Phd Research Proposal Physical Oceanography - PowerPoint

							Addressing the Challenges of
Graduate and Post-graduate
Training in the Geosciences



Margaret Leinen
Assistant Director for Geosciences
National Science Foundation

Ocean Sciences Meeting, 2006
Most NSF Ocean Science grants provide
support for graduate students and
postdoctoral fellows
                              NSF Ocean Sciences Grad & Postdoc Support

                           100%
     % Awards (Aug 2004)




                           80%

                           60%

                           40%

                           20%

                            0%
                                  OCE       BO         CO         PO      MGG

                                                 Graduate   Postdoc
Challenges for successful geoscience
career development at the graduate and
post-graduate levels
  • increasing recruitment and retention of members of
    underrepresented groups in geoscience careers
  • career skills needed to succeed in a variety of career
    pathways
  • providing postdoctoral appointees with essential
    professional skills other than research capability
  • evaluating which programs and practices are most
    effective at each stage in producing successful
    geoscientists
Broadening participation
in the geosciences
                                        25
                                                                         Science & Eng
         Percent Minority PhD degrees




                                        20                               Computer Sciences
                                                                         Social sciences
                                                                         Biological Sciences
                                                                         Psychology Engineering
                                        15
                                                                         Math
                                                                         Physical Sciences
                                        10
                                                                         Geosciences

                                         5


                                         0
                                             1996   1998   2000   2002     2004




PhD degrees received by minorities in selected disciplines
The number of PhDs awarded to
minorities in the geosciences from 1994 -
2003

                                            4796
                                     5000                  Total in 10-year period (322):
 Geosciences PhD Degrees 1994-2003




                                     4000          total   Hispanics                 133
                                     3000                  Asian/Pac Islanders       106

                                     2000
                                                           African Americans          62

                                     1000
                                                           Amer Indians & Alaskan Natives
                                                    322
                                                                                       21
                                       0




 Data from NSF Science and Engineering Indicators
BS degrees received by
minorities in selected disciplines
                                                                         Psychology
                                        20                               Social sciences
  Percent Minority Bachelor's degrees




                                                                         Computer Sciences
                                                                         Science & Eng
                                                                         Biological Sciences
                                        15
                                                                         Physical Sciences
                                                                         Engineering
                                                                          Math
                                        10



                                        5                                 Geosciences



                                        0
                                             1996   1998   2000   2002      2004
GEO programs to broaden
participation
• Opportunities to Enhance Participation in the
  Geosciences (OEDG)
  – Supports students directly through mentoring and
    networking activities
  – Provides resources to minority-serving
    undergraduate and graduate institution faculty
  – Fosters partnerships between minority and
    majority institutions and faculty
  – Broadens the visibility of the geosciences within
    underrepresented communities
GEO programs to broaden
participation
• Geosciences Education Track 2 Awards
  – Connects proven GEO diversity projects
    with LSAMP, CREST, and AGEP partners
• Programs within Ocean Sciences
  – Centers for Ocean Science Education
    Excellence (COSEE)
  – REU Sites
Providing career path skills
to doctoral students: NSF Programs
  • Integrative Graduate Education and Research
    Traineeships (IGERT)
     – Catalyzes cultural changes in graduate education, for students,
       faculty, and institutions, by establishing innovative new models for
       graduate education that transcend traditional disciplinary
       boundaries

  • Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)
      – Fellowships and training in K-12 instruction to improve students’
        communication and teaching skills while enriching STEM instruction
        in K-12 schools
      – Encourages institutions of higher education to include partnerships
        with K-12 schools that are of mutual benefit to their faculties and
        students
Studies of postdoctoral policies
and practices
• Postdoctoral Appointments: Policies and
  Practices
  NSF Workshop Report (March 2005)
  (http://www.MerrimackLLC.com/2004/postdoc-workshop.html)

• Doctors Without Orders: May-June 2005 Special
  Supplement to American Scientist, by Geoff Davis
  (http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org/results/)

• Recommendations for Postdoctoral Policies and
  Practices; National Postdoctoral Association
  (http://www.nationalpostdoc.org)
Areas of concern highlighted by
studies

• Mentor relationships and career advice
• Compensation and benefits
• Institutional support
Sigma Xi survey correlates of
success for post-docs
• Structured oversight:
  – Written research and career development plan
    with advisor and postdoc responsibilities specified
  – Formal performance reviews

• Formal and informal training opportunities:
  – Research ethics, proposal writing, writing skills,
    teaching skills, negotiating skills, and group or lab
    management
  – Education and public outreach
GEO support for post-graduate careers and feedback from
recent PhDs

Examples of programs for recent PhDs
    Dissertation Symposium in Chemical Oceanography (DISCO)
    Physical Oceanography Dissertation Symposium (PODS)
    Dissertation Initiative for the Advancement of Limnology and
    Oceanography (DIALOG)
    DISsertations Initiative for the advancement of Climate Change
    ReSearch (DISCCRS)
Participants are concerned about their preparation for careers
and desire:
    Experience in non-research aspects of professional careers
     Mentoring and exposure to professionals who can provide support in
    these other areas of career development
Expectations for NSF post-doctoral
support
• Proposals requesting postdoc support should:
  – Identify plans for effectively recruiting members of
    underrepresented groups for postdoctoral
    appointments
  – Demonstrate the PI’s commitment to fostering the
    career development activities of postdocs and to
    allocating time for these efforts
  – Outline a specific plan to provide mentoring and
    advisement to postdocs
  – Document postdoc mentoring and training efforts in
    annual and final reports as part of broader impacts
    activities
Beyond the post-doc: NSF early
career development awards
(CAREER Program)
• Enables the early career development activities of
  faculty most likely to become academic leaders

• Awardees selected on the basis of their plans to
  develop highly integrative and effective research
  and education careers

• Increased participation of those traditionally under-
  represented in science and engineering encouraged

• http://www.nsf.gov/career
Ocean Science CAREER awards
                               GEO OCE CAREER Proposals
                                 (avg success rate = 18%)


                   30
  # of proposals




                   20


                   10


                   0
                        2001     2002        2003        2004   2005

                                        declines    awards
Evaluating successful programs
• We want to hear from those who have developed
  successful strategies for addressing these
  challenges in doctoral and postdoctoral training
• We expect to hear about the results of educational
  efforts as well as science in annual and final progress
  reports under “broader impacts”
• Measures of success should focus on the process of
  preparing graduate students and postdocs for their
  careers, not only on the end products (degrees and
  positions)
Examples of activities that might
be reported

  – Career development opportunities
  – Formal training activities
  – Mentorship
  – Broadening participation
  – Providing access to career alternative
    experiences
Best practices for geoscience
graduate student and post-doc training
 • Provide students and postdocs access to training and
   education and opportunities to acquire career skills
   needed to succeed in a variety of career pathways,
   including
 • Provide access to appropriate support and mentors
 • Develop plans for recruitment and outreach to
   members of under-represented groups and access to
   appropriate support and mentors
 • Reflection and evaluation of programs and practices
   that are most effective at each stage in producing
   successful geoscientists