Assessing opportunities and inequities in undergraduate ecological forecasting education

Ecological forecasting (EF) has become important for predicting the future state of

ecosystems and their services and offers a promising approach for introducing a diverse

group of researchers to quantitative methods in ecology. Making ecological forecasts that

address complex, real-world problems requires a diverse, quantitatively-trained EF

workforce, which begins with equitably training students in EF and quantitative skills at the

undergraduate level. Understanding the current undergraduate curriculum landscape in

ecology and environmental sciences (EES) allows for targeted interventions to improve

equitable educational opportunities. To characterize the current state of forecasting

education, we compiled existing resources for teaching and learning EF at three curriculum

levels (open-access, online resources, OAORs; U.S. university courses on EF; and U.S.

university courses on topics related to EF). We found persistent patterns (1) in what topics

are taught to U.S. undergraduate students at each of the curriculum levels; and (2) in the

accessibility of resources, in terms of course availability at higher education institutions in

the U.S. We developed and implemented programs to increase the accessibility and

comprehensiveness of EF undergraduate education, including initiatives to engage

specifically with Native American undergraduates and open-access resources for learning

quantitative concepts at the undergraduate level. Such steps enhance the capacity of EF to

be more inclusive and expose more students to quantitative training.