PerspectivesAre you interested in submitting a Perspective Article? Be sure to read The Science Advisory Board's Editorial Guides for Perspective Articles. Click here. Succession Planning in Science: Educating the Next Generation by Beverly Barton, Ph.D. In industry, succession planning is done to insure that knowledge and methods flow smoothly from one generation of management to the next. As scientists, are we doing enough succession planning to insure there will be another generation of working scientists? What are the challenges and solutions we face? In this Perspectives article, I address some of these questions and propose possible solutions. Are we training enough scientists? In a word no, at least not in the US (1, 2). The reasons for this are many and varied: the long time required in school before a terminal degree and thus professional employment; the pay scale is low relative to the educational requirements of a scientific career; it is not as prestigious as other occupations; the mediocre to poor quality of K-12 science and mathematics education in much of the US; younger students want to avoid being perceived as being geeks, nerds or other oddball types if they profess an interest in the sciences, and many other reasons not listed here. Why should we act now or even act at all? Not training may lead to a downward spiral One danger I foresee is that not acting to increase student interest in the sciences will have the force of the marketplace and will therefore decrease the educational choices open to students in coming years. At the University of Florida, the proposed 2008 budget contains these items: the following doctoral degree programs at the College of Arts and Sciences will have no admissions for three years: 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12. * Ph.D in Philosophy * Ph.D in Romance Languages and Literatures with concentration in French * Ph.D. in German At the College of Arts and Sciences also these departments merged: * Departments of Zoology, Botany and Biological Sciences Teaching Program (3) Thus, the University of Florida will be teaching fewer biology teachers, in effect. Education majors often can't teