From: slzm9@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american
Subject: Repost of Minorities in Science
Date: 4 Jan 93 12:59:49 MDT
Organization: Utah State University
Summary: Repost of Minorities in Science
Expires: 31 Jan 93 13:00:25 MDT
Distribution: world

    I would like to call attention to a recent issue of the journal Science.
    On November 13th, 1992 Science published a special feature on "Minorities
    in Science." This feature has 11 articles concentrating on many 
    different features of the issue. These articles cover: 1) Does the
    problem still exist - yes the evidence is unequivocal. 2) What
    went wrong with programs begun in the late 60's and early 70's.
    3) Profiles of a few programs that work and have data to prove it.
    4) The special problems in math. 5) Profiles of minority scientists.
    6) Black colleges and their success in recruiting and molding black
    scientists. 7) Problems faced by asian- and native- americans.


    If you are truly interested in recruitment of minorities into
    science, engineering and technology this is an essential source.
   


    Let me report a few of the findings published here to stimulate
    discussion on the topic:

    Walter Massey, Afro American, Director, National Science Foundation:
    "Coursework is viewed by many faculty as a way to separate the 'men'
    from the 'boys.' Unfortunately, these curses also tend to separate
    the men from the women -- and the white men from just about everyone
    else." -pg. 1178-1179, Science, Nov. 13, 1992.

    My question for readers is: How can we pare down the number of students
    that enter a scientific field without  racial or sexual bias? We must
    reduce the number because while 8,000 freshmen may enter college to
    major in biochemistry only 800 jobs in biochemistry and related fields
    will open the year they graduate. Also at a particular university 1200
    undergraduates may enter in a particular degree program while the 
    university only has enough resources to accomodate 120 seniors. Even if 
    you, the reader, argue that more resources must be made available
    it can be reasonably argued that society does not need 8,000 biochemists
    a year. So answer the question even if you must put in the caveat that
    we need more resources to be made available.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Wilford Easter, exec. dir. of MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science
    Achievement program): "Too often minority kids go to an institution and
    people expect them to fail. They take on a kind of syndrome of the 
    terminally ill, where they stop really caring, because they know sooner
    or later the ax will fall on them."

				and

    Uri Treisman, a mathematician at the University of Texas, Austin, who
    recently was awarded a MacArthur "genius grant" for his pioneering
    work teaching college students mathematics in California and Texas, 
    reacting to the belief that strong students ("A" students) will
    succeed in college regardless of race: "In fact, national data show
    that's false. If you control for socioeconomic background and class rank
    in high school, black kids still do less well than nonminoritites. These
    are measures of institutional inhospitality." 

    This means that, on average, if you take a white kid and a black
    kid whose parents make the same amount of money and who finished
    with the same high school rank the white kid is MORE likely to
    get an undergraduate degree in science than a black kid at the
    same university, regardless of what grades these kids made in high  
    school.

    Sorry to restate the text but I thought they did a pretty poor job
    as saying there is still discrimination against black students
    in science in undergraduate institutions in America.

    The question then is how can we get more minority students in
    the sciences? Also one of the articles made the point that the
    single point of greatest loss is the first year of college. So,
    how can we help those students stick it out?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Finally, I am specifically interested in the role of mentors in
    the success of students, especially minorities. If you are an Afro 
    American in a scientific profession would you please post something
    about the importance of mentors in your career choice, if they had
    any. Also did a mentor play any role in your college career?
    For non-scientists reading this how common are these problems
    in other degree programs at american universities?


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Peace, but not without justice,
 
 Zip