Recruiting and Retaining Underrepresented Students:

Hints From the Physics Pipeline

April 16, 2004

Michael NeuschatzAIP Statistical Research Center

mneuscha@aip.org

2. Representation of Women Physics Students at Different Academic Levels, 1972-2002

1972 '75'75 '80'80 '85'85 '90'90 '95'95 '01'01'020

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50High School

Bachelors

PhD

Percent

Year

AIP Statistical Research Center: High School Physics Reports, Enrollments and Degrees Reports

3. Representation of Minorities among Physics Students, 1985-2001

AIP Statistical Research Center: High School Physics Reports, Enrollments and Degrees Reports US Census Bureau: Current Population Survey, 2004 Internet Table A-5

1985 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '010

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

LegendHigh School GraduatesHigh School PhysicsBachelors PhysicsPhd Physics

Percent

Year

1985 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '010

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Percent

Year

Black Hispanic

4. Percent Women among Physics Faculty, 1987-2002

AIP Statistical Research Center: High School Physics Reports, Women in Physics Reports;National Research Council: Science and Engineering Programs, On Target for Women?, Table 3-4

'87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '020

5

10

15

20

25

30

University/FYC

High School

Percent

Year

5. Number of Women Faculty in PhD Physics Departments, 1985 and 2002

Zero One Two+0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1985 2002

Number of Women Faculty

Percent

AIP Statistical Research Center: Women in Physics Reports

6. Percent Women among Bachelors and PhDs, All Fields 1950-2002

AIP Statistical Research Center: Women in Physics Reports; NCES: 2001 Digest of Education Statistics, T247

'50 '55 '60 '65 '70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '00'020

10

20

30

40

50

60

Bachelors

PhD

Percent

Year

7. Percent of Bachelor’s Degrees Earned by Women in Selected Fields, 1966 to 2001

1966 '70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '010

10

20

30

40

50

60

Biological Science

Chemistry

Physics

Percent

Year

National Science Foundation, compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center

1966 '70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '010

10

20

30

40

50

60

Biological Science

Chemistry

Physics

Percent

Year

8. Percent of PhDs Earned by Women in Selected Fields, 1966 to 2001

National Science Foundation, Compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center

9. Minority Representation Among Physics Faculty atDifferent Academic Levels

1990 '93 '95 '97 '99 '010

5

10

15

20Legend

HS BlackHS HispUniversity BlackUniversity Hispanic

Percent

Year

AIP Statistical Research Center: High School Physics Reports, Academic Workforce Reports

1940 '45 '50 '55 '60 '65 '70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '020

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Black

White

Hispanic

Percent

Year

10. Persons Aged 25 to 29 Years Who Have Completed 4 Years or more years of College by Race, 1940-2002

Mortensen: Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY, March 2003

940K

High School Physics

Intro at 4-yr Colleges and Universities

Intro Physics at 2-yr College

Physics Major Physics Bachelor’s340K

120K

7K 4K

11. The Physics Pipeline:Where Many Enter, But Few Emerge

AIP Statistical Research Center: High School Physics Survey, Enrollments and Degrees Survey, Senior Survey

12. Physics Students Tend to Perform Well Academically

SAT scores for high school physics takers (1992): math 559 (all others students 444)verbal 480 (all others students 406)

GRE scores for physics bachelors recipients (1993):Math 724 (all other bachelors 599)

Verbal 589 (all other bachelors 554)Analytic 663 (all other bachelors 621)

And this despite the fact that 48% of physics bachelors,but only 8% of other bachelors, take the GRE’s

National Center For Education Statistics: NELS ’88 Second Follow-up (SAT), B&B:93/94 (GRE)

13. Physics Bachelors Recipients are Far More Likely to Pursue Higher Studies, Generally and in Physics

60%

National Science Foundation: National Survey of College Graduates, compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center

39% 14%22% 9% 16%

Stop at Bachelor's Master's-36% PhD-25%

Physics Degree

Non-Physics Degree

65% 431%

Stop at Bachelor's Master's PhD

All

Physics

14. Even Further Reinforcing the Bias,Physics Study Tends to Be a Closed Club.

There are few ways into the pipeline if youdidn’t enter at the beginning.

% of 1995 physics bachelors who took:High school physics: 92% (vs. 26% for all students)

AP physics where available: 69% (vs. 2% for all students)

% of 2001 physics graduate students whoseundergrad major was physics: 88%

AIP Statistical Research Center: Senior Survey, Graduate Student Survey, High School Physics Survey

Computer Science

Physics

Chemistry

Math

Life Sciences

Engineering

Geoscience

63%

60

44

44

40

24

16

15. In 2001, Percent of African American Bachelors from HBCU’s

Masters

PhD

HBCU (35)

17%

9

Non-HBCU (735)

9%

24

% of Institutions with Grad Programs

National Center for Education Statistics, compiled by AIP Statistical Research CenterAIP Statistical Research Center: Enrollments and Degrees Reports

Black

Hispanic

Stanford 24 MIT 14

Howard (HBCU) 21 UC - Berkeley 13

MIT 18 UT - Austin 13

Next 2 tied 7

Next 3 tied 11

All 236 All 413

4% from HBCU’s

16. Physics PhDs Earned by Black and Hispanic Students, Totals 1973-2000

National Science Foundation: Survey of Earned Doctorates, compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center