{"82171":{"#nid":"82171","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Women of Color: Numbers Are Low and Not Increasing, but Hope Rests in New Strategies for Improvement","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnd the implications of this deficit are far-reaching, researchers suggest.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut some strategies for improvement exist at both the individual and institutional levels, and therein lies the hope that Georgia Institute of Technology Associate Professor of Public Policy Cheryl Leggon delivered to her audience at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Seattle. Leggon spoke as part of a panel discussion titled \u0022Nearly Invisible: Experiences of Minority Science Faculty in Mainstream Institutions\u0022 on February 15.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The numbers are grim across the board for males and females of color,\u0022 Leggon said. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe situation has not improved much in the past decade. There have been only miniscule increases in faculty - especially women - of color in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, Leggon notes.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShe cites several implications of these statistics. First is the effect of this deficit on students. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The United States is becoming more diverse, and that is somewhat reflected in the student population in colleges and universities, but nowhere in the faculty population,\u0022 explained Leggon, a sociologist. \u0022That is problematic. What kind of message does it send to students? The implicit message is, \u0027You can\u0027t do this.\u0027 The absence of these groups does send a message.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELeggon cites two other important reasons to increase diversity among STEM faculty. \u0022It significantly enhances the quality of scientific research insofar as it expands the pool from which the United States draws its science talent,\u0022 she said. \u0022And it improves the quality of the educational experience for all students.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo improve conditions for women and men of color in the STEM fields in academia, strategies could be employed at both the individual and institutional levels, Leggon says.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt undergraduate level, students should be informed about the range of opportunities they might have with a degree in a particular field. \u0022For example, if you have biology majors from an underrepresented group, they are probably only thinking of a career in medicine,\u0022 Leggon said. \u0022They don\u0027t usually think of a research career in academe.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf undergraduate students do indicate an interest in a career in academe, it\u0027s important they know how to select a graduate school. \u0022They shouldn\u0027t apply to an institution just because of its overall reputation,\u0022 Leggon explained. \u0022They should take into account the reputation of the specific department, program and faculty with whom they would like to work.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor junior faculty members, particularly in underrepresented groups, administrators must make clear the criteria for getting tenure, Leggon says. \n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"The numbers of women of color on academic faculties in the United States are very small and not increasing. There are even fewer such professors in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2004-02-18 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:38","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2004-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2004-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtresearchnews.gatech.edu\/newsrelease\/smnumbers.htm","title":"Diversity helps all"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=\u0022\u003EContact  \u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}