Women and the Future of Physics Howard Georgi Harvard University

Transcription

1 Women and the Future of Physics Howard Georgi Harvard University

2 to Malla Georgi

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6 data - about students personal observations recommendations

7 Familiar but puzzling data on the percentage of women receiving degrees in various fields

8 % of women getting physics degrees and PhDs Earned by Women, Bachelor's 8 4 PhD Year of Degree Source: AIP Statistical Research Center. Data from Mulvey & Nicholson, Enrollments and Degrees Report.

9 % of women getting BAs by field All Fields Life Sciences Mathematics Chemistry 30 Computer Science 20 Physics 10 Engineering Year of Degree Source: AIP Statistical Research Center, Data from Mulvey & Nicholson, Enrollments and Degrees Report, and the National Center fo Education Statistics.

10 % of women getting PhDs by field Selected Fields, Life Sci. All Fields Chemistry Math Comp.Sci. Physics Engineering Year of Degree Source: AIP Statistical Research Center. Data from Mulvey & Nicholson, Enrollments and Degree Report, and National Opinion Research Center.

11 Worse than Math and Chemistry??? Selected Fields, Life Sci. All Fields Chemistry Math Comp.Sci. Physics Engineering Year of Degree Source: AIP Statistical Research Center. Data from Mulvey & Nicholson, Enrollments and Degree Report, and National Opinion Research Center.

12 SOURCES: Tabulated by National Science Foundation/Division of Science Resources Statistics; data from Department of Education /National Center for Education Statistics: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Completions Survey; and NSF/SRS: Survey of Earned Doctorates

13 BAs in Physics 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 total women 2,000 1,

14 BAs in Physics 10,000 1, total women

15 PhDs in Physics 10,000 1, total women

16 BAs by field 100,000 10,000 1, physics math engineering chemistry cs biology psychology economics

17 Women BAs by field 100,000 10,000 1, psychology biology engineering cs economics math chemistry eps physics

18 PhDs by field 10,000 1, physics math engineering chemistry cs biology psychology economics

19 Women PhDs by field 10,000 1, physics psychology biology engineering cs economics math chemistry eps

20 PhDs / BAs physics math engineering chemistry cs biology psychology economics 0.001

21 there is a lot of structure - probably many things are going on - but three things stand out about physics 1: it is MALE - there are very few women 2: it is TINY - particularly at the undergraduate level 3: and it is FOCUSED on advanced degrees

22 there is a lot of structure - probably many things are going on - but three things stand out about physics 1: it is MALE - there are very few women 2: it is TINY - particularly at the undergraduate level 3: and it is FOCUSED on advanced degrees

23 there is a lot of structure - probably many things are going on - but three things stand out about physics 1: it is MALE - there are very few women 2: it is TINY - particularly at the undergraduate level 3: and it is FOCUSED on advanced degrees

24 there is a lot of structure - probably many things are going on - but three things stand out about physics 1: it is MALE - there are very few women 2: it is TINY - particularly at the undergraduate level 3: and it is FOCUSED on advanced degrees

25 1: it is MALE - it is there are very few women 2: it is TINY - particularly at the undergraduate level 3: and it is FOCUSED on advanced degrees conclusion the small number of women in physics doesn t tell the whole story - it is important to understand how maleness relates to tininess and focus

26 attempt to tease out something that isolates a simple gender effect - standard trick in experimental physics and phenomenology - ratio of ratios - Pipeline ratio P Women PhDs/Women BAs Men PhDs/Men BAs

27 attempt to tease out something that isolates a simple gender effect - standard trick in experimental physics and phenomenology - ratio of ratios - Pipeline ratio P Women PhDs/Women BAs Men PhDs/Men BAs

28 Pipeline ratio physics math engineering chemistry cs biology psychology economics

29 Math at the bottom - but then why are there so many more women in math at the undergraduate level? Could be that a lot of the undergraduate math teaching is not done by the same group who do the graduate math teaching. Or maybe there is so much more exposure to math at lower levels that it takes longer to discourage women in college. Or maybe girls see math before peer pressure matters so much.???

30 What does this all mean for physics? anecdotes and personal experience as a physicist, teacher, department chair, and House Master a brief portrait of an epiphany

31 What does this all mean for physics? anecdotes and personal experience as a physicist, teacher, department chair, and House Master a brief portrait of an epiphany

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33 the 70s

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36 Office of the Dean Harvard College T E L L S O M E O N E! Responding to Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault and Rape

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38 the 80s

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40 This was liberal Harvard. Most faculty thought of themselves as very supportive of women. But discussions of gender issues were strained and uncomfortable.

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42 Students flocked to Harvard to work with Nobel Prize Winners Shelly Glashow and Steven Weinberg Working with me was easier!

43 Students flocked to Harvard to work with Nobel Prize Winners Shelly Glashow and Steven Weinberg Working with me was easier!

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47 At this point, in the late 80 s, while I was a strong supporter of women in physics, I still really didn t understand that there was a problem. Women undergrads and grad students tried to educate me periodically, but I didn t quite get it.

48 the 90s

49 Chair of the Physics Department Lots of responsibility - no power Deluged with statistics

50 Chair of the Physics Department Lots of responsibility - no power Deluged with statistics

51 Chair of the Physics Department Lots of responsibility - no power Deluged with statistics

52 Chair of the Physics Department Lots of responsibility - no power Deluged with statistics

53 course grading index average grade = in a course average grade of the students in all their other courses almost always negative for physics courses! broken down by gender - women were much more negative I had the Senior Survey broken down -

54 course grading index average grade = in a course average grade of the students in all their other courses almost always negative for physics courses! broken down by gender - women were much more negative I had the Senior Survey broken down -

55 course grading index average grade = in a course average grade of the students in all their other courses almost always negative for physics courses! broken down by gender - women were much more negative I had the Senior Survey broken down -

56 course grading index average grade = in a course average grade of the students in all their other courses almost always negative for physics courses! broken down by gender - women were much more negative I had the Senior Survey broken down -

57 When I got data from senior surveys broken down by gender, I discovered that the women concentrators had a miserable experience. Many of our women physics concentrators were trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship with the Harvard Physics Department!!!

