Persistence in Science
by All Students
David Asai
asaid@hhmi.org
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PuZoLkvmBbc/SdUaLNywcBI/AAAAA
AAADMM/zUMDJeuLi0M/s320/The+Little+Red+Hen.png
4 P’s
1)
2)
3)
4)
Perspective
Persistence
Privilege
Potential
1) Perspective
Diversity benefits science.
Diversity….
1. …..is a property of a group.
Science depends on groups.
2. …..adds: (i) perspective, (ii) interpretation, (iii) tools.
Scientific breakthrough often results from a different
approach, a different interpretation, and/or a different
set of tools.
3. ….trumps homogeneity and ability when:
(i) hard problem, (ii) multiple ways to look at the
problem; (iii) large set of problem-solvers
- Scott Page, The Difference, 2007, Princeton University Press
Persons, in millions
Opportunity: increasingly diverse
talent pool
250.00
non-Hispanic White
all minorities
200.00
“Majority Minority”:
150.00
• All U.S. by 2042
100.00
• 18 yrs and younger by
2018
50.00
0.00
2010
2050
Challenge: we fail to take advantage
of the diverse talent pool
U.S. talent pool
28.5%
URM
Scientific workforce
9.1%
URM
NSF data for 2006, from Expanding Underrepresented
Minority Participation, National Academies, 2011.
50%
dx/dt:
achieving parity?
40%
30%
U.S. population
2100
20%
10%
Science Ph.D.s
1970
1990
2010
2030
2050
2070
2090
2110
2) Persistence
Fraction who are Underrepresented Minorities (%)
Undergraduate years are critical
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
US population
undergrads
science
science
baccalaureates PhDs
NSF WEBCASPAR (2000-05)
Percentage of 2004 STEM aspirants
who completed STEM degrees
45
40
5-year completion
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
white
Asian
American
Latino
Black
Native
American
Data from Higher Education
Research Institute, UCLA
G. Huang et al., 2000. Entry and persistence of women and
minorities in college science and engineering education. U.S.
Dept. Education, National Center for Education Statistics
1. Predictors of success in college
2. 5-year outcomes of students entering STEM
programs:
–
–
–
–
Complete STEM baccalaureate in 5 years
Persist in STEM discipline
Switch to a non-STEM discipline
Drop out of school
Persistence of undergrad STEM aspirants
50
45
40
35
30
Whites + Asians
25
URMs
20
15
10
5
0
Complete
Persist
Switch
Drop out
G. Huang et al., 2000, Entry and persistence of women and minorities in college science and
engineering education, US. Dept. Education, National Center for Education Statistics
3) Privilege
http://www.warhw.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/PrivilegeMeans2.bmp
Faculty privilege
Biology 231 is the third course in our four-semester core curriculum for
Biology majors. In addition, many pre-professional students from other
majors, like XXXX, also take BIOL 231. Our
Our course
course is
is aa rigorous
rigorous attempt
attempt to
to
link molecular structure with biological function. We first focus on the
macromolecules of the cell, including proteins, membranes, nucleic acids, and
carbohydrates; in each case the message is that structure leads to function.
We then discuss in quantitative detail the energetics of cell biology, including
membrane potentials, the use of ATP in coupled reactions, the metabolism of
glucose and oxidative phosphorylation to produce ATP, and photosynthesis.
Then we put some of these pieces together, discussing in detail selected
aspects of cell biology, including signal transduction, cotranslational insertion
of membrane/secreted proteins, intracellular trafficking of membrane bounded
organelles, and cell motility. All
All exams
exams are
are answered
answered with
with short
short essays
essays or
or
calculations (no calculators permitted!). The emphasis is on precise problem
solving. For many, BIOL 231 proves to be the “weed-out” course.
“Majority rules”
http://d1jrw5jterzxwu.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/article_media/changethemascotsign.jpg
http://www.nikkeiview.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/PEKIN-CHINKS.jpg
…is deciding what’s best for
others.
“mismatch hypothesis”
“…as a result of the mismatching, many
blacks and Hispanics who likely would
have excelled at less elite schools are
placed in a position where
underperformance is all but inevitable
because they are less academically
prepared than the white and Asian
students with whom they must
compete.”
