Geoscience Education and Diversity

1
Geoscience Education and Diversity

• Dr. Jacqueline E. Huntoon, Program Director for
  Diversity and Education, Geosciences Directorate,
  National Science Foundation

2
To keep the geoscience workforce strong,
increases are needed in the

• numbers of graduates from post-baccalaureate
  programs,
• numbers of graduates from 2-year and 4-year
  degree programs,
• numbers enrolled in college-level courses, and
• interest in geoscience among pre-college students.

3
To keep the geoscience workforce responsive to
society, increases are needed in the

• visibility of geoscience and geoscientists,
• awareness of geoscience-related issues
  (particularly in communities with diverse
  populations), and
• diversity of geoscientists.

4
Source U.S. Census Bureau, 2004, "U.S. Interim
Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic
Origin," http//www.census.gov/ipc/www/usinterimpr
oj/.
5
Source U.S. Census Bureau, 2004, "U.S. Interim
Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic
Origin," http//www.census.gov/ipc/www/usinterimpr
oj/.
6
Data from NSF/SRS, Science and Engineering
Degrees 1966-2000, NSF 02-327, Author, Susan T.
Hill (Arlington, VA). Table 5. Tabulated by
NSF/SRS data from Dept. of Ed. Natl Center for
Ed. Statistics Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System Completions Survey.
7
Data from NSF/SRS, Science and Engineering
Degrees 1966-2000, NSF 02-327, Author, Susan T.
Hill (Arlington, VA). Table 12. Tabulated by
NSF/SRS data from Dept. of Ed. Natl Center for
Ed. Statistics Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System Completions Survey.
8
Data from NSF/SRS, Science and Engineering
Degrees 1966-2000, NSF 02-327, Author, Susan T.
Hill (Arlington, VA). Table 19. Tabulated by
NSF/SRS data from NSF/SRS Survey of Earned
Doctorates (Research Doctorates).
9
Note In this figure, minority includes Black,
American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Hispanic,
but does not include Asian or Pacific Islander,
Unknown and Other, White Non-Hispanic, or
Temporary Resident. Compiled from
http//caspar.nsf.gov - webCASPAR database. Data
from the Higher Education General Information
Survey (HEGIS) and NCES/IPEDS.
10
Note In this figure, minority includes Black,
American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Hispanic,
but does not include Asian or Pacific Islander,
Unknown and Other, White Non-Hispanic, or
Temporary Resident. Compiled from
http//caspar.nsf.gov - webCASPAR database. Data
from the Higher Education General Information
Survey (HEGIS) and NCES/IPEDS.
11
Note In this figure, minority includes Black,
American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Hispanic,
but does not include Asian or Pacific Islander,
Unknown and Other, White Non-Hispanic, or
Temporary Resident. Compiled from
http//caspar.nsf.gov - webCASPAR database. Data
from the Higher Education General Information
Survey (HEGIS) and NCES/IPEDS.
12
Note In this figure, minority includes Black,
American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Hispanic,
but does not include Asian or Pacific Islander,
Unknown and Other, White Non-Hispanic, or
Temporary Resident. Compiled from
http//caspar.nsf.gov - webCASPAR database. Data
from the Higher Education General Information
Survey (HEGIS) and NCES/IPEDS.
13
Note In this figure, minority includes Black,
American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Hispanic,
but does not include Asian or Pacific Islander,
Unknown and Other, White Non-Hispanic, or
Temporary Resident. Compiled from
http//caspar.nsf.gov - webCASPAR database. Data
from the Higher Education General Information
Survey (HEGIS) and NCES/IPEDS.
14
Note In this figure, minority includes Black,
American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Hispanic,
but does not include Asian or Pacific Islander,
Unknown and Other, White Non-Hispanic, or
Temporary Resident. Compiled from
http//caspar.nsf.gov - webCASPAR database. Data
from the Higher Education General Information
Survey (HEGIS) and NCES/IPEDS.
15
Data from NSF webCASPAR database
(http//caspar.nsf.gov), derived from IPEDS data.
Identical to data presented in Science and
Engineering Degrees 1966-2000, NSF 2-327, Susan
T. Hill.
16
Data from NSF webCASPAR database
(http//caspar.nsf.gov), derived from IPEDS data.
Identical to data presented in Science and
Engineering Degrees 1966-2000, NSF 2-327, Susan
T. Hill.
17
Data from NSF/SRS, Science and Engineering
Degrees 1966-2000, NSF 02-327, Author, Susan T.
Hill (Arlington, VA). Tables 21 and 23. Tabulated
by NSF/SRS data from NSF/SRS Survey of Earned
Doctorates (Research Doctorates).
18
Data tabulated by National Science
Foundation/Division of Science Resources
Statistics data from Department of
Education/National Center for Education
Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System Completions Survey, Table 40. B.S.
degrees from NCES/IPEDS.
19
Data tabulated by National Science
Foundation/Division of Science Resources
Statistics data from Department of
Education/National Center for Education
Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System Completions Survey, Table 40. M.S.
degrees from NCES/IPEDS.
20
Data tabulated by National Science
Foundation/Division of Science Resources
Statistics data from Department of
Education/National Center for Education
Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System Completions Survey, Table 40. Ph.D.
degrees from NSF/SRS Survey of Earned Doctorates.
21
Effective Strategies

