Addressing the Challenges of Graduate and Post-graduate Training in the Geosciences

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Addressing the Challenges of Graduate and
Post-graduate Training in the Geosciences

• Margaret Leinen
• Assistant Director for Geosciences
• National Science Foundation
• Ocean Sciences Meeting, 2006

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Most NSF Ocean Science grants provide support for
graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
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Challenges for successful geoscience career
development at the graduate and post-graduate
levels

• increasing recruitment and retention of members
  of underrepresented groups in geoscience careers
• career skills needed to succeed in a variety of
  career pathways
• providing postdoctoral appointees with essential
  professional skills other than research
  capability
• evaluating which programs and practices are most
  effective at each stage in producing successful
  geoscientists

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Broadening participationin the geosciences
PhD degrees received by minorities in selected
disciplines
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The number of PhDs awarded to minorities in the
geosciences from 1994 - 2003
Total in 10-year period (322) Hispanics
133 Asian/Pac Islanders 106 African
Americans 62 Amer Indians Alaskan
Natives
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total
Data from NSF Science and Engineering Indicators
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BS degrees received by minorities in selected
disciplines
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GEO programs to broaden participation

• Opportunities to Enhance Participation in the
  Geosciences (OEDG)
• Supports students directly through mentoring and
  networking activities
• Provides resources to minority-serving
  undergraduate and graduate institution faculty
• Fosters partnerships between minority and
  majority institutions and faculty
• Broadens the visibility of the geosciences within
  underrepresented communities

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GEO programs to broaden participation

• Geosciences Education Track 2 Awards
• Connects proven GEO diversity projects with
  LSAMP, CREST, and AGEP partners
• Programs within Ocean Sciences
• Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence
  (COSEE)
• REU Sites

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Providing career path skillsto doctoral
students NSF Programs

• Integrative Graduate Education and Research
  Traineeships (IGERT)
• Catalyzes cultural changes in graduate education,
  for students, faculty, and institutions, by
  establishing innovative new models for graduate
  education that transcend traditional disciplinary
  boundaries

• Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
  (GK-12)
• Fellowships and training in K-12 instruction to
  improve students communication and teaching
  skills while enriching STEM instruction in K-12
  schools
• Encourages institutions of higher education to
  include partnerships with K-12 schools that are
  of mutual benefit to their faculties and students

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Studies of postdoctoral policies and practices

• Postdoctoral Appointments Policies and
  PracticesNSF Workshop Report (March 2005)
  (http//www.MerrimackLLC.com/2004/postdoc-workshop
  .html)
• Doctors Without Orders May-June 2005 Special
  Supplement to American Scientist, by Geoff Davis
  (http//postdoc.sigmaxi.org/results/)
• Recommendations for Postdoctoral Policies and
  Practices National Postdoctoral Association
  (http//www.nationalpostdoc.org)

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Areas of concern highlighted by studies

• Mentor relationships and career advice
• Compensation and benefits
• Institutional support

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Sigma Xi survey correlates of success for
post-docs

• Structured oversight
• Written research and career development plan with
  advisor and postdoc responsibilities specified
• Formal performance reviews
• Formal and informal training opportunities
• Research ethics, proposal writing, writing
  skills, teaching skills, negotiating skills, and
  group or lab management
• Education and public outreach

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GEO support for post-graduate careers and
feedback from recent PhDs
Examples of programs for recent PhDs Dissertation
Symposium in Chemical Oceanography
(DISCO) Physical Oceanography Dissertation
Symposium (PODS) Dissertation Initiative for the
Advancement of Limnology and Oceanography
(DIALOG) DISsertations Initiative for the
advancement of Climate Change ReSearch
(DISCCRS) Participants are concerned about their
preparation for careers and desire Experience in
non-research aspects of professional careers
Mentoring and exposure to professionals who can
provide support in these other areas of career
development
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Expectations for NSF post-doctoral support

• Proposals requesting postdoc support should
• Identify plans for effectively recruiting members
  of underrepresented groups for postdoctoral
  appointments
• Demonstrate the PIs commitment to fostering the
  career development activities of postdocs and to
  allocating time for these efforts
• Outline a specific plan to provide mentoring and
  advisement to postdocs
• Document postdoc mentoring and training efforts
  in annual and final reports as part of broader
  impacts activities

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Beyond the post-doc NSF early career
development awards(CAREER Program)

• Enables the early career development activities
  of faculty most likely to become academic leaders
• Awardees selected on the basis of their plans to
  develop highly integrative and effective research
  and education careers
• Increased participation of those traditionally
  under-represented in science and engineering
  encouraged
• http//www.nsf.gov/career

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Ocean Science CAREER awards
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Evaluating successful programs

• We want to hear from those who have developed
  successful strategies for addressing these
  challenges in doctoral and postdoctoral training
• We expect to hear about the results of
  educational efforts as well as science in annual
  and final progress reports under broader
  impacts
• Measures of success should focus on the process
  of preparing graduate students and postdocs for
  their careers, not only on the end products
  (degrees and positions)

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Examples of activities that might be reported

• Career development opportunities
• Formal training activities
• Mentorship
• Broadening participation
• Providing access to career alternative experiences

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Best practices for geoscience graduate student
and post-doc training

• Provide students and postdocs access to training
  and education and opportunities to acquire career
  skills needed to succeed in a variety of career
  pathways, including
• Provide access to appropriate support and mentors
• Develop plans for recruitment and outreach to
  members of under-represented groups and access to
  appropriate support and mentors
• Reflection and evaluation of programs and
  practices that are most effective at each stage
  in producing successful geoscientists

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