the geoscience community with others like
sentation among faculty. And yet they are still doing geoscience. them and broadens the image of who a geoscientist is.

Yueyi Che presenting her research at GSA Connects 2021.

www.gsa-foundation.org

26 GSA TODAY | March-April 2022