Cultivating the Underrepresented Majority for STEM: Its Not Just About the Numbers

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Cultivating the Underrepresented Majority for
STEM Its Not Just About the Numbers

• Shirley M. Malcom

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Demographics of STEM Workforce
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Evidence of Underparticipation Disaggregated
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A Decade of Degrees in Selected Fields,By Race /
Ethnicity
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A Decade of Degrees in Selected Fields, by
Sex(Includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent
Residents Only)
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Doctorate Recipients (U.S. Citizens Permanent
Residents, 2004)

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

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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 35.6Hispanic
  women 23.9Asian women 24American Indian
  women 25.1

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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.

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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

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The First African American Ph.D.

• Doctorate in Physics from Yale University in 1876

Edward Bouchet
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Basic Sciences OR the Practical Arts
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The Case of E.E. Just
Black Apollo of Scienceby Kenneth Manning
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Historic Role of HBCUs

• Source of employment
• Research opportunities
• Undergraduate preparation of future researchers
  (Baccalaureate origins)

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Post-Sputnik to Great Society
1957 Early 1970sFrom national need to civil
rights
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What difference does diversity make toscience
and engineering?
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Men, Women and the Story of Aspirin
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Health Disparities
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Science Policy

• Research priorities
• Whose needs? And who decides?
• Digital Divide, orDo some problems solve
  themselves?

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

• Education
• Research
• Policy
• Practice

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The Educational Value of Diversity