Rising TIDES Collaborations

SEAS Islands Alliance

CERF is a proud collaborator of the SEAS Islands Alliance program. 

The SEAS Islands Alliance works to broaden participation and possibilities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education through inclusion of nuanced cultural expertise from diverse underrepresented and underserved populations in U.S. territories and U.S.-affiliated islands. Island regions are strongly connected to the oceans that surround them and are among the country’s most diverse communities. The Alliance works to collaborate with these communities to broaden participation of the STEM workforce.

The SEAS Islands Alliance supports students from underrepresented groups in environmental and ocean sciences by illuminating a full career pathway and increases sense of belonging in STEM by connecting them to each other and to STEM professionals and mentors, across island hubs.

The Alliance is funded by the National Science Foundation INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) program.

Find more information at: https://www.seasislandsalliance.org/

Coastal, Ocean, and Marine Enterprise Inclusion and Network-building

CERF has partnered with Virginia Sea Grant, Oregon Sea Grant, and Georgia Sea Grant on the Coastal, Ocean, and Marine Enterprise Inclusion and Network-building (COME-IN). This project focuses on developing a national “ecosystem” that nurtures the growth, persistence, and success of diverse students in the coastal, ocean, and marine (COM) science enterprise. This project was sponsored by an NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) Planning Grant (Award # 2040795).

SACNAS Conference

CERF, in collaboration with the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS), hosts a booth at the annual "National Diversity in STEM Conference," hosted by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). CERF’s attendance at SACNAS and, specifically, the exhibition booth, allows us to inform many underrepresented and underserved minority students in aquatic sciences about CERF and Rising TIDES.

In 2018, CERF supported Rising TIDES fellow Johnny Quispe (Rutgers University) to attend SACNAS on behalf of CERF. Johnny writes:

On the first day of SACNAS, those of us assigned to manage the CASS booth devised a plan to attract students to our booth by posting the CASS bookmark and booth location next to relevant symposium boards. This strategy paid dividends as many students came to visit us wondering who we were and how they could get more involved. During their visits, I had the opportunity to engage with students and inform them of the many opportunities that CERF has for students of all stages. I made it a point to ask them what brought them to SACNAS year after year and if they would consider coming to our next CERF meeting. The majority of the students I interacted with at SACNAS hadn’t heard of CERF, but were eager to see how they could get involved upon hearing of the opportunities available for professional and student development, the Rising TIDES program, and CERF’s dedication to successful mentorship. I was able to speak firsthand of my experience as a Rising TIDES recipient and first-time attendee at the CERF 2017 meeting. The Rising TIDES program provided an opportunity for me to interact with other students and professors that would help shape my dissertation and my involvement with this professional society. My hope is that students are able to find a home within the CERF community that not only provides an opportunity for intellectual growth but personal growth as well.