John C. Nemeth
In Part I of this article, I summarized the opinions and experienced responses to the general question: Are we doing the right thing to engender participation by women and underserved minorities in STEM professions? What follows is the response of the over 70 professionals, who have deep and abiding experience in graduate STEM education, to questions intended to draw out answers based in the reality of STEM education and the products we turn out.
Before you venture further, I commend this speech at Boston University’s 141st (2014) Commencement Baccalaureate by Nancy Hopkins.
I have no better way to introduce or end, as you review the resulting descriptions of my work on this project, to sort out what is really happening today in the education and production of STEM researchers and educators. For, sadly, what is true for women venturing into STEM fields is true of underserved minorities.
So, what follows are the candid responses of seasoned professionals in the STEM business.
Which policies promote/hinder the development of the scientific Ph.D. workforce in the U.S.?
1. …Overall?
· There are hundreds of programs and funding opportunities from academia, government, industry and foundations. While few are evaluated with independent diligence, all may be excellent, but there are not enough. Conflicting missions and competition, albeit most often good factors in gleaning the best researchers, contribute to a general failure to coordinate large-scale research promotion efforts in a programmatically consistent and long-term manner. Every respondent agreed that no national policies exist that have broad implications and sufficient means to improve the research enterprise long term.
