BPC-DP: CS Subfield Diversity: Developing the Research Basis to Inform Intervention Strategies

科罗拉多大学将研究导致计算机科学（CS）子领域隔离的机制，这些知识可以用来缓解CS研究子领域缺乏多样性的问题。广泛的计算机科学子领域对几乎所有其他科学努力都是至关重要的，这导致了对计算机科学研究科学家的强劲和不断增长的需求。计算机科学研究人员从事尖端的创造性工作，被安置在有影响力的职位上，并获得高薪。然而，占据计算机科学研究职位的少数族裔成员相对较少。扩大计算机科学参与的努力集中于在更广泛的学科中增加历史上少数民族群体成员的数量。然而，有证据表明，在不同的计算机科学子领域中，参与程度差异很大，少数群体的成员被引导到不那么有声望和影响力的专业领域、职位和角色。这种“职业隔离”危害了美国的创新、经济竞争力和社会正义。研究产生计算机科学子领域隔离的机制，以减轻计算机科学研究子领域多样性的缺乏——在数量和影响方面——一直被忽视，但这是设计有效干预措施以扩大计算机参与的基础。这个扩大参与计算示范项目旨在通过量化国内种族和少数民族计算机科学家的子领域，并通过对计算机科学研究人员如何选择子领域进行深入的定性理解，来扩展最近在计算机科学研究子领域隔离方面的工作。提出了一个由三部分组成的三角研究：1)对在许多方面（例如，子领域，机构类型/角色，交叉少数群体地位，BPC参与）不同的计算机科学家进行深入访谈，将产生对CS研究子领域选择背后机制的定性理解；2)通过对公共子场话语的文本分析，可以明确谁属于谁不属于谁的隐性价值观和信念，以及排他和包容的传播方式；3)大规模调查将量化国内少数民族在CS子领域的参与情况，并可能对访谈和文本分析所揭示的机制进行归纳和跨群体经验比较。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

University of Colorado will study the mechanisms that leads to computer science (CS) subfield segregation, knowledge that can be used to mitigate the lack of diversity in CS research subfields. The wide range of CS subfields is critical to nearly every other scientific endeavor, leading to strong and growing demand for CS research scientists. CS researchers do cutting edge, creative work, are placed into influential positions, and earn high salaries. Yet relatively few members of minoritized groups occupy CS research positions. Efforts to broaden participation in CS have focused on increasing numbers of historically minoritized group members in the broader discipline. However, evidence suggests that participation varies widely across CS subfields, with members of minoritized groups channeled into less prestigious and influential areas of specialization, positions, and roles. This "occupational segregation" jeopardizes U.S. innovation, economic competitiveness, and social justice. Studying the mechanisms that produce CS subfield segregation to mitigate lack of diversity in CS research subfields—in terms of both numbers and influence—has been neglected but is fundamental to the design of effective interventions in broadening participation in computing.This Broadening Participation in Computing Demonstration Project aims to extend recent work on CS research subfield segregation by quantifying domestic racial and ethnic minority computer scientists by subfield and by developing a deep, qualitative understanding of how CS researchers come to choose subfields. A three-part, triangulated study is proposed: 1) in-depth interviews of computer scientists who are diverse in many ways (e.g., subfields, institutional types/roles, intersecting minority statuses, BPC involvement) will produce a qualitative understanding of the mechanisms behind CS research subfield choice; 2) textual analysis of public subfield discourse will make explicit the tacit values and beliefs about who belongs and who does not, as well as ways exclusion and inclusion are communicated; and 3) a large-scale survey will quantify participation of domestic racial minorities in CS subfields and may allow generalization and comparisons across groups of experience of the mechanisms revealed by the interview and textual analysis. The outcome will be a knowledge base that will better support development of interventions for overcoming CS subfield segregationThis award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.