Current Trends in the Geoscience Workforce College of William & Mary Roman Czujko Statistical Research Center American Institute of Physics

Acknowledgements Data Sources AMS, AIP, AGU, AGI, NSF, US Dept. of Education AIP Staff Raymond Chu Julius Dollison

Degree Production Over Time Early Careers S&E Workforce and International Competitiveness What Can Departments Do?

Percentage of Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded to Women by Fine Field, Two-Year Averages % % Oceanography1850 Geology2442 Earth & Planetary Sciences2542 Atmospheric Science &1726 Meteorology

Percentage of PhDs Earned by Women by Fine Field, Two-Year Averages % % Oceanography2339 Earth Sciences1929 Astronomy & Astrophysics1521 Atmospheric Sciences1425

Early Careers Fact or Urban Myth? Undergraduates and their parents are greedy. They choose college majors based on maximizing salary potential.

Demand in the S&E Workforce Is Cyclical And It Is Uneven

2005 Salaries for Early Career Atmospheric Scientists Type of Employment and Degree Level, 2005 Bachelors DegreesTypical SalariesMedian (less than 5 years) (in thousands) Age Broadcast Meteor. (tv) 24.8 to Private Sector 25.0 to Federal Government 34.0 to Masters Degrees (< 5 Yrs) Private Sector 44.0 to Federal Government 42.0 to Typical Salaries are the middle 50% of all salaries reported by full-time employed Source: 2005 AMS Membership Survey

2005 Salaries for PhD Atmospheric Scientists Employed in Universities, 2005 Typical SalariesMedian (in thousands) Age Postdocs <2 Years 40.0 to Assistant Professors 9-10 month contract 52.0 to month contract 61.5 to Typical Salaries are the middle 50% of all salaries reported by full-time employed Source: 2005 AMS Membership Survey

Opinions about their Current Positions Expressed by the Atmospheric Science Workforce, 2005 Percent Who Agree U.S.Residents Abroad My Job: Is professionally challenging 95 Utilizes my knowledge of atmospheric science 91 Provides opp’ties for advancement 73 My workplace is welcoming 87 I would recommend my workplace to others 87 My compensation is fair 80 Source: 2005 AMS Membership Survey

New Geoscience PhDs’ Opinions About First Position Percent Who Agreed My current position is:%  Professionally challenging94  Commensurate with my education94  Related to my field94 Source: AGU & AGI Survey of new PhDs in the geosciences

Skills Used Very Often by New Geoscience PhDs, 2003 Used Very Often % Cognitive skills (e.g. analytical thinking) 88 Technical skills (e.g. modeling & simulation) 84 Knowledge of Broad Geoscience Concepts 81 Knowledge of Dissertation Field 75 Management skills 62 Respondents were asked to rate the extent to which they used the above skills. The data reflect the percent who indicated either often or extensively. Source: AGI & AGU Survey of New PhDs.

International Competitiveness

“Rising Above the Gathering Storm” National Academies, October Recommendations in four areas: 1. Add 10,000 science and math teachers in K-12 2.Increase federal investment in science and engineering research 3.Attract and retain best and brightest for study and research in science and engineering 4.Encourage innovation through incentives

Protect America’s Competitive Edge Act 3-bill package in senate to implement all 20 NAS recommendations, January 2006 American Competitiveness Initiative State of Union address, President Bush, 2006

The number of jobs requiring technical skills is increasing and fewer Americans are entering degree programs in science, math and engineering. Craig Barrett, Chair of Intel Business Week, December 2005 National Innovation Initiative 140 business, political and education leaders Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, Feb. 2006

Supply  Innovation Employment  Innovation

What Can Departments Do? Keep track of your own graduates  Recruitment of students & parents  Show current students that you care  Powerful info for talks with the Dean  Periodic assessment of curriculum

“There is no shortage of claims of shortage.” Michael Teitelbaum, Sloan Foundation

Thank You