The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP)

1. Increasing Underrepresented Student Participation in Science Majors: The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) • Daryl Haggard, University of Washington • AAPT/AAS, Seattle, 2007

2. A National Shortfall • The number of science majors at U.S. undergraduate institutions is shrinking while much of the country's STEM workforce is approaching retirement. • The fraction of science Ph.D.s awarded to African American, Latino, and other minority students is far smaller than the fraction these minorities constitute of the general population. • Substantial gender imbalances in most science fields persist: women are underrepresented at the graduate student and faculty levels, and continue to be lost at every educational transition. • Members of underrepresented groups are America's ``greatest untapped resource'' in STEM. Rising Above the Gathering Storm, National Academy of Sciences (2006) National Science Foundation, NSF 06-320 (2006) Beyond Bias and Barriers, National Academy of Sciences (2006) Building Engineering & Science Talent Report (2004) & The National Science Board Report (2003)

3. Our future students • By 2010, women will earn more degrees than men at every level of higher education from associate degrees to doctorates. • By 2015, the nation’s undergraduate population will expand by over 2.6 million students, two million of whom will be students of color. • Almost half of this 2.6 million increase will occur in CA, TX, and FL, which also will have the highest representation of undergraduates of color. Much of the rest of the projected growth will be concentrated in AZ, GA, NJ, VI, and WA. • Even with these increases, Hispanic and African American students enrolled in post-secondary education in 2015 will greatly lag their respective shares of the U.S. population. Building Engineering & Science Talent (BEST) Report, Feb. 2004

4. Meanwhile... • Many students who enter college planning to major in a STEM discipline graduate with a non-STEM degree. • Only 27% of underrepresented students who intend to major in a STEM field obtain a STEM degree, compared to 46% of majority students with the same intent. • Many underrepresented students who abandon STEM majors have academic abilities at least as great as those who stay. • Large numbers of talented minority students in high school and early college are interested in STEM fields... Huang, G., et al., Department of Education (2000) American Council on Education, Minorities in Higher Ed. (2002-03) Talking About Leaving, Seymour, E. & Hewitt, N. (1997) FEW ARE RETAINED

5. 4% Advanced Degrees in Science and Engineering Total: 121,000 5% 35% 56% 9% Bachelor’s Degrees in Science and Engineering Total: 391,000 6% 45% 40% First Time Freshmen Interested in Science and Engineering Total: 647,000 31% 41% 12% 16% First Time Freshmen Total: 2,194,000 15% 41% 34% 10% High School Graduates Total: 2,485,000 37% 12% 37% 14% Non-Minority Men Minority Men Minority Women Non-Minority Women Milestones in Higher Education Education Milestones by Race/Ethnicity and Gender (Rounded Numbers) • There are some who believe that high attrition rates are due to inadequate preparation of college freshmen and that the onus lies with the K-12 system. • There are others who believe that if an entering student has the will and desire to be a scientist or engineer, the onus is on the institution to provide the resources for that student to try to achieve that goal. - Tuajuanda C. Jordan, HHMI Building Engineering & Science Talent (BEST) Report, Feb. 2004

6. Key Factors for Student Retention • Effective Education & Curriculum • Knowledgeable Advising • Effective Mentoring • Access (to research, resources, facilities, etc.) • Having a Sense of Community • Academic Support • Financial Aid • Discipline-specific “Extracurricular” Activities Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington Symposium on Diversity in the Sciences (2006)

7. Our Challenge Can we replenish the pool of STEM professionals by removing the barriers that cause talented students from traditionally underrepresented groups to turn away from careers in a STEM field?

8. A U.W. Case Study • The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) • Established in Fall 2005 with funding from the U.W. President’s Diversity Appraisal Fund & the Astronomy Dept. • Designed to expose incoming freshmen underrepresented in the sciences to Astronomy Research and encourage them toward a STEM major

9. Students underrepresented in the sciences include: women, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students of all ethnicities whose parents do not have 4-year college degrees (i.e. first-generation college students).

10. Students Need… • Problem-solving skills (critical-thinking & test-taking skills, ability to visualize in three dimensions) • Ability to connect coursework and real-world experiences (inquiry-based labs and research) • Enhanced interdisciplinary learning (research again!) • Writing skills (general & scientific vocabulary, ability to clearly articulate ideas) • Ability to form and work in study groups • Time management and organization • Metacognitive abilities (understanding how they learn best and monitoring their own learning) • Frequent meetings with academic advisor(s)

11. The Pre-MAP Model • The Pre-MAP research seminar • Astronomy 102: Intro to Astronomy • Access to astronomy research and collaboration with faculty, post-docs, fellows, and graduate students • Mentoring for the whole first year • Cohort-building (peer mentors) • Help identifying resources & opportunities at U.W. • Assistance navigating the U.W. bureaucracy • A successful first year in science!!

12. Recruitment Collaborate with organizations designed to transition underrepresented students from high school to college (Upward Bound, Making Connections, etc.) Work closely with counselors from the Office of Minority Affairs Targeted emails and letters using the admissions office database and contact lists from on-campus recruiting organizations, e.g. NASA Space Grant Attend numerous local recruiting and outreach events to present information about Pre-MAP Host events at the U.W., including planetarium shows, job shadows, etc.

