HOW DIVERSE IS THE GEOSCIENCE LABOR POOL? A LOOK AT DEGREE PRODUCTION AND THE REPRESENTATION OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND HISPANIC-AMERICANS

Many scientific associations are concerned with and have developed committees to address issues related to recruiting and retaining minorities. However, little is known about the number of minority graduates in specific disciplines, as most statistics published report information for broad fields.

This paper provides detailed data on the representation of African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans in the geosciences by looking at current statistics and historical trends in degree production at the undergraduate and graduate levels for these under-represented groups. PhD data from the National Science Foundation, bachelor's data from the National Center for Education Statistics, and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau show the proportion of minorities earning degrees in this field. Comparisons with other disciplines put the level of under-representation into perspective. The departments producing the largest number of geoscience degrees to African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans are named. The role of minority women and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in minority degree production is presented.

These data describe the landscape of geosciences in more detail than has ever been published. Groups concerned with minority issues can use these data to identify where efforts can best be targeted, evaluate the need for various programmatic initiatives, and later determine the effectiveness of these programs.