58 When I got data from senior surveys broken down by gender, I discovered that the women concentrators had a miserable experience. Many of our women physics concentrators were trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship with the Harvard Physics Department!!!

59 This turned me into an activist for Women in Physics!

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62 Harvard Standing Committee on the Status of Women APS Committee on the Status of Women NRC Committee on Women in Science and Engineering The Harvard Committee on Faculty Diversity

63 most important - hire women faculty

64 Talking to the women concentrators and graduate students Women in Physics Dinners Physics Department Holiday Carolling

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66 /Dean of the College/homepginfo/ equity/equity handbook.html at Observe Classroom Dynamics Personalize Large Classes Shift from a Competitive to a Cooperative Educational Model Consider a Variety of Examination Options Encourage Active Participation in Labs Fight Narrow Stereotypes of Science Provide Diverse Role Models Make Yourself Available Foster Self-Confidence

67 But the hotshot course requires special efforts The hotshot course (now Physics 16) year women total

68 hard but humane encourage study group in my office and House dining hall all in the same boat atmosphere explicit rules of coherence and readability for problem sets give students several ways to do well talk explicitly about whether to take the course PRS, take-home/in-class exam system...

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78 CONCLUSIONS Why were our women concentrators so unhappy? TININESS and FOCUS of physics magnifies the problems of the women in the field. Conversely, efforts to encourage women in physics will help broaden the field for both genders. And a broader program is more fun!

79 CONCLUSIONS Why were our women concentrators so unhappy? TININESS and FOCUS of physics magnifies the problems of the women in the field. Conversely, efforts to encourage women in physics will help broaden the field for both genders. And a broader program is more fun!

80 CONCLUSIONS Why were our women concentrators so unhappy? TININESS and FOCUS of physics magnifies the problems of the women in the field. Conversely, efforts to encourage women in physics will help broaden the field for both genders. And a broader program is more fun!

81 CONCLUSIONS Why were our women concentrators so unhappy? TININESS and FOCUS of physics magnifies the problems of the women in the field. Conversely, efforts to encourage women in physics will help broaden the field for both genders. And a broader program is more fun!

82 Physics The few. The proud

83 It s time to outgrow the hypermacho-lone-ranger approach to physics that leads to tininess and focus. This no longer makes any sense in our multiply interconnected world, but it lingers in our mythology and often, sadly, in our faculty meetings, in our selection committes and in our classes.

84 Recommendations: These are all over the map - not just related to the things I have had time to talk about today.

85 NO-BRAINERS

86 RECRUITMENT AND HIRING

87 Searches - junior faculty as well as senior faculty, should be broad based, not very narrowly defined, and should involve the whole department - not a group. The alternative, ultimately, is stagnation.

88 TEACHING AND CLIMATE

89 Treat women colleagues as colleagues. And if one of your other colleagues doesn t do this, call him (or her) on it.

90 Strongly and openly support rules and guidelines designed to protect women students from harrassment or intimidation. Make it clear that you care.

91 Not only protect but actually encourage and cultivate the complainers and the whistleblowers. Many times, the problems are not obvious, and if you drive them underground things will get worse rather than better.

92 Maintain an ombudscommittee of people who are willing to have their shoulders cried on. NOT THE CHAIR or THE DEAN! And reporting to the chair or dean only if necessary and with the permission of the crier.

93 Be aware of gender differences in classrooms. Treat women fairly without singling them out. Use relevant examples (ie. relativistic chocolate chip cookies rather than space war).

94 BARELY-BRAINERS

95 RECRUITMENT AND HIRING Encourage faculty based initiatives like the Committee for Faculty Diversity. These should be slightly subversive.

96 Pay special attention to search practices that perpetuate the old-boy network such as targets of opportunity.

97 TEACHING AND CLIMATE

98 Ask to get statistics broken down by gender, race, and whatever else you can think of. Sure, the results won t be statistically significant. But who cares? You should be trying to understand what is going on - not prove it.

99 Encourage study groups and cooperative behavior in the classroom. Students learn better from other students than they do from you and they learn best by doing the teaching themselves.

100 For the next generation of scientists it is important to emphasize that science is a team activity in which many different skills are needed, and that one of the most important skills in making a scientific collaboration work is the ability to communicate with, to teach and to learn from others.

101 Require the nerds to use complete sentences (rules of coherence).

102 When you encourage study groups, you need to make sure that less self-confident students can find study groups they are comfortable with and can contribute to.

103 Competition is fine, and even the sports metaphors that we often use to describe what we are doing can be useful. But perhaps it pays to remember when we talk about some candidate for a faculty position hitting a homerun that the team also needs a pitcher! (or center and point-guard)

104 BRAINERS hard issues to which I don t have good solutions

105 Life-style issues this one is really hard, but there are ways of making a difference example of women in physics in France women are expected to work so there is good child care and more women physicists - even though the culture is not particular conducive to treating women as colleagues

106 No good deed goes unpunished! We need to develop sensible reward structures in a research university for teaching, mentoring, and other good citizenship.

107 Physicist are good, intelligent, committed people. They should set an example for the society at large, not be dragged kicking and screaming into compliance with rules.

108 Dealing with the issue of women in physics is a special opportunity to make the field more welcoming in general.

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