A Study of the Career Patterns of African-American Doctoral Chemists: 1916-1990

皮尔森教授正在比较非裔美国人和白人博士化学家在美国科学界的相对地位。以前对美国化学家职业模式的研究没有包括种族地位。本研究试图通过研究非裔美国人在化学中的参与来为这一文献做出贡献。皮尔森教授正在研究所有获得化学博士学位的非裔美国人的职业模式。他和他的学生助理正在通过邮寄问卷和个人访谈的方式收集数据。对照组由符合四个标准的白人化学家组成：(1)博士学位授予部门，(2)性别，(3)论文指导老师（如果可能），(4)研究专业。皮尔森教授正在用双变量和多变量统计的方法分析数据。由于现有的关于种族在科学，特别是化学中的作用的知识大多是不系统的和轶事的，这项研究的结果将促进我们对非裔美国博士科学家职业模式的了解。研究结果将提供数据，使学者们能够修正我们对非裔美国化学家与白人化学家的经验的理解。虽然这段历史不能纠正过去的错误，但它可以为避免未来的错误指明道路。从某种程度上说，最近的政策改善了过去的错误，这项研究应该有助于评估在科学领域创造真正平等机会的努力中，哪些是有效的，哪些是无效的。

Professor Pearson is comparing the relative status of African- American and White doctoral chemists in the American scientific community. Previous studies of the career patterns of American chemists have not included racial status. This research seeks to contribute to this literature by examining the participation of African-Americans in chemistry. Professor Pearson is examining the career patterns of all African- Americans known to have earned chemistry doctorates. He and his student assistants are collecting data by means of a mailed questionnaire and personal interviews. The control group is comprised of White chemists matched on four criteria: (1) Ph.D.- granting department, (2) sex, (3) thesis advisor (where possible), and (4) research specialty. Professor Pearson is analyzing the data by means of bivariate and multivariate statistics. Because much of the existing knowledge of the role of race in science in general and chemistry in particular is unsystematic and anecdotal, the results of the study will advance our knowledge of the career patterns of African-American doctoral scientists. The results should provide data that permit scholars to revise our understanding the experiences of African- American chemists vis-a-vis their white counterparts. While this history cannot correct past wrongs, it can point the way to avoiding those mistakes in the future. And to the extent that recent policy has ameliorated past wrongs, the study should help to assess what works and does not work in the effort to create true equal opportunity within science.