http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-749295.mp3
Albany, NY – NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SERIES
THE SOUNDS OF PROGRESS: THE CHANGING ROLE OF GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN IN THEIR PURSUIT OF A PH.D. IN SCIENCE
To advance the science-related fields of higher education takes a love of research and commitment to academic excellence. The work is time-consuming and complicated, yet rewarding.
But a large demographic is missing from classrooms and research labs. Many African American women who've chosen those science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, STEM programs, are not following all the way through to graduate school and beyond. And that's produced an educational catch-22. Fewer black women in science fields. Fewer young women who want to follow in those footsteps.
Some university programs are closely examining this predicament and working to try and reduce the disparity. One researcher, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has focused her investigation on the subject for her doctorate dissertation and arrived at her own conclusions.
Steve Chiotakis reports from Birmingham. (14:01)
A broadcast footnote and update. Ramona Hart has now completed her Ed.D. requirements with a specialization in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama. Hart defended in July and was accepted. But she was asked to edit her dissertation in include the problems we reported on in this story, concerning difficulties gaining access to students at HBCUs. The soon to be Doctor of Education, is set to formally graduate in December.
Featured in the above story are:
Ramona C. Hart, Ed.D. (anticipated Dec., 2008), Lead Researcher, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Dr. Renetta Tull, Assistant Dean for Graduate School Development, UMBC, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Dr. Adrian McFadden, Meyerhoff Scholarship Program Alumnus and Cohort, UMBC; Dasi Mosley, AP Biology Teacher, Ramsay High School, Birmingham, Alabama; Lakeisha Lockhart, 18, Ramsay HS; Candace Davis, HBCU student; Ashley Lidge, Senior, HBCU student
*(Please note that other names of professors and students at the HBCU which was the subject of this research, by prior agreement, have been purposefully omitted from this story, as they also have in the text of the research document, to maintain the anonymity of the school and students who participated in this study.)*
For more information, here are the following links for material discussed in the above story:
Meyerhoff Scholarship Program: http://www.umbc.edu/meyerhoff/
Ramsay High School: http://birmingham.schoolinsites.com/Default.asp?L=0&LMID=&PN=Schools2&DivisionID=&DepartmentID=&SubDepartmentID=&SubP=School&SchoolID=541
University of Alabama at Birmingham: www.uab.edu
National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctorates/
Level Playing Field Institute - Increasing the Representation of Women and People of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM): Scan and Synopsis of Approaches and Opportunities: http://www.lpfi.org/docs/STEMApproachesOpportunities05.pdf
If you would like to hear this story again, or other similar stories in our exclusive radio series, see pictures related to the stories, and link to research we reported on, just visit our dedicated website at: www.womeninscience.org. Then click on The Sounds of Progress button. Also, if you missed any of these stories, we plan to start rebroadcasting them once more, beginning in November.
The preceding material is supported by the National Science Foundation, under grant HRD 0631603. Andy opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this story, are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
GUEST COMMENTARY:
BLACK EDUCATION ROLE MODELS -
Next up, our guest commentator, Barbara Smith, believes African American achievements should be celebrated at home and at school. Smith is an educator and author, and serves on the City Common Council in Albany, New York. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, as part of the 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize. Barbara Smith wants more black role models in education.
Barbara Smith comments. (4:12)