Ethnicity, Gender, and the Physics Community Results from the Statistical Research Center of AIP (Humbly reported by Keith Clay of GRCC)

DISCLAIMERS 1. I am a white male. 2. I am not a statistician. 3. I did not collect the data. 4. Statistics can only hint at causes. 5. As an advisor to I would gladly relay suggestions to AIP staff.

GENDER: Part One Are women “less able”? Earlier this year… Harvard President Laurence Summers: Perhaps we should investigate whether women are innately less able than men in math and science. (paraphrased: the exact quote is not available)

GENDER: Part One Are women “less able”? Consider the case of Rachel Ivie Becomes Experimental Psychologist. Emphasizes statistical research. Takes a job with SRC at AIP. Dec. 2004: Authors study on women in physics. Prepares for long winter’s nap. Jan. 2005: Summers makes asinine statement! The next day: Time, Newsweek, NYT, Washington Post, and NPR descend on AIP!

GENDER: Part One Are women “less able”? The best conclusion of the … based on all available data… … after months of investigation… “no”

GENDER: Part Two Are women less successful? Do women fail or drop-out more than men? Is discrimination statistically visible? None of this data comes from pre-high school Most of the data is in physics All of the data is in academia

GENDER: Part Two Are women less successful?

Percent of Bachelor’s Degrees Earned by Women in Selected Fields, Source: National Center for Education Statistics. Data for Academic Year 1999 were not available. Compiled by AIP Statistical Research Center. 2001

GENDER: Part Two Are women less successful? They have fewer numbers, but… On average they succeed (about) as often All trends are positive (except comp. sci.) “Upper levels” mirror earlier “lower levels” The “Leaky Pipeline” doesn’t leak much We’re now at 46% in high school

ETHNICITY: Do “equal skills” lead to “equal success”? Preamble: Using self-identified ethnic classifications… Observations on math and science: Average performance of Caucasian and Asian Americans is at one level. Average performance of African and Latino Americans is at another. When (maybe why?) do differences appear?

ETHNICITY: How can we judge equal skills? Likelihood of Earning a Bachelor’s Degree vs. Mathematics Scores in Senior Year of H.S. Standardized Math % Earning a Bachelor’s Scores Test, (decile) within the next 8 years =============== =============== Highest79 9th 63 8th 47 7th 40 6th 32 Lower 8 Average 32

Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded by Field and Race, Class of 2001 (NSF & AIP) African American % Hispanic American % Total Number Psychology ,124 Computer Science ,597 Business & Management ,287 Chemistry87 9,815 Biological Sciences87 62,010 Mathematics & Statistics 75 11,437 Education76 118,492 Engineering87 71,825 Physics44 3,447 Geosciences14 3,968 TOTAL87 1,260,308

Obvious question: why are Latinos less successful than African-Americans? Easier question to answer: What helps African-Americans to succeed?

African American Bachelor’s in Physics Universities that awarded the largest number of bachelor’s over last five years African American 5-Year Totals 57Xavier University (LA) 40Lincoln University (PA) 39Southern University A&M (LA) 25Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University (AL) 22Dillard University (LA) 22Grambling State University (LA) 22Hampton University (VA) 20Benedict College (SC) 19Jackson State University (MS) 19Tuskegee University (AL) 18Norfolk State University (VA) 17Morehouse University (GA) 788Total Number of African American physics bachelor’s from all degree granting departments: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 & 2001 Source: AIP Statistical Research Center compiled from data collected by NCES

What inspires African-Americans who succeed in physics? When asked for top 3 sources of inspiration… 40% refer to an African-American teacher of a subject other than physics 20% cite inspiration from a white teacher Very few cite a white physics teacher. Even at HBCU’s, most never see an African American physics teacher.

Pseudo-Conclusion There are no definite conclusions. These studies are ongoing. AIP has accepted a huge research grant from NAS so expansion into new research areas is unlikely in the immediate future.