Carlos Rodriguez, PhD AIR

Transcription

1 Carlos Rodriguez, PhD AIR 1

2 Focuses research on important public issues. Work with practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers in all the social sciences, related professions, and the humanities and natural sciences. Mobilize existing knowledge for new problems, link research to practice and policy, strengthen individual and institutional capacities for learning, and enhance public access to information. Bring necessary knowledge to public action. 2

3 The social sciences are the fields of scholarship that study society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term referring to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences. Positivist social scientists use methods resembling those of the natural sciences as tools for understanding society, and so define science in its stricter modern sense. Interpretivist social scientists may use social critique or symbolic interpretation rather than constructing empirically falsifiable theories, and thus treat science in its broader classical sense. In modern academic practice researchers are often eclectic, using multiple methodologies (for instance, by combining the quantitative and qualitative techniques). The term "social research" has also acquired a degree of autonomy as practitioners from various disciplines share in its aims and methods. 3

4 Increased STEM Demand. STEM demand rising, but US degree production declining despite increased funding Untapped Talent Pools. URMs, women and persons with disabilities remain largest untapped STEM talent pools - vastly underused resource and a lost opportunity for meeting our nation s technology needs. Broaden Expectations. National imperative to broaden expectations about who can and should pursue STEM careers 4

5 Underrepresented minority groups comprised 28.5 percent of our national population in 2006, yet just 9.1 percent of college-educated Americans in science and engineering occupations (academic and nonacademic) Suggests the proportion of underrepresented minorities in S&E would need to triple to match their share of the overall U.S. population.

6 For STEM, quality preparation as a prerequisite for later success. Histories of the persistence of inadequacies: Failing schools Inequitable distributions of resources across schools Test-score gaps College attrition Hispanic population growth and culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies to promote education success. 6

7 Economic studies conducted even before the information technology revolution have shown that as much as 85% of measured growth in US income per capita was due to technological change. Who/What does the technological workpeople at computers! And in labs! 7

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9 Percentage of STEM Bachelor s Degree Completions to All Bachelor s Completions by Sex 9

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12 Professional, scientific, and technical services. To grow by 34 percent, adding about 2.7 million new jobs by Computer systems design and related services To increase by 45 percent - nearly one-fourth of all new jobs in this industry sector - driven by growing demand for the design and integration of sophisticated networks and Internet and intranet sites. Management, scientific, and technical consulting services To expand at a staggering 83 percent, making up about 31 percent of job growth in this sector. Demand spurred by businesses continued need for: advice on planning and logistics implementation of new technologies compliance with workplace safety, environmental, and employment regulations. 12

13 Information To increase by 4 percent, adding 118,100 jobs by The sector contains fast-growing computer-related industries. Data-processing, hosting, and related services industry To grow by 53 percent - includes Web and application hosting and streaming services. Internet publishing and broadcasting To grow rapidly as it gains market share from newspapers and other more traditional media. Software publishing to grow by 30 percent as organizations of all types continue to adopt the newest software products. Telecommunications industry - employment to decline 9 percent Despite an increase in demand for telecommunications services, more reliable networks along with consolidation among organizations will lead to productivity gains, reducing the need for workers. Traditional publishing industry to decline by 5 percent The result of increased efficiency in production, declining newspaper revenues, and a trend towards using more freelance workers. 13

14 Whites, Blacks, Hispanics and American/Indian Alaska Natives complete STEM bachelor s degrees at roughly the same low rate and pattern over time: Why? When would it be most efficient and effective to target interventions to improve STEM degree production? What accounts for the lack of variation? 14

15 Despite gains in STEM degrees overall, women of all backgrounds remain greatly underrepresented in particular disciplines Aside from API women, women of color have made little progress in STEM bachelor s degree completion since 1990 Why? 15

16 Faculty professional development Interdisciplinary approaches Shared leadership/shared responsibility for change Curriculum reform Undergraduate research opportunities Recruitment and transition activities Academic support Mentoring and Peer Tutoring Financial Support 16

17 Ingredients for Success Acquisition of knowledge, skills, and habits of mind. Opportunities to put these into practice. Developing a sense of competence, confidence, and progress. Motivation to be in, a sense of belonging to, or self-identification with the field. Information about stages, requirements, and opportunities. 17