Encouraging Minority Undergraduates to Choose Science Careers: Career Paths Survey Results

Abstract

To explore the reasons for the dearth of minorities in Ph.D.-level biomedical research and identify opportunities to increase minority participation, we surveyed high-achieving alumni of an undergraduate biology enrichment program for underrepresented minorities. Respondents were asked to describe their career paths and to reflect on the influences that guided their career choices. We particularly probed for attitudes and experiences that influenced students to pursue a research career, as well as factors relevant to their choice between medicine (the dominant career choice) and basic science. In agreement with earlier studies, alumni strongly endorsed supplemental instruction as a mechanism for achieving excellence in basic science courses. Undergraduate research was seen as broadening by many and was transformative for half of the alumni who ultimately decided to pursue Ph.D.s in biomedical research. That group had expressed no interest in research careers at college entry and credits their undergraduate research experience with putting them on track toward a research career. A policy implication of these results is that making undergraduate research opportunities widely available to biology students (including "premed" students) in the context of a structured educational enrichment program should increase the number of minority students who choose to pursue biomedical Ph.D.s.

Diversity of Pharmacy Faculty Members between UK and US

“…But there were very few Hispanic or African/Caribbean Descent faculty members in both countries. Several publications showed many benefits of diversity racially in academia, such as broadening scientific inquiry and addressing the population-specific health problems 11 . Although some efforts had been taken to increase the workforce diversity in pharmacy education (e.g recruit and retain minority students 12 and underrepresented minority faculty members 13 ), pharmacy faculty members of ethnic minority in both countries were still grossly underrepresented.…”

Cultivating Native American scientists: an application of an Indigenous model to an undergraduate research experience

“…Though educational access and retention are important components to reducing educational disparities, meaningful participation and having a voice in the narrative of academic knowledge production is equally important, if not more. Despite efforts by federal agencies and private organizations to increase the number of Native American scientists engaged in biomedical and social-behavioral research in the U.S., the recruitment of Native students in this field continues to be a challenge, and they remain severely underrepresented in these professions (Villarejo, Barlow, Kogan, Veazey, and Sweeney 2008).…”

Cost-Effective Recruitment Strategies That Attract Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates Who Persist to STEM Doctorates

“…The benefits of undergraduate research to all students are well known and include higher interest in science, developing identity as a scientist, improved self-confidence, research and professional skill development, confirmation of career path, and learning gains in the research process, lab techniques, and scientific problem solving (Junge, Quinones, Kakietek, Teodarescu, & Marsteller, 2010;Kardash, 2000;Lopatto, 2004;Seymour, Hunter, Laursen, & Deantoni, 2004). Programs directed to URM have shown a great impact on career trajectories, college persistence, undergraduate grade point average (GPA), and earning a biology degree (Matsui, Liu, & Kane, 2003;Nagda, Gregerman, Jonides, von Hippel, & Lerner, 1998;Villarejo, Barlow, Kogan, Veazey, & Sweeney, 2008). Other programs, including the well-known Meyerhoff Scholars Program, have been shown to add to the scientific workforce by producing URM who persist to PhDs in STEM (Maton, Sto Domingo, Stolle-McAllister, Zimmerman, & Hrabowski, 2009).…”