What I did for my summer vacation

Keith Clay

Room 323

sabbatical

What I had planned:

Calculus Physics

Algebra Physics

Statistics with AIP

K12 Schools

What really happened:

Calculus Physics

Algebra Physics

Statistics with AIP

K12 Schools

What I am talking about today:

Calculus Physics

Algebra Physics

Statistics with AIP

K12 SchoolsK12 Schools

Statistics with AIP

Algebra Physics

Calculus Physics

What “Statistical Research Center” of “American Institute of Physics” does:

They are statisticians (not physicists) They collect data about physicists…

…and other scientists… and science education. Physicists make up their Advisory Council They study: jobs in industry… education…

high school teachers… grad schools… community awareness… and…

Ethnicity, Gender, and the Physics Community

Results from the Statistical Research Center of AIP

(Humbly reported by Keith Clay of GRCC)

Why should we care about women and minorities in physics?Race and gender equity in physics is awful.

Could this teach us about other equity problems? Could physicists be an “indicator species”? What should we tell our young girls? Our black

and Latino children? Can we figure out how we’re failing? Is the situation hopeless?

Success or failure in physics influences success in many other fields.

DISCLAIMERS

1. I am a white male.

2. I am not a statistician.

3. I did not collect the data.

4. Statistics can only hint at causes.

5. As an advisor to SRC@AIP I would gladly relay suggestions to AIP staff.

GENDER: Part OneAre women “less able”?

Earlier this year…Harvard President Laurence Summers:

Perhaps we should investigate whether women are innately less able than men in math and science.

(paraphrased: the exact quote is not available)

GENDER: Part OneAre women “less able”?

Consider the case of Rachel Ivie Becomes Experimental Psychologist. Emphasizes statistical research. Takes a job with SRC at AIP. Dec. 2004:

Authors study on women in physics. Prepares for long winter’s nap.

Jan. 2005:Summers makes

asinine statement!The next day:Time, Newsweek, NYT, Washington

Post, and NPR descend on AIP!

GENDER: Part OneAre women “less able”? The best conclusion of the SRC@AIP... … based on all available data… … after months of investigation…

“no”

GENDER: Part TwoAre women less successful?

Do women fail or drop-out more than men? Is discrimination statistically visible? None of this data comes from pre-high school Most of the data is in physics All of the data is in academia

GENDER: Part TwoAre women less successful?

Percent of physics bachelor's and PhDs earned by women, 1975 to 2003.

AIP Statistical Research Center: Enrollments and Degrees Survey.

75 80 85 90 950

4

8

12

16

20

24

Bachelor's

PhD

Year of Degree

03

Percent

GENDER: Part TwoAre women less successful?

1987 1990 1993 1997 2001

39%41%

43%

47% 46%

Girls as a percentage of total enrollment in high school physics over time

Percent of Bachelor’s Degrees Earned by Women in Selected Fields, 1966-2001.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics. Data for Academic Year 1999 were not available. Compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center.

1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 19960%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

ALL FIELDSBIOLOGICAL SCICHEMISTRYCOMPUTER SCIMATHEMATICSPHYSICSENGINEERING

2001

1920 19301930 19401940 19501950 19601960 19701970 19801980 1990 20031920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 19800

10

20

30

40

50

All Fields

PhysicalSciences

Physics

Year of Degree

Percent

Percent of PhDs awarded to women in selected fields, 1920-2003.

National Research Council, National Opinion Research Center , and National Science Foundation. Data compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center.

5

25

45

60

80

Actual and Expected Percentage of Women and Men in Physics in the US

Actual 2001, 2002

Expected is based on percent bachelor's degrees in the past

High schoolstudents

Bachelor'sdegrees

PhDdegrees

AssistantProfessors

AssociateProfessors

FullProfessors

Men

Women

Source: AIP Statistical Research Center

GENDER: Part TwoAre women less successful?

