John Hash / Carlton Lloyd
GeoFORCE is an educational model that gives students from socioeconomically disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds an opportunity to explore STEM through Earth processes. GeoFORCE recruits talented and diverse students – rising 9th graders to students entering their first semester of college – from across Texas to participate in week-long educational academies. GeoFORCE students and staff develop cognitively, affectively, socially, and professionally through student-centered learning practices, active-learning strategies, scientific teaching, and a robust support network of staff and mentors. Due to the demographics GeoFORCE serves, GeoFORCE may be used as a model to tackle systemic, institutional, departmental, and classroom barriers for students from diverse backgrounds. GeoFORCE is a collaboration of individual donors, corporate sponsors, federal and state agencies, and academic institutions. This partnership provides an opportunity for individuals looking to assist the next generation of scientists in cultivating their sense of discovery, enhancing their self-efficacy, and developing an identity strongly aligned with the GeoFORCE experience, JSG, UT Austin, and STEM as a community.
John Hash: John is from San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Government and History. Before joining GeoFORCE, John worked with Advise TX as a College Adviser at Roosevelt HS in San Antonio, where he assisted students in SAT/ACT Prep, College Applications and Financial Aid. John has been a GeoFORCE Coordinator for over 10 summers. He is a GEAR-UP partner and leads budgeting, safety, and communication with professional mentors for the summer academies.
Carlton Lloyd: Carlton earned his BA in Geology from the University of Colorado Boulder with an emphasis on thermochronology, and his Master’s specializes in geoscience education research, specifically bridge programs (i.e., GeoFORCE). Prior to his education at CU, he served in the Marine Corps for five years as an intelligence specialist, taught as a wilderness skills instructor at a youth camp, and served as a backpacking guide in the Sierra. He has worked in STEM and youth education for over five years, ranging from 2nd grade to undergraduate students. He leads educational content development and research initiatives.