• Show relevance applications related to modern,
  technologically savvy, increasingly urban and
  industrialized world.
• Build partnerships between universities,
  community colleges, K-12 teachers and guidance
  counselors, families, and communities to address
  pipeline issues.
• Promote mentoring relationships among scientists,
  educators, and students.

22
Effect of NSF Undergraduate Research Programs
Source SRI International URO survey, 2003.
23
Source SRI International URO survey, 2003.
24
Source SRI International PI/mentor URO surveys,
2003.
25
Effective Strategies

• Provide financial support to facilitate
  participation in the geosciences among all
  members of the diverse U.S. population.
• Publicize traditional and non-traditional
  geoscience career opportunities.

26
Geoscience Careers

• Geoscientists
• Work at remote field sites is common.
• Federal, State, and local governments employ
  nearly one-half of all geoscientists.
• A bachelors degree is adequate for a few
  entry-level jobs, but a masters degree is
  usually the minimum educational requirement a
  Ph.D. degree is required for most high-level
  research positions.
• Employment of geoscientists and atmospheric
  scientists is expected to grow as fast as average
  (increase 10-20 from 2002-2012), while
  environmental scientists and hydrologists will
  experience faster than average growth (21-35).

From National Bureau of Labor Statistics, data do
not include college and university faculty. The
geoscience category includes geoscientists,
hydrologists, and environmental scientists. The
geoscience category does not include atmospheric
scientists.
27
Geoscience Careers

• Employment trends
• 30 in architectural, engineering, and related
  services
• 15 in oil and gas extraction companies.
• 3,000 in federal government (USDOI, USGS, DOD)
• 3,400 in state governmental agencies
• 3 self-employed, as consultants to industry or
  government

From National Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
geoscience category as used here does not include
atmospheric scientists, environmental scientists,
hydrologists, or college and university faculty.
Data for 2002.
28
Geoscience Careers

• Environmental scientists, geoscientists,
  hydrologists, and atmospheric scientists held
  about 108,700 jobs in 2002.
• Environmental scientists 65,000
• Geoscientists 28,000
• Hydrologists 8,000
• Atmospheric Scientists 7,700

From National Bureau of Labor Statistics.
29
Geoscience Careers

• Median for Geoscientists 67,470
• Starting Salaries
• Bachelors Degree 32,828
• Masters Degree 47,981
• Doctorate Degree 61,050

National Bureau of Labor Statistics Data for
2002. Values shown here are for geoscientists as
classified by the National Bureau of Labor
Statistics and do not include environmental
scientists, hydrologists, atmospheric scientists,
or college and university faculty.
30
Conclusions

• Women and minorities who enter the geosciences
  tend to stay in the field at a higher rate than
  do students in other sciences (except Psychology
  and Social Sciences).
• High-paying career opportunities in the
  geosciences exist, but need to be better
  publicized.