They have fewer numbers, but… On average they succeed (about) as often All trends are positive (except comp. sci.) “Upper levels” mirror earlier “lower levels” The “Leaky Pipeline” doesn’t leak much We’re now at 46% in high school

ETHNICITY: Do “equal skills” lead to “equal success”?Preamble:

Using self-identified ethnic classifications…

Observations on math and science: Average performance of Caucasian and

Asian Americans is at one level. Average performance of African and Latino

Americans is at another.

When (maybe why?) do differences appear?

ETHNICITY:How can we judge equal skills?

Likelihood of Earning a Bachelor’s Degree vs. Mathematics Scores in Senior Year of H.S.

Standardized Math % Earning a Bachelor’s Scores Test, (decile) within the next 8 years

=============== ===============Highest 79 9th 63 8th 47 7th 40 6th 32

Lower 8

Average 32

Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded by Field and Race, Class of 2001 (NSF & AIP)

African

American %

Hispanic

American %

Total

Number

Psychology 10 8 74,124

Computer Science 10 5 43,597

Business & Management

9 8 275,287

Chemistry 8 7 9,815

Biological Sciences 8 7 62,010

Mathematics & Statistics

7 5 11,437

Education 7 6 118,492

Engineering 8 7 71,825

Physics 4 4 3,447

Geosciences 1 4 3,968

TOTAL 8 7 1,260,308

TopQuartile

3rd

2nd

BottomQuartile

African-Americans

All otherstudents

61%

24%

27%

4%

66%

39%

17%

3%

Likelihood of earning a bachelor's degree by 2000, African-Americans compared to all others.

100% 50% 0% 0% 50% 100%

Source: NCES National Education Longitudinal Survey 1988, compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center

Math Testscore '92

Percent earning a bachelor's degree by 2000

TopQuartile

3rd

2nd

BottomQuartile

Hispanic-Americans

All otherstudents

47%

24%

12%

3%

67%

39%

19%

4%

Likelihood of earning a bachelor's degree by 2000, Hispanic-Americans compared to all others.

100% 50% 0% 0% 50% 100%

Math testscore '92

Percent earning a bachelor's degree by 2000

Obvious question: why are Latinos less successful than African-Americans?

Easier question to answer:

What helps African-Americans to succeed?

African American Bachelor’s in Physics

Universities that awarded the largest number of bachelor’s over last five years

African American 5-Year Totals 57 Xavier University (LA) 40 Lincoln University (PA) 39 Southern University A&M (LA) 25 Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University (AL) 22 Dillard University (LA) 22 Grambling State University (LA) 22 Hampton University (VA) 20 Benedict College (SC) 19 Jackson State University (MS) 19 Tuskegee University (AL) 18 Norfolk State University (VA) 17 Morehouse University (GA)

788 Total Number of African American physics bachelor’s from alldegree granting departments: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 & 2001

Source: AIP Statistical Research Center compiled from data collected by NCES

Hispanic-American Bachelor’s in Physics Universities that awarded the largest number of bachelor’s over the last five years

Hispanic-American five-year totals 48 University of Puerto Rico – Humacao University 37 University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez 21 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (FL) 15 University of California - Davis 14 University of California - Berkeley 12 Florida International University 11 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 10 University of Texas – El Paso 9 University of California – Los Angeles 9 Harvard University (MA) 9 Cornell University (NY) 9 Southwest Texas State University 642 Total number of Hispanic-American physicists from all degree-granting departments, five year total

What inspires African-Americans who succeed in physics?When asked for top 3 sources of inspiration…

40% refer to an African-American teacher of a subject other than physics

20% cite inspiration from a white teacher Very few cite a white physics teacher.

Even at HBCU’s, most never seean African American physics teacher.

Pseudo-Conclusion

There are no definite conclusions. These studies are ongoing. AIP has accepted a huge research

grant from NAS so expansion into new research areas is unlikely in the immediate future.

And what about Green River? According to the American Association of

Physics Teachers 2005 report, SPIN-UP TYC: Best Practices of Physics Programs

“GRCC has strong minority and female student enrollments in all of its physics courses… GRCC has very high retention rates… students have performed extremely well on national assessment.”

We have no idea why, except…“The use of inquiry methods in all physics classes has

led to greater student retention and understanding.”