cultivating the underrepresented majority for stem: its not just about the numbers shirley m. malcom

Cultivating the Underrepresented Majority for STEM: It’s Not Just About the Numbers

Shirley M. Malcom


2

Demographics of STEM Workforce

Minority = Black/African American, Hispanic, and American Indian

Source: Joan Burrelli, NSF, based on 1999 Common Core of Data, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); NCES, 1998 IPEDS Fall Enrollment Survey; UCLA Higher Education Research Institute,1998 American Freshman Survey (estimate); and NCES, 1998 IPEDS Completions Survey


3

Evidence of Underparticipation — Disaggregated

Percentage Percentage PercentageSex, Race/Ethnicity

and DisabilitiesU.S. Population Total Workforce S&E Workforce

1999 1999 1999

White men 35.2 39.9 63.2White women 36.7 34.8 18.6Asian men 1.8 2.0 8.4Asian women 2 1.8 2.6Black men 5.7 4.9 2.1Black women 6.4 5.9 1.3Hispanic men 5.8 5.9 2.4Hispanic women 5.7 4.2 1.0American Indian men 0.4 N.A. 0.2American Indian women 0.4 N.A. 0.1Persons with Disabilities ~20 N.A. N.A.

Source: CPST, data derived from National Science Foundation, SESTAT and U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, March 1999, and NSB, 2002.Note: Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding.


4

A Decade of Degrees in Selected Fields,By Race / Ethnicity

72.5

65.5

84.2 75.9

84.6

79.1

77.2

79.8

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

19

94

20

04

19

94

20

02

19

94

20

04

19

94

20

03

African American Hispanic Native American Asian White

Source: CPST, data derived from AAMC, ABA, NCES and NSF

Medicine Business Law S&E


5

A Decade of Degrees in Selected Fields, by Sex(Includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents Only)

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

1994

2004

1994

2002

1994

2002

1994

2003

WomenMen

Medicine Law Business S&E PhDs

Source: CPST, data derived from AAMC, ABA, NSF and NCES


6

Doctorate Recipients (U.S. Citizens & Permanent Residents, 2004)


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Percent of Women Among All Earned Doctorates,by Field, 2004

FIELD TOTAL PERCENT

Physics & Astronomy 1,351 17.0

Chemistry 1,987 31.7

EAM 687 34.8

Mathematics 1,075 28.4

Computer Science 949 20.5

Engineering 5,776 17.6

Life Sciences 8,819 49.4

Psychology 3,336 67.3

Economics 960 29.4

Social Sciences, including Psychology

6,795 39.0


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Undergraduate STEM Trends, continued

• Increasing participation by women in all fields (at or near parity in total S/E, physical, mathematical and social sciences; above parity in biological sciences and psychology; below parity in engineering (20.3%) and computer science (27.3%)

• Minority women represent higher proportion of engineering degrees within race/ethnic group

White women – 18.2% of white total in 2001African American women – 35.6%Hispanic women – 23.9%Asian women – 24%American Indian women – 25.1%


9

Undergraduate STEM Trends, continued

• In 2001, African American women received a larger proportion of degrees than African American men in all fields except engineering (35.6%) and computer science (46.6%)

• Declining numbers of underrepresented minorities in engineering

• In 2001, HBCUs contributed disproportionate to their share of African American enrollees to degrees in physical sciences (44.8%), biological sciences (41.4%), mathematics (40.8%), agricultural sciences (46.4%), and computer science (29.8%), although that effect has modified since the early 1990s.


10

Science and Engineering as Human Activities

Reclaiming S & T


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Science & Technology as Reflections of Society

• Justifying social relationships

• Social Darwinism

• Mismeasure of Man

• Meeting societal needs

• Answering fundamental questions

• Reflecting status and power relationships


12

The First African American Ph.D.

Doctorate in Physics from Yale University in 1876

Edward Bouchet


13

Basic Sciences OR the Practical Arts


14

The Case of E.E. Just

Black Apollo of Scienceby Kenneth Manning


15

Historic Role of HBCUs

• Source of employment

• Research opportunities

• Undergraduate preparation of future researchers (Baccalaureate origins)


16

Post-Sputnik to Great Society

1957 – Early 1970s:From national need to civil rights


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What difference does diversity make toscience and engineering?


18

Men, Women and the Story of Aspirin


19


20

Health Disparities


21

Science Policy

• Research priorities

• Whose needs? And who decides?

• Digital Divide, or

“Do some problems solve themselves?”


22

How might S/E be different were there more minorities and women in these fields?

• Education

• Research

• Policy

• Practice


23

The Educational Value of Diversity

cultivating the underrepresented majority for stem: its not just about the numbers shirley m. malcom

Documents

underrepresented majority

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numbers shirley

undergraduate stem trends

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