Transcript Document

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
Most NSF Ocean Science grants provide
support for graduate students and
postdoctoral fellows
NSF Ocean Sciences Grad & Postdoc Support
% Awards (Aug 2004)
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
OCE
BO
CO
Graduate
PO
Postdoc
MGG
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
Broadening participation
in the geosciences
Percent Minority PhD degrees
25
Science & Eng
Computer Sciences
Social sciences
Biological Sciences
Psychology Engineering
20
15
Math
Physical Sciences
10
Geosciences
5
0
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
PhD degrees received by minorities in selected disciplines
Geosciences PhD Degrees 1994-2003
The number of PhDs awarded to
minorities in the geosciences from 1994 2003
5000
4796
Total in 10-year period (322):
Hispanics
133
3000
Asian/Pac Islanders
106
2000
African Americans
4000
total
62
Amer Indians & Alaskan Natives
1000
322
0
Data from NSF Science and Engineering Indicators
21
Percent Minority Bachelor's degrees
BS degrees received by
minorities in selected disciplines
Psychology
Social sciences
Computer Sciences
Science & Eng
Biological Sciences
Physical Sciences
Engineering
Math
20
15
10
Geosciences
5
0
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
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
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
Providing career path skills
to 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
Studies of postdoctoral policies
and practices
• Postdoctoral Appointments: Policies and
Practices
NSF 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)
Areas of concern highlighted by
studies
• Mentor relationships and career advice
• Compensation and benefits
• Institutional support
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
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
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 PI’s 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
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 underrepresented in science and engineering encouraged
• http://www.nsf.gov/career
Ocean Science CAREER awards
GEO OCE CAREER Proposals
(avg success rate = 18%)
# of proposals
30
20
10
0
2001
2002
2003
declines
2004
awards
2005
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)
Examples of activities that might
be reported
– Career development opportunities
– Formal training activities
– Mentorship
– Broadening participation
– Providing access to career alternative
experiences
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