13. The Pre-MAP Seminar • Computing Skills (LINUX) • Basic Astronomy Data Manipulation (DS9, IDL) • Research Projects (Small Groups) • Writing Assignments • Exam Reviews • Campus Resources • Final Presentations! Partnered with Astronomy 102

14. Research Projects • Deconstructing Galaxies in 3 Dimensions,Advisors: Chris Brook, Victor Debattista, Fabio Governato, Tom Quinn • Hunting for New Supernovae and Other Variable Objects in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Advisor: Andy Becker • M Dwarfs as Tracers of Galactic Populations, Advisors: John Bochanski, Suzanne Hawley • Probing for the Presence of Puny Planets, Advisor: Eric Agol • Searching for Inner Solar System Objects with SDSS, Advisor: Andy Becker

15. Mentoring • Effective mentoring requires that an individual establishes a relationship with the “mentee” with the very basic, yet essential, understanding that the relationship is a humanistic experience and thus every experience will be different. The relationship includes: • Guidance • A certain amount of nurturing • Cultivation towards independence • Empowerment • Two types • Peer mentoring (freshmen “interest groups”, upper-level undergrads) • Faculty mentoring Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington Symposium on Diversity in the Sciences, 2006

16. Mentoring • “Returning to passion as the driver of learning, a teacher’s dedication is most effective when expressed through both the art of teaching and the demonstrated love of the subject for its own sake. Secondary school and college students seek their personal identity, but they also yearn for a cause larger than themselves. By some means they will acquire both these marks of maturity, whether base or noble. In transit they need mentors to trust, heros to emulate, and accomplishments that are real and enduring.” - Edward O. Wilson, The Creation

17. Sense of Community • Student should feel, from the outset, they belong in your program and are in a welcoming and supportive environment. • Frequent and personal communications from the department faculty, students or staff as soon as the student is accepted into the University. • A positive group identification or trademark. • A readily identifiable and accessible gathering place that can also serve as a resource room (and KEYS!). Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington Symposium on Diversity in the Sciences, 2006

18. Academic Advising • Academic advising can be done either individually or in teams, by faculty or staff. • The advising system should be consistent. • The advisor(s) must be available, accessible, and knowledgeable of the academic programs and career options. • Must be assigned as soon as the student declares his or her major. Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington Symposium on Diversity in the Sciences, 2006

19. After the first quarter • New or On-going Research • Pre-MAP Field Trips • Planetarium Training • Undergraduate Research Symposium • Advising (classes, long-term planning) • Mentoring • Opportunities (internships, REUs, etc.)

20. Additional Support • Actively help students become aware of: • Programs offering tuition assistance • Student support service • Tutoring and counseling centers • Center for Undergraduate Research • Graduate Placement Office • Career Placement and Counseling Office • Faculty development activities • Center for the Advancement of Teaching • Center for Undergraduate Research • Research opportunities (both paid and unpaid) Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington Symposium on Diversity in the Sciences, 2006

21. Remember... • The Pre-MAP students are entering FRESHMEN! • Freshmen CAN do research and they ARE intellectually curious. They want opportunities to explore! • Big picture & best practices FIRST!! (Not at the end of their 4 year college experience, when/if they have made it through a vast laundry list of requirements. Motivate students’ STEM studies EARLY.) • Science is exciting! Research is fun, collaborative, and challenging. • What works well for students from underrepresented groups benefits all students. Diversity Works, Smith, D. (1997)

22. Pre-MAP’s Future • Possible expansion of the Pre-MAP model into other U.W. STEM departments to establish a Pre-Science Major (PrSM; “prism”) • Applications for NSF or other funding to support the program and/or its expansion • Collaboration with on-campus organizations (e.g. Center for Workforce Development) to identify and evaluate the program’s most effective methods and overall outcomes • On-going mentoring of Pre-MAP students, since they are ourREAL FUTURE!

23. Resources Students!! They know a lot about what they need. • The BEST (Building Engineering and Science Talent) initiative, The Talent Imperative: Diversifying America's Science and Engineering Workforce (2004). • Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, National Academies Press (2006). • Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering (2006). • NSF 06-320, “Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 2003”, National Science Foundation (Arlington, VA, 2006). • NSF 04-317, “Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2004”, National Science Foundation (Arlington, VA, 2004; updated May 2004). • NSB 03-69, “The Science and Engineering Workforce Realizing America's Potential, National Science Board Report (2003). • Jordan, Tuajuanda C., “Attrition vs. Retention - Is it a Question of `Survival of the Fittest'?” a presentation made at the University of Washington Symposia on Diversity in the Sciences (2006). • Huang, G., et al., Entry and Persistence of Women and Minorities in College Science and Engineering Education, Department of Education (2000). • Seymour, E. & Hewitt, N., Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences, Westview Press (Boulder, CO, 1997). • Smith, D.G. et al., Diversity Works: The Emerging Picture of How Students Benefit, Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities (1997).

24. Brought to you by… • Our Wonderful and AMAZING Pre-MAP Staff!