GeoSPACE field program honored with national award for advancing inclusive STEM education
The University of Florida’s GeoSPACE field program has received the 2025 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Award for Advancing Inclusive Excellence in STEM, a national recognition honoring programs that expand diversity, equity and inclusion in the Earth and space sciences.
Developed by a team of UF educators and collaborators across the country, GeoSPACE is the first geoscience field camp designed specifically to be accessible and inclusive for students and faculty with disabilities and for those facing life circumstances such as chronic illnesses, injuries, careers or caregiving responsibilities, that can make traditional field work difficult.
“Field training is central to the geosciences, but historically it hasn’t been accessible to everyone,” said Anita Marshall, Ph.D., UF geologist and project lead. “The original goal of GeoSPACE was to show that there is a better, more inclusive way to teach and learn field geology. Seeing our students thrive in graduate school and careers after struggling to find accessible paths into the discipline as undergraduates has been incredibly rewarding. This award is especially meaningful because it recognizes the team effort behind the project and lasting impact of the program.”
GeoSPACE combines two weeks of fieldwork in northern Arizona with an innovative virtual participation option allowing students to engage in planetary geology, geophysics, volcanology and field skills from anywhere. Beyond the coursework, the program fosters a strong mentoring network to support students well beyond their time in the field.
The initiative is led by Marshall in partnership with UF faculty Amy Williams, Ph.D., Stephen Elardo, Ph.D. as well as graduate student McKayla Meier, and UF alumnus Yesenia Arroyo with Southeastern Universities Research Association. The team also included colleagues from The University of Hawaii, Hilo, Arizona State University, Central Connecticut State University, The Open University and CUNY Staten Island.
With this award, the GeoSPACE team joins a distinguished group of scientists and educators recognized by AGU for transforming how science is taught, communicated and applied. Honorees will be celebrated at AGU2025 in New Orleans in December.
