On September 11-12, 2020, CST Associate Director Catherine Riihimaki led a virtual workshop for the Department of Geological Sciences at UTEP. This first-of-its-kind workshop brought together UTEP faculty to create strategic action items to increase their student enrollment, engage students in research, and coordinate their curriculum. Ultimately, their goal is to become the preeminent geoscience program at a Hispanic Serving Institution, so that they can attract students from more diverse backgrounds to the geosciences.

Catherine is chair of the Traveling Workshops Program through the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. In-person workshops have been offered for many years, but this is the first virtual workshop offering. Lessons from this workshop will help inform a slate of programs that will occur virtually during the 2020-2021 academic year.