Science And Engineering Indicators 2 Vol

Provides a broad base of quantitative info. about U.S. science, engin., and technology. Because of the spread of scientific and tech. capabilities around the world, this report presents a significant amount of material about these internat. capabilities and analyzes the U.S. position in this broader context. Contains quantitative analyses of key aspects of the scope, quality, and vitality of the Nation¿s science and engineering (S&E) enterprise. It presents info. on science, math, and engineering. educ. at all levels; the S&E workforce; U.S. internat. R&D perform. and competitiveness in high tech.; and public attitudes and understanding of S&E. Also info. on state-level S&E indicators. Presents the key themes emerging from these analyses. Illus.

Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty presents new and surprising findings about career differences between female and male full-time, tenure-track, and tenured faculty in science, engineering, and mathematics at the nation's top research universities. Much of this congressionally mandated book is based on two unique surveys of faculty and departments at major U.S. research universities in six fields: biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, and physics. A departmental survey collected information on departmental policies, recent tenure and promotion cases, and recent hires in almost 500 departments. A faculty survey gathered information from a stratified, random sample of about 1,800 faculty on demographic characteristics, employment experiences, the allocation of institutional resources such as laboratory space, professional activities, and scholarly productivity. This book paints a timely picture of the status of female faculty at top universities, clarifies whether male and female faculty have similar opportunities to advance and succeed in academia, challenges some commonly held views, and poses several questions still in need of answers. This book will be of special interest to university administrators and faculty, graduate students, policy makers, professional and academic societies, federal funding agencies, and others concerned with the vitality of the U.S. research base and economy.

Alarmists argue that the United States urgently needs more and better-trained scientists to compete with the rest of the world. Their critics counter that, far from facing a shortage, we are producing a glut of young scientists with poor employment prospects. Both camps have issued reports in recent years that predict the looming decline of American science. Drawing on their extensive analysis of national data sets, Yu Xie and Alexandra Killewald have welcome news to share: American science is in good health. Is American Science in Decline? does reveal areas of concern, namely scientists’ low earnings, the increasing competition they face from Asia, and the declining number of doctorates who secure academic positions. But the authors argue that the values inherent in American culture make the country highly conducive to science for the foreseeable future. They do not see globalization as a threat but rather a potential benefit, since it promotes efficiency in science through knowledge-sharing. In an age when other countries are catching up, American science will inevitably become less dominant, even though it is not in decline relative to its own past. As technology continues to change the American economy, better-educated workers with a range of skills will be in demand. So as a matter of policy, the authors urge that science education not be detached from general education.

Understanding Girls: Quantitative and Qualitative Research is a retrospective of the author’s research that led to receiving the 2013 Distinguished Contributions Award to Science Education through Research. This book includes selected articles that document changes in her research approaches and theoretical frameworks. The articles represent the evolution of her thinking about the issue of girls in science as well as her impact on science education. The author’s work is placed in the context of science education research at the time of publication, research in education and psychology, and the culture of the times. She pulls back the curtain that often makes the messy work of research seem straightforward and linear to reveal why she did the research and the methodological decisions she faced. She describes the serendipitous nature of some of the work as well as her frustrations in trying to understand data, and struggles to insure that she accurately and respectfully presented the voices of girls and their teachers. The book also includes some of the earliest research in engineering education preceding the focus on engineering practices found in the Next Generation Science and Engineering Standards. Understanding Girls provides insights into why girls may or may not decide to participate in science and engineering and what can be done to increase their participation. It provides evidence that we have increased girls’ participation and the challenges that remain to insure that every girl who wants to become a scientist or engineer has the opportunity to do so.