Expanding the STEM Workforce by Equipping Physics Bachelors Degree Recipients and their Departments to Address the Full Range of Career Options

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Intellectual Merit: The project is developing and disseminating systematic information regarding how recipients of bachelor's degrees in Physics impact the STEM workforce. The American Institute of Physics (AIP) has provided resource information in this area for many years and is in a unique position to develop and directly disseminate a wider array of information through its contacts with physics departments and with students. This project is founded on the premise that, in light of a documented lack of knowledge of the immediate career options of students completing the bachelors degree, Physics Departments, supported by the larger physics community and organizations like AIP and its Member Societies and some of its affiliates, should invest significantly more effort in helping undergraduate students make informed decisions about their future careers and the many career opportunities that are available to them. This is a pilot project that is identifying successful efforts and resources already in use and beginning a program of publications (in print and on-line) to provide more support to departments and to undergraduate students in the future. It is also initiating a pilot program of alumni advisory boards, designed to institutionalize these advances. Broader Impacts: The work addresses each of the following broader impacts. It promotes teaching, training, and learning in STEM. It intends to describe and encourage implementation of practices that broaden the participation of underrepresented groups. Through contributions to the literature documenting the diversity of career options, the needs of employers, and such things as strategies for interviews and resumes, both in print and on-line, it enhances the infrastructure for research and education and encourages networks and partnerships. The project findings are being disseminated in seminars, workshops, and electronically, to enhance scientific and technological understanding. Providing more systematic information about the STEM workforce benefits not only scientists, but the broader society as well.