EAGER: Doubling Minority PhDs in Physics

在教育不断增长的美国非裔美国人、西班牙裔美国人和印第安人方面，物理学作为一个学科在科学学科中排名垫底。这些种族不仅在物理学科的各个层次上仍然明显不足，而且在过去十年中，他们的相对人数基本上没有任何改善。黑人、西班牙裔和美洲原住民获得博士学位的比例，相对于他们的潜在人口规模而言，是白人和亚裔公民获得博士学位比例的七分之一。美国大学里有180个物理学博士项目。如果这些项目中有10%能够每年增加两名黑人和西班牙裔毕业生，这将使少数族裔物理学博士的年产量翻一番。美国物理学会与更大的物理界合作，正在发挥领导作用，通过在顶尖研究型大学和教育urm本科生的机构之间建立有效和可持续的桥梁项目，在未来十年内将授予少数族裔（urm）的博士人数增加一倍。几十年来，为了提高代表性不足的群体（以及所有群体）在STEM领域的高等教育中的有效参与，我们做出了大量的努力，积累了大量的知识。在物理学领域，越来越多的物理教育研究小组在理解本科生在基础物理学习中的概念困难方面取得了重要进展。由于这些群体大多在主要的研究型大学，他们可以直接影响物理助教的培养，这将对这些院校本科物理课程的教学效果产生积极的影响。对博士生的关注将对吸引和留住本科生、硕士和博士级别的少数族裔学生产生乘数效应。成功的博士生将形成一个领导干部，他们可以在全国范围内促进变革。将这些团体的博士毕业生人数增加一倍，将创造一个更大的个人群体，他们可以承担重要的领导角色。为了开始这一进程，APS正在接触少数族裔服务机构的学生和教师，以建立有效的个人联系。它直接从这些人那里收集详细的数据，为更大的过程提供信息。在数据收集之后，APS将汇集顶尖研究型大学的领导者，致力于建立有效的桥梁项目。物理学界现有的项目和领导者正在指导这一过程。在整个过程中，一个由知识渊博的个人组成的指导委员会提供指导，该委员会致力于提高对物理高等教育中代表性不足群体的吸引力和保留力，这些人有足够的资金来深思熟虑地推进该项目。这一努力的结果将是一套具体的计划，以建立这样的方案。

Physics as a community ranks at the bottom of science disciplines in educating the growing US population of African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native-Americans. Not only do these ethnic groups remain significantly under-represented at all levels in physics, but there has been essentially no improvement in their relative numbers over the past decade. PhD awards to Black, Hispanic, and Native American citizens are at 1/7th the rate of awards to white and Asian citizens relative to the size of their underlying population. There are 180 PhD programs in physics in American Universities. If 10% of these programs were able to increase their citizen Black and Hispanic graduates by two per year this would double the annual production of minority PhDs in physics. The American Physical Society, working together with the larger physics community, is taking a leadership role and in activating programs to double the number of PhDs awarded to under-represented minorities (URMs) within the next decade by establishing effective and sustainable bridge programs between top research universities and institutions where undergraduate URMs are educated. There is a substantial body of knowledge that has resulted from several decades of efforts to increase the effective participation of under-represented groups (and all groups) in higher education in STEM fields. In physics there are a growing number of physics education research groups producing important gains in understanding about undergraduates' conceptual difficulties in learning basic physics. Because most of these groups are at major research universities, they are in a position to directly influence physics TA training, which will positively impact the instructional effectiveness in undergraduate physics courses in these institutions. The focus on doctoral students will have a multiplier effect on attraction and retention of under-represented minority students at the undergraduate, masters, and PhD levels. Successful doctoral students will form a cadre of leaders who can catalyze change throughout the country. Doubling the number of PhD graduates from these groups will create a greater corps of individuals who can take on important leadership roles. To begin this process APS is reaching out to the students and faculty at minority-serving institutions to establish effective, personal links. It is gathering detailed data directly from these individuals to inform the larger process. Following data collection, APS will bring together leaders from top research universities committed to establishing effective bridge programs. Existing programs and leaders within the physics community are guiding this process. Throughout this process guidance is being provided by a steering committee of knowledgeable individuals committed to improving the attraction and retention of under-represented groups in physics higher education, who have the wherewithal to move the project forward thoughtfully and deliberately. The outcome of this effort will be a set of concrete plans to establish such programs.