Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (EES)

Interest in faculty careers decreases as graduate training progresses; however, the process underlying career-interest formation remains poorly defined. To better understand this process and whether/how it differs across social identity (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender), we conducted focus groups with 38 biomedical scientists who received PhDs between 2006 and 2011, including 23 women and 18 individuals from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds. Objective performance and quality of advisor relationships were not significantly different between scientists with high versus low interest in faculty careers. Career interests were fluid and formed in environments that generally lacked structured career development. Vicarious learning shaped similar outcome expectations about academic careers for all scientists; however, women and URMs recounted additional, distinct experiences and expectations. Scientists pursuing faculty careers described personal values, which differed by social identity, as their primary driver. For scientists with low interest in faculty careers, a combination of values, shared across social identity, and structural dynamics of the biomedical workforce (e.g., job market, grant funding, postdoc pay, etc.) played determinative roles. These findings illuminate the complexity of career choice and suggest attracting the best, most diverse academic workforce requires institutional leaders and policy makers go beyond developing individual skill, attending to individuals' values and promoting institutional and systemic reforms.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has a long history of investment in broadening participation (BP) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. A review of past NSF BP efforts provides insights into how the portfolio of programs and activities has evolved and the broad array of innovative strategies that has been used to increase the participation of groups underrepresented in STEM, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. While many are familiar with these long-standing programmatic efforts, BP is also a key component of NSF's strategic plans, has been highlighted in National Science Board reports, and is the focus of ongoing outreach efforts. The majority of familiar BP programs, such as the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (now 25 years old), are housed in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. However, fellowship programs such as the Graduate Research Fellowships and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships under the Directorate for Biological Sciences (and parallel directorates in other STEM disciplines) are frequently used to address underrepresentation in STEM disciplines. The FY2016 and FY2017 budget requests incorporate funding for NSF INCLUDES, a new cross-agency BP initiative that will build on prior successes while addressing national BP challenges. NSF INCLUDES invites the use of innovative approaches for taking evidence-based best practices to scale, ushering in a new era in NSF BP advancement.

Disparities in health and healthcare are a major concern in the United States and worldwide. Approaches to alleviate these disparities must be multifaceted and should include initiatives that touch upon the diverse areas that influence the healthcare system. Developing a strong biomedical workforce with an awareness of the issues concerning health disparities is crucial for addressing this issue. Establishing undergraduate health disparities courses that are accessible to undergraduate students in the life sciences is necessary to increase students' understanding and awareness of these issues and motivate them to address these disparities during their careers. The majority of universities do not include courses related to health disparities in their curricula, and only a few universities manage them from their life sciences departments. The figures are especially low for minority-serving institutions, which serve students from communities disproportionally affected by health disparities. Universities should consider several possible approaches to infuse their undergraduate curricula with health disparities courses or activities. Eliminating health disparities will require efforts from diverse stakeholders. Undergraduate institutions can play an important role in developing an aware biomedical workforce and helping to close the gap in health outcomes.

A country's leadership in global technological and scientific development depends on its ability to recruit and retain students into engineering master's and doctoral programs. This qualitative study aims to develop a fuller understanding of the factors driving U.S. students' decision-making processes with respect to pursuing a graduate degree in engineering. During the fall of 2010, more than 1400 undergraduate engineering students and 800 graduate students at four universities across the United States completed surveys containing open-ended questions that allowed students to express their thoughts about and experiences in engineering graduate education. Thematic analysis of 256 undergraduate student responses focused on the barriers and supports underlying their decisions to pursue graduate education (including uncertainty in the application process, availability of funding, and concern about the grade point average requirement). The responses of 220 graduate students focused on the steps important for successful preparation for and navigation of graduate school (including strong theoretical and research preparation, clear goals for pursuing the degree, choice of advisor/research group, and selection of an engaging research topic). These results clarify the factors influencing undergraduate students' decision-making regarding graduate engineering education, and the qualitative training experiences of students in graduate school. These findings provide undergraduate students a starting point on questions to ask when considering graduate school while alleviating their potential misconceptions. The results also help engineering faculty and administrators improve recruitment of potential graduate students and improve their training experiences.

No abstract available for this article.

The News Focus article “Demand for tech workers benefits undergraduates” by Jeffrey Mervis (7 Apr., p. [40][1]) accurately describes the Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships (CSEMS) program funded by H-1B visa applications. However, the quotes Mervis uses could leave