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"Regardless of the experiences they had, these
people had remarkably positive feelings about chemistry," said Willie
Pearson, Jr., the study's author and chair of the School of History,
Technology and Society at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "If
they had it to do all over again, they would still see chemistry as an
attractive field."
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Willie Pearson, Jr.
Photographer: Gary Meek |
Results of the study, "Beyond Small Numbers: Voices
of African-American Ph.D. Chemists," will be presented February 15 at
the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS). The study explores the divergent career experiences of
44 randomly-chosen African-American Ph.D. chemists who received
degrees prior to 1994.
"The opportunity structure differed dramatically in
many cases over time," said Pearson, who conducted face-to-face
interviews with all but one of the scientists. "Most felt that race
was an issue, and that it had impacted them in certain ways. But they
didn't let that cripple them or stifle their achievement. Racism was
just part of the reality that confronted them."
Most respondents began their careers in the
academic world, with slightly more than half taking positions at
historically black colleges and universities. The Ph.D. chemists
choosing academic careers were attracted to institutions similar to
the ones where they obtained their undergraduate degrees.
Their experiences changed dramatically over time,
affected by federal legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education.
Other key findings include:
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The respondents often found themselves torn
between the research they were trained to do and administrative
roles that provided salary and advancement opportunities beyond what
they could achieve as practicing chemists. For industrial chemists,
these administrative positions were often in Equal Employment
Opportunity, human resources or community outreach areas with little
impact on company decision-making.
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Many of the respondents reported that good work
overcame discrimination. "It's difficult not to reward excellence,"
said Pearson. "While there may be discriminatory practices, by and
large the system tended to work for those who did good work."
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In academia as well as industry, experiences
varied among departments even within the same institution. "While
there might be a company culture, there are also individual unit
cultures," he explained. "At one company, chemists reported
different career advancement experiences depending on the division
in which they worked. For example, in one unit, a chemist had filed
racial discrimination complaints, while chemists in two separate
units reported supportive and welcoming environments."
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African-American women often had to also confront
gender discrimination and were expected to meet a higher standard
than their male counterparts. "But I think you would find the same
thing with women in general, because chemistry is still largely a
male-dominated field," Pearson said.
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If they were the only persons of color in their
organizations, African-American chemists sometimes suffered feelings
of isolation, which caused stress and depression. In academia,
isolated chemists often had difficulty attracting graduate students,
which hurt their research and therefore their stature in the field.
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Among industrial chemists, eight of 13
respondents (62 percent) said they were satisfied or very satisfied
with their jobs. Among the academic chemists, 16 of the 22 (72
percent) reported that level of satisfaction – while five said they
were very dissatisfied.
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Segregation in the South contributed to a 'brain
drain' in which African-Americans pursuing chemistry doctorates
entered universities outside the region. Most never returned.
Daryl Chubin, senior vice president at the National
Action Council for Minorities in Education (NACME), said the study is
unusual in using interviews to provide an in-depth look at complex
issues.
"The value of the analysis is that it looks across
a half-century of experience on the part of these minority chemists,"
he said. "Because of the interviews, the study puts a human face on
their experiences. There is a great deal of commonality in what these
Ph.D. chemists are saying."
Chubin noted that the experiences reported by the
chemists parallel those of today's minority science and engineering
students, who often suffer from lack of access, isolation, tokenism,
lack of acceptance from others at the institution and limited
mentoring opportunities.
"The good news is that they prevailed," he added. "Some
of them had very distinguished careers despite this. But it points out
the climate in which they had to work, and which still confronts
faculty of color."
The qualitative study highlights the importance of
mentoring, Chubin and Pearson agree. To be successful in academia,
scientists must not only teach and do research, but also write papers,
submit grant applications, make professional presentations, compete
for graduate students and manage their laboratories. That knowledge
isn't taught in the classroom, but comes from working with top faculty.
"Many in the first generation of Ph.D.s didn't have
a sense that the degree is only the beginning," Pearson said. "Finishing
at a top academic institution is a great achievement, but in the
research community, the degree is only the key to get in. Those who
did not have a rich publishing experience and knowledge of how to
write a grant had a very difficult time."
A shortage of African-American faculty poses a
threat to the modest diversity at U.S. colleges and universities as
today's full professors look toward retirement. "When we are only
producing 30 or so African-American Ph.D.s a year and a number of
African-American chemists are at or near retirement age, we risk
losing ground, especially in academia," Pearson warned. |
