Monthly Archives: September 2010

Future Trends for Doctorate Degree Programs

On September 14th, a Council of Graduate Schools report found that for the 2008-2009 academic year, women earned a majority of doctorate degrees. While women have been earning the majority of master’s degrees, this was the first year that women took the lead in doctorate degrees as well.

Yesterday, the National Academies released A Data-Based Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs in the United States. This report assesses U.S. research doctorate programs, ranking academic programs in 62 major fields based on a variety of characteristics, including measures of faculty diversity.

Earlier this year, the National Academies published Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Faculty. Using original data from surveys of faculty at major U.S. research universities, Gender Differences paints a picture of the status of female faculty.

Links to more information about these and other National Academies reports that may also interest you are listed below.

Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty

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 …
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A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States

A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States provides an unparalleled dataset that can be used to assess the quality and effectiveness of doctoral programs based on measures important to faculty, students, administrators, funders, and other stakeholders…
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To Recruit and Advance To Recruit and Advance: Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering

Although more women than men participate in higher education in the United States, the same is not true when it comes to pursuing careers in science and engineering. To Recruit and Advance: Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering identifies and…
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Beyond Bias and Barriers Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering

The United States economy relies on the productivity, entrepreneurship, and creativity of its people. To maintain its scientific and engineering leadership amid increasing economic and educational globalization, the United States must aggressively pursue the…
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Educating the Engineer of 2020 Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century

Phase I in the Engineer of 2020 project, Visions of Engineering in the New Century, described a set of
attributes that are expected to be necessary for engineers that will perform well in a world that is driven by rapid
technological advancement,…
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In the Nation's Compelling Interest In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce

The United States is rapidly transforming into one of the most racially and ethnically diverse nations in the world. Groups commonly referred to as minorities–including Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and…
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Bridges to Independence Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research

A rising median age at which PhDs receive their first research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is among the factors forcing academic biomedical researchers to spend longer periods of time before they can set their own research directions and…
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When Weather Prediction Matters

While many of us are anticipating barbecues, beach visits, and the last trip to the swimming pool to celebrate Labor Day weekend, those of us on the Eastern Seaboard are also keeping our eyes open to the possibilities of Hurricane Earl having an impact on our plans. We receive a lot of information about various storm scenarios, but what becomes evident from listening to meteorologists is that we still need more tools in order to predict with confidence the track of major storms. With a possibly active hurricane season ahead, it’s time to take a good look at our nation’s weather prediction abilities. The National Academies has information to offer about the current state of weather prediction, and makes suggestions for the future direction of research.

When Weather Matters When Weather Matters: Science and Service to Meet Critical Societal Needs
The past 15 years have seen marked progress in observing, understanding, and predicting weather. At the same time, the United States has failed to match or surpass progress in operational numerical weather prediction achieved by other nations and failed to…
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Observing Weather and Climate from the Ground Up Observing Weather and Climate from the Ground Up: A Nationwide Network of Networks
Detailed weather observations on local and regional levels are essential to a range of needs from forecasting tornadoes to making decisions that affect energy security, public health and safety, transportation, agriculture and all of our economic interests….
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Uncertainty Management in Remote Sensing of Climate Data Uncertainty Management in Remote Sensing of Climate Data: Summary of a Workshop
Great advances have been made in our understanding of the climate system over the past few decades, and remotely sensed data have played a key role in supporting many of these advances. Improvements in satellites and in computational and data-handling techniques…
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Completing the Forecast Completing the Forecast: Characterizing and Communicating Uncertainty for Better Decisions Using Weather and Climate Forecasts
Uncertainty is a fundamental characteristic of weather, seasonal climate, and hydrological prediction, and no forecast is complete without a description of its uncertainty. Effective communication of uncertainty helps people better understand the likelihood of a…
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Fair Weather Fair Weather: Effective Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services
Decades of evolving U.S. policy have led to three sectors providing weather servicesNOAA (primarily the National Weather Service [NWS]), academic institutions, and private companies. This three-sector system has produced a scope and diversity of weather…
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