Minority PhDs in Physics: 20% Representation and a Plan to Address This

Transcription

1 APS April Meeting Mayday, 2011 Anaheim, CA Minority PhDs in Physics: 20% Representation and a Plan to Address This Theodore Hodapp American Physical Society Director of Education and Diversity

2 Joint Diversity Statement 08.2 JOINT DIVERSITY STATEMENT (Adopted by APS, NSBP, NSHP in 2008) To ensure a productive future for science and technology in the United States, we must make physics more inclusive. The health of physics requires talent from the broadest demographic pool. Underrepresented groups constitute a largely untapped intellectual resource and a growing segment of the U.S. population. Therefore, we charge our membership with increasing the numbers of underrepresented minorities in physics in the pipeline and in all professional ranks, with becoming aware of barriers to implementing this change, and with taking an active role in organizational and institutional efforts to bring about such change. We call upon legislators, administrators, and managers at all levels to enact policies and promote budgets that will foster greater diversity in physics. We call upon employers to pursue recruitment, retention and promotion of underrepresented minority physicists at all ranks and to create a work environment that encourages inclusion. We call upon the physics community as a whole to work collectively to bring greater diversity wherever physicists are educated or employed , T. Hodapp: hodapp@aps.org 2

3 Minority Bachelor Degrees , T. Hodapp: 3

4 Minorities in Higher Education 40% 35% ~1.5M All Physics 30% URM Percentage 25% 20% 15% ~200k 10% ~450 ~35 ~12 5% 0% College Age Population All Bachelor Degrees Physics Bachelor Degrees Physics Doctoral Degrees Physics Faculty , T. Hodapp: 4

5 Minorities in Physics Education 10% ~450 URM Fraction 8% 6% 4% 2% ~35 ~12 0% Bachelor Degree Doctoral Degree Faculty , T. Hodapp: 5

6 50% URM Physics PhDs Normalized to Minority Population URM Physics PhDs 40% 30% 20% 10% 100% would indicate full participation by minorities 31 PhDs awarded to URMs in % Year Sources: IPEDS Completion survey by race, US Census , T. Hodapp: 6

7 Percentage of Minorities 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Computer Science Bachelor and PhD STEM Degrees BS PhD Chemistry Biology Engineering Math and Stats Physics Source: IPEDS Completion survey by race Physics , T. Hodapp: 7

8 Bachelor and PhD Physics Degrees 18% 80% 16% 70% Percentage of Total Physics Degrees 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% Bachelor Doctorate 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 2% 10% 0% Asian American Hispanic American African American Native American White/Caucasian 0% Sources: IPEDS Completion survey by race, US Census , T. Hodapp: 8

9 Physics Majors 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% African American at HBCU Hispanic American at HSI URM at MSI , T. Hodapp: 9

10 Steering Committee J.D. Garcia (University of Arizona) Yolanda George (AAAS) Wendell Hill (University of Maryland, College Park) Anthony Johnson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) Ramon Lopez (UT Arlington) Steve McGuire (Southern University) Cherry Murray, chair (Harvard, APS President 2009) APS Staff Ted Hodapp Peter Muhoro (Project Manager) Arlene Modeste Knowles Sara Webb , T. Hodapp: 10

11 Project Activities ( ) Visited ~15 institutions where URM get BS degrees Met, listened to students and faculty Recruit ~10 research universities to begin discussions of what can be done, and how programs can mesh Understand existing programs (e.g., Fisk-Vanderbilt, Columbia, Michigan, Timbuktu Academy, AGEP) Gather data on why physics minority undergrads choose not to pursue PhDs Several exploratory meetings with various groups June 2010 gathering of students, faculty, funders Shape ideas of how to move forward , T. Hodapp: 11

12 Barriers for URM Physics Majors to Transition to Doctoral Programs Unavailable coursework Late start in major English proficiency Impedance mismatch in advising Lack of confidence GRE subject preparation Admissions policies Cultural isolation , T. Hodapp: 12

13 Project Goals Bring minority PhD graduation rate into parity with bachelor rate (roughly double) in 10 years Spawn sustainable Bridge programs (~5) Transitional Master s Post-bac year(s) Improve mentoring / support at doctoral institutions (~20) Spread best-practice ideas, advocate on issues Change physics department culture to improve graduate education for all students Work collectively / centrally (APS) where actions are appropriate and cost-effective , T. Hodapp: hodapp@aps.org 13

14 Key Components Faculty site leader Doctoral-Granting Institution (DGI) visits to Minority- Serving Institutions (MSI) Committee on Minorities (COM) climate site visit Review of graduate admissions process DGI faculty sensitization Mentoring of students Monitoring student progress Resource commitment Active recruiting / advocacy by APS Establish Bridge Institutions, Partnership Institutions , T. Hodapp: hodapp@aps.org 14

15 Bridge Types Masters degree as a transition to PhD Take advanced UG and entry-level graduate coursework Do research with doctoral faculty Demonstrate ability to do independent research and succeed in graduate-level coursework Become known to graduate faculty Separate doctoral-level admissions Receive graduate-assistantship Post-baccalaureate year Similar attributes to Masters program, but not formally admitted Begin research in summer , T. Hodapp: hodapp@aps.org 15

16 Letters of Support Received Letters California State University, Long Beach Chicago State University Dillard University Florida International University Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology National Society of Black Physicists Spelman College Southern University Stanford University Texas State University University of Arizona University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of Colorado University of Michigan University of Puerto Rico, Humacao University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez University of Texas, El Paso University of Texas, Austin Xavier University of Louisiana Promised Letters Columbia University Florida Education Fund Morehouse College New Mexico State University University of Maryland University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras University of Texas, San Antonio Expected Letters Vanderbilt University Fisk University National Society of Hispanic Physicists , T. Hodapp: 16

17 Timeline Visit MSIs (AY 09/10) Meeting with Bridge Programs (November 2009) Meeting of DGIs (February 2010) Workshop with MSI faculty, URM students, DGI representatives (June 2010) Further discussions (Fall 2010) Proposal writing / fundraising (Spring 2011) Funded project start (Spring 2012) First students (Fall 2012) First PhDs (2019) , T. Hodapp: hodapp@aps.org 17

18 PhysTEC Member Institutions Washington committed to improving the education of physics and physical science teachers Maine Montana North Dakota Oregon California Nevada Idaho Utah Wyoming Colorado South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Minnesota Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Illinois Indiana Ohio Kentucky W.Va. Pa. Virginia New York N.J. Del. North Carolina Vt. N.H. Mass. R.I. Conn. Md. Washington, D.C. Arizona New Mexico Texas Oklahoma Arkansas La. Miss. Tennessee Alabama Georgia South Carolina Hawaii Florida , T. Hodapp: hodapp@aps.org 18