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A Science & Engineering Degrees 2015 C Geoscience Doctoral Degrees
30% B 9% 681
Bachelor’s Master’s Doctoral 12% Geoscience Master’s Degrees 1,955 1,912 8% 577 567 612 657 735 771
Percentage of Degrees Earned 20% Percentage of Degrees Earned 10% 1,440 1,349 1,352 1,447 1,568 1,807 Percentage of Degrees Earned 6% 640 614 613
25%
1,933
1,845
7%
8%
5%
15%
4%
6%
10%
3%
4%
5%
1%
0%
0% 2% ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16 2% ‘07‘08 ‘09‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16
0%
Science
Mathematics
Computer Sciences
Biological Sciences
Psychology
All Science & Agricultural Sciences Geosciences Physical Sciences Social Sciences Engineering Hispanic Numbers above each year show total geoscience degrees earned
Engineering
Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian
Native American/Alaskan
African American
by all demographic groups, not only URM
Figure 1. (A) Percentage of STEM degrees earned by underrepresented minorities, (B) Percentage of geoscience M.S., and (C) Ph.D. degrees earned
by underrepresented minorities (URM). Figures after Wilson (2019) and total geoscience M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in panels (B) and (C) from the U.S.
Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_325.72.asp?current = yes).
redlining bring us to a present day where ership roles on a range of issues to begin empowering, and promoting URM geosci-
the intersection of geoscience and society is to commit to real and lasting change. A few entists; and
likely more important to everyday life in examples of such actions could include: • Listen deeply to the experiences of URM
URM communities than other demograph- • Advocating for immediate and significant geoscientists and commit to meaningful
ics. In fact, a range of geoscience issues, increases in the number of URM faculty in change.
including natural hazards, water quality geoscience departments nationwide through This is only an initial list, and we all need
and quantity, and climate change are all inclusive and equitable hiring practices (e.g., to continue to develop more direct and con-
inextricably linked to topics of race, equity, Tatum, 2003); crete actions. An online petition, “Geo-
justice, and marginalization of URM com- • Creating real two-way partnerships with scientists: Call for a Robust Anti-Racism
munities. These are the communities GSA, HBCUs, HSIs, the HACU, and TCUs; Plan for the Geosciences” (http://chng.it/
and all of us as geoscientists, should be • Creating real partnerships with organiza- gZ28ZNHcnS), and the resources at https://
doing everything in our power to help to tions such as NABG, SACNAS, MAES, 500womenscientists .org/ updates/ 2020 /
train (and retain) as the next generation of GeoLatinas, AISES, GEM, Geoscience 6 /1/ take-action inspired this article, and they
geoscientists, and diverse voices are critical Alliance, and others; include a more comprehensive list of actions
in the search for just and equitable solu- • Creating inclusive mentoring programs, in which we all can and should engage. We
tions. Yet, where is there any mention of perhaps with these organizations; sincerely thank the organizers of the petition
real partnership with Historically Black • Advocating for the removal of GRE re- and strongly encourage all geoscience soci-
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic quirements to geoscience graduate pro- eties, and all geoscientists, to read the peti-
Serving Institutions (HSIs), the Hispanic grams and adopting a “holistic” evalua- tion and consider adding their support. GSA
Association of Colleges and Universities tion process (Kent and McCarthy, 2016); can, should, and must take a leadership role
(HACU), or Tribal Colleges and Universities in this issue, and it is only through the con-
(TCUs) in GSA’s actions or position state- • Either directly paying for, or advocating certed efforts of the executive and member-
ment? Where is there any mention of real for the removal of, graduate school appli- ship of the Society, geoscience departments
partnership with organizations such as the cation fees for URM students (similar to across the country, and all of us as geoscien-
National Association of Black Geoscientists the American Geophysical Union’s Bridge tists that we can begin to be the change we so
(NABG), American Association of Blacks Program); desperately need.
in Energy (AABE), Society for Advancement • Mandating diversity in panels and plenary
of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans lectures at meetings as well as in awards; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
in Science (SACNAS), Society of Mexican • Ensuring that the burden of creating this We thank two anonymous reviewers for strength-
American Engineers and Scientists (MAES), change and revising the position statement ening this manuscript and GSA for facing these chal-
GeoLatinas, American Indian Science and and actions of GSA and the geoscience lenges. This work is an outcome of National Science
Engineering Society (AISES), Geoscience community do not fall exclusively on URM Foundation—Improving Undergraduate STEM Ed-
ucation (IUSE) Grant GP-IMPACT-1600429.
Alliance, or National Consortium for Grad- members of GSA—these are issues that
uate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering must be addressed by the entire executive REFERENCES CITED
and Science (GEM)? Real and meaningful leadership of the Society, as well as all Bernard, R.E., and Cooperdock, E.H.G., 2018, No
two-way partnerships that produce actions, members; progress on diversity in 40 years: Nature Geosci-
and that do not only exist on paper, are • Identify and remediate systemic roadblocks ence, v. 11, p. 292–295, https://doi.org/10.1038/
s41561-018-0116-6.
critically needed. to diversity within geoscience curricula; Dutt, K., 2020, Race and racism in the geosciences:
We strongly encourage GSA, geoscience • Identify and promote best practices and suc- Nature Geoscience, v. 13, p. 2–3, https://doi.org/
departments, and geoscientists to take lead- cessful programs that succeed in engaging, 10.1038/s41561-019-0519-z.
www.geosociety.org/gsatoday 35