Abstract of "Chapter 5-Promoting Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in Science and Engineering"
Author(s):
Joan Sherry and Linda Skidmore Dix
This chapter discussed some model graduate and postdoctoral interventions sponsored by professional societies, universities and private foundations, companies and federal government agencies. The wide spectrum of programs discussed included:
- studies on the processes by which men and women move through graduate school activities.
- review of the initiatives (not necessarily interventions) which provide benefits to older professionals, as well as students, e.g. professional societies.
- systemic approaches (such as teacher training programs) which include training on sensitivity to gender issues.
- grassroots efforts, effective programs that may benefit the creator much more than the populations to whom they are directed.
Interventions Sponsored by Professional Societies
Professional Societies, e.g. Graduate Women in Science, are important for promoting women in science and engineering. They:
- offer a forum for recognizing outstanding performance by women professionals in science and engineering fields.
- provide a communication network for women.
- provide financial aid to undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral women.
- offer career advancement training, seminars, and technical workshops.
- allow the development of managerial and administrative skills.
Interventions Sponsored by Universities
Interventions sponsored by universities involved interaction with students at all levels, undergraduate, graduate, administration and faculty. Sherry and Dix stated that linkages were achieved in three different ways:
- Administrative/functional -- centralized management of fellowships, access programs, faculty, and teaching assistant (TA) training.
- Institutional -- the creation of structures within the university that encourage the interaction of populations and levels (e.g. Graduate Outreach Workshop at the University of Missouri-Columbia, a program designed to increase high-school students' interests in the career fields of science and engineering)
- Consortial -- through programs implemented at numerous institutional sites and coordinated by an external organization (e.g. GEM Engineering/Science Fellowship Program).
Interventions Sponsored by the Private Sector
The authors indicated that there were several private institutions willing to sponsor U.S. students pursuing degrees in the sciences and engineering. They highlighted programs by the Ford Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The authors stated that these programs intervene in two ways:
- The foundations provide scholarships and fellowships to individuals who demonstrate not only ability in mathematics, physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences, but also those who are traditionally underrepresented in these fields. There are also jointly sponsored programs in which the universities provide full tuition and admission fees, while the sponsoring organizations provide two summers of employment for meaningful research at their laboratories, mentoring opportunities, overhead support, and money for student stipends.
- The foundations also fund national laboratories.
Interventions Sponsored by Federal Agencies
The authors discussed three graduate education programs: The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship Program, the NSF Minority Graduate Fellowship Program, and the Postdoctoral Research Associateship Program. They pointed out these programs as examples of the disparity in the numbers of men and women receiving awards in the different fields.
The CWSE conference confirmed that graduate and postdoctoral level interventions sponsored by the federal government were more likely to be available to women rather than targeted at them.
Future Directions
The authors stated that the graduate and postdoctoral interventions aimed at retention and recruitment served the interests of sponsors and of education as well as serving the interests of women. They pointed out that the successful programs had three characteristics:
- An identification of specific needs.
- A total or holistic approach, with multiple linkages between graduate education and other populations.
- A substantial faculty and mentor commitment, as well as support from the head of the sponsoring organization.
The authors made note of the fact that informal strategies for increasing the numbers of women receiving masters and doctorates in S&E disciplines exist. Such interventions include active support groups and programs of visiting scientists and scholars.
The authors then listed some of the future directions for successful intervention suggested by conference participants:
- Confidence building techniques (scientific expertise and opportunity, more effective communication skills) for women should be developed.
- Development of programs with positive incentives for faculty. In other words, faculty should be made active participants in retention programs and should be rewarded for their efforts.
- Institutional environments should be adjusted so that the women feel comfortable in environments that are at present chilly towards women in non-traditional fields.
- Understanding of child bearing/rearing issues must be demonstrated, in order to avoid discouragement and loss of talented female graduate students.
- Resolving issues related to balancing family and scientific career goals for women graduate students must be made a high priority for academic institutions.
Joan Sherry, freelance science writer and editor, and
Linda Skidmore Dix, study director for the National Research Council's Committee on Women in Science and Engineering