Office of Science & Technology - Shirley Malcom “Supporting STE Careers from Cradle to Grave”
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Shirley Malcom “Supporting STE Careers from Cradle to Grave” Print E-mail
An Interview with the Head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs of AAAS
bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / Feature Article


by Juliet M. Beverly

With legislation such as the America COMPETES Act, US policy makers aim to strengthen educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from elementary through graduate school. This and other policy measures will help to generate the next generation of the well-educated STE workforce needed to ensure the future leadership of the United States in developing and implementing new technologies.

However, this also brings to mind an unfortunate past mistake: For many years a vast pool of excellent human resources for these fields wasn't given enough attention by many policy makers, academia, and R&D institutions - the overlooked potential was women and minorities in science and technology.

Science and Engineering Indicators 2006, a report issued annually by the National Science Foundation, shows that although the number of women and minorities enrolling in graduate schools and receiving science and engineering degrees (bachelor's or higher) increased, with women outnumbering men in S&T bachelor's degrees in 2001 (see fig. 1 / http://nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/c0/fig00-36.htm), the representation of women, Blacks, and Hispanics in science and engineering (S&E) occupations is still less than their proportion of the population.

This disproportion also carries into academia. Underrepresented minorities (Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives) are a small percentage of the S&E doctorate holders employed in academia, making up 8 percent of both total academic employment and full-time faculty in 2003 (insert fig. 2 / http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/c5/tt05-07.htm). Although there has been an increase in the number of women and underrepresented minority degree holders employed in S&E, they are mostly concentrated in the social sciences rather than physical sciences. Why? Arguments by policy makers, faculty, and secondary teachers have attributed these numbers to the public image of STEM, but the most important factor may be the lack of awareness about STEM possibilities prior to post-secondary education.

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Dr. Shirley Malcom
Dr. Shirley Malcom, the head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), engages with these issues. The Education and Human Resources Programs Directorate includes AAAS programs in education and activities for women and minority groups, as well as public understanding of science and technology. Malcom received her doctorate in ecology from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in zoology from the University of Washington. It is her experience and advocacy for science and education that led to her 2003 receipt of the Public Welfare Medal of the National Academy of Sciences, the highest award given by the Academy. Malcom talked with bridges about women and minorities in STEM and her insight into the reasons that underlie the disparity.

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