Space Sciences Directorate Report to the Diversity Council

1. Space Sciences Directorate Report to the Diversity Council December 18, 2001

2. Topics • Diversity Characteristics in the Space Sciences Directorate (SSD) • Increasing Organizational Strength through Diversity (Current Workforce) • Increasing Diversity (Future Workforce)

3. SSD Diversity Characteristics • Diverse in many ways, but not in ethnicity Data as of 4/27/01

4. SSD Civil Service Workforce Data as of 4/27/01

5. SSD Civil Service Workforce Data as of 4/27/01

6. Workforce Age Distribution 170 Data as of 1/31/01

7. Increasing Strength Through Diversity (Current Workforce) • SSD Diversity Management Policy signed by Directorate and Laboratory managers - Feb. 2001 • Supervisors formed into SSD-wide Diversity Council • 2 quarterly meetings (under Jim Barrowman) • Intended to keep diversity info flowing, maintain diversity consciousness, generate new ideas on how to meet challenges • Promoting Diversity message through recruitment of participants for Center Diversity Dialogs • American Physics Society asked to do audit on workplace environment from women’s perspective • APS Committee on the Status of Women in Physics • Jean Swank served on similar audit committee for UCAR

8. Increasing Diversity (Future Workforce) • SSD’s ethnic diversity reflects the science community in general • The science community is not ethnically diverse • There is great competition for good minority scientists • Our challenge is to help increase the ethnic diversity of the science community so we have a broader ethnicity from which to draw

9. Increasing Diversity (Future Workforce) • Packaging co-op program with UMBC to attract under-represented students into science • Modeled after successful “Scholars” program developed by UMBC for NSA • Focused on undergraduates to capture candidates early • Jonathan Ormes planning visit to two universities in Louisiana • Higher than average population of African-Americans in physics • J. Ormes to present seminar at Morgan State

10. Increasing Diversity (Future Workforce) • Attended the National Conference Black Physics Students • Beth Brown, Tali Figueroa, and Ron Polidan • Presentation by Tali encouraging doctoral studies and NASA and Goddard science careers • Beth on panel sharing work experiences • Identified candidates for our graduate minority co-op program

11. NCBPS Recruitment SummaryB. Brown & R. Polidan

12. Increasing Diversity (Future Workforce) • On-going collaborations with HBCUs and OMUs • List published on Diversity Web Site • Example of FY01 activity on next page • Establishing MOU with HQ/EU, MU-SPIN, • and MUPO • Partnership to stimulate increased participation of minority universities in space science

13. NASA OSS Education Support Network Scientists Met with 9 Minority Professional SocietiesWestern Kentucky University, May 9-10, 2001 I. Hawkins of UC Berkeley meeting with D. Willis and P. Hall of the National Association for Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG) Plans were made with Black, Hispanic, and Native American Scientists, Engineers, and Mathematicians for cooperative programs in: • Science research • Post doc, summer fellowship and student internships • Evaluating proposals • Using information technologies to enhance OSS education and outreach projects • Reviewing education products for science accuracy and diverse appeal • Promoting NASA science and math materials in workshops and school visits Follow-up telecons and meetings will be used to carry out the plans J. Thieman of Code 633, conversing with M. E. Zavala of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)