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Workshop makes recommendations to increase diversity in materials science and engineering
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n December last year, influential stakeholders from academia, government agencies, national laboratories, and industry convened in Arlington, Va., to address key issues in the United States related to ethnic diversity in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). The two-day workshop, supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy, and the Materials Research Society (MRS) Foundation, highlighted issues that affect ethnic minority recruitment, retention, and long-term success in the field. Speakers and panelists brought their own experi-
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MRS BULLETIN
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VOLUME 38 • FEBRUARY 2013
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ences to bear in discussing these topics and made recommendations to overcome the barriers ethnic minorities face. Ian Robertson, then Director of the Division of Materials Research at NSF, provided statistics in his opening remarks that underlined the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States. According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, although African Americans make up 12.2% and Latinos 16.3% of the US population, they received only 2.5% and 5.3% of MSE
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degrees awarded in 2010, respectively. The US Census Bureau predicts ethnic minorities combined will comprise the majority of the population by 2042, thus underrepresentation can be expected to worsen if the fraction of minorities in MSE does not increase. The reasons for underrepresentation in STEM fields are complex. Factors that contribute to the problem include unconscious biases, which affect hiring processes and underrepresented minority success in school and the workplace, and a lack of mentorship and role models. Students at minority-serving institutions may face particularly tough challenges. They tend to have relatively little exposure to STEM careers, limited knowledge of graduate school and career opportunities, and may be underprepared for undergraduate work in STEM. Underrepresented minorities who secure faculty positions face further challenges in the workplace. Christine Grant, Associate Dean of Faculty Development at North Carolina State University
NEWS & ANALYSIS SCIENCE POLICY (NCSU), discussed these problems, including heavy university service requirements, a lack of mentors or advocates, few senior role models, and perceived notions of their potential for success. As “double minorities,” underrepresented minority women experience additional barriers. These factors culminate in underrepresented minority faculty retention problems across the country. Yet research suggests diversity is critical to innovation and improving the country’s global economic leadership. Eve Fine, from the University of Wisconsin’s Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute, shared findings that show that diverse working groups are more productive, creative, innovative, and engage in a higher level of cri
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