Justice Clarence Thomas, 2013
concurring opinion, Fisher v. U Texas
Testing the “mismatch hypothesis”
M. Kurlaender and E. Grodsky. 2013. “Mismatch and the
paternalistic justification for selective college admissions.”
Sociology and Education.
• University of California
– Elite: Berkeley, San Diego, UCLA (30% acceptance)
– Not-quite-elite: Davis, Irvine, Riverside, Santa
Barbara, Santa Cruz (59% acceptance)
• 2004, “Guaranteed Transfer Option” (GTO)
(2,300 students)
• Several hundred chose to attend elite campus
Findings….
• GPAs of GTO students statistically same as
elite students.
• GTO students no more or less likely to drop
out of elite schools.
• GTO students less likely to drop out than peers
who chose non-elite schools.
• Mismatch effects no greater for minorities
than for whites and Asians.
What can we do?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PuZoLkvmBbc/SdUaLNywcBI/AAAAA
AAADMM/zUMDJeuLi0M/s320/The+Little+Red+Hen.png
1. Learn to talk about difference.
http://img2-2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/10/17/debate.jpg
What’s important in mentoring?
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
Mentors
40%
Mentees
30%
20%
10%
0%
Gender
Race
Talk about
diversity
Byars-Winston, Benbow, leverett, Pfund, Branchaw, Owen, 2013.
2. Learn from other programs
•
•
•
•
Meyerhoff Scholars (UMBC)
Science Posse (Brandeis)
BSP (UC Berkeley)
BUSP (UC Davis)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Research experiences
Mentoring
Community-building
High expectations
3. Change the metaphor
High school – 4 yrs
Undergrad for B.S. – 4 yrs
Graduate school for Ph.D. – 4 yrs
Post-doc 1 – 1 yr
Post-doc 2 – 2 yrs
Tenure-track faculty position
http://www.sadeem.ae/Pipeline_at_Kuparuk.jpg
Watershed
• Inputs from many different sources, different
environments, different pathways.
• Boundaries between stages are not always
exact.
• Outcome is huge (the ocean) and there are
many different places for the water to
eventually go.
4) Potential
Course-based Research Experiences
Undergraduate student research
1. Apprentice-based research experience
• Late
• Expensive
• Relies on selection
2. Course-based research experience (CRE)
• Early
• Scalable and less expensive
• Emphasizes development of potential
SEA-PHAGES project
• Created by Tuajuanda Jordan and her team at
HHMI in 2007
• Adapt PHIRE course developed by Graham
Hatfull (U Pittsburgh)
• Deliver the course nationally (2008-present)
– In AY 2012-13:
• > 2,000 students (mostly first-year UGs)
• 75 schools (31 states, PR, DC)
Two semesters:
Mycobacterium smegmatis
GenBank
Scientific accomplishments:
•
•
•
•
> 3,000 new phages
> 48,000 genes (865 novel genes)
9 new clusters
82% of mycobacteriophage GenBank sequences
contributed by SEA-PHAGES students
• 16 publications (10 with undergrad co-authors)
• New insights from the aggregated data
Learning (from Jordan et al., 2013)
Grades in lecture
course
Retention
100
0.4
95
0.35
0.3
90
0.25
85
0.2
0.15
80
0.1
75
0.05
0
A
B
C
D
F
70
Three S’s to a successful CRE
1. Science
– (i) genuine scientific problem; (ii) lead scientist
2. Skills
– (i) technical simplicity; (ii) minimal prerequisites
3. Structure
– (i) flexible scheduling; (ii) parallel activities;
(iii) clear milestones
Hatfull et al., 2006. PLoS Genetics 2: e92
4th important element: $$
SEA-PHAGES: approx. $200 per student for
supplies, EM, DNA sequencing
(excludes salaries)
Informal survey of 15 research universities:
average $47 (<$10 - $150) per student in intro
Bio lab (excludes salaries)
Average $150 ($85 - $210) per student in
advanced lab courses
$47. Flip the equation.
Introductory courses = opportunity
to make a difference
1)
2)
3)
4)
Perspective
Persistence
Privilege
Potential
“A great scientist
(Mirror, mirror, on looks like me”
http://theuglytruth.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/snow-white-mirror.jpg
White.jpg
http://disney-clipart.com/snow-white/jpg/Snow-White/Snow-
the wall…)
Geoffrey Beene