Geoscience COVID-19 Survey

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Impacts of COVID-19 on the Geoscience Enterprise: 
How Permanent Will Academic Program and Workforce Changes Be?

Purpose

The American Geosciences Institute is conducting a multi-year study to capture the nature and extent of impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the geoscience workforce and academic programs. This study aims to understand how geoscience employers and educational institutions are changing their workplace and instructional environments and to discover which of these changes will become permanent.

A brief online survey is sent to study participants once a month and takes only a few minutes to complete. Results from the study will be reported only in aggregate and in a manner that ensures the confidentiality of the responses.

This study is open to those who lead geoscience companies, organizations, or academic departments, and to all geoscientists, including students, retired, and those not currently employed, who reside in the United States, and are at least 18 years old. Study participants who participate as individuals are asked about their current employment or enrollment status, geoscience-related activities, and other factors which may be impacted by the current crisis. Study participants who lead geoscience companies, organizations, or academic departments are asked to provide information about impacts to their organization’s work or instructional environment, business operations, and other factors which may be impacted by the current crisis.

Funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation (Award #2029570). The results and interpretation of the survey are the views of the American Geosciences Institute and not those of the National Science Foundation.

Benefits

While there may not be any immediate benefits for participants, there would be indirect benefits. This study will provide a cohort-level understanding of the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had upon the geoscience workforce and geoscience academic programs. The information provided by participants will be valuable in helping geoscience academic institutions, geoscience employers and decision makers to understand the structural changes to the geoscience enterprise from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participate in the study

Individuals

Study participants who are individuals reside in the United States and are at least 18 years old, and either are pursuing a geoscience degree or have a background in geoscience and/or are working within the geoscience profession. This cohort of study participants includes geoscience students, unemployed geoscientists, geoscience academic faculty, K-12 faculty teaching geoscience, geoscience post-doctoral fellows, non-academic geoscientists, and retired geoscientists.

Geoscience employers

Study participants who represent geoscience employers reside in the United States, are at least 18 years old, have a leadership position within their organization, and work for an organization that employs geoscientists.

Academic departments

Study participants who represent geoscience academic departments reside in the United States, are at least 18 years old, and have a leadership position within their department, such as a department head or department chair position.

Self-employed geoscientists

Study participants who are self-employed geoscientists may participate as either individuals or as geoscience employers.

Outreach Partners

Thank you to the following organizations for helping to increase awareness of and participation in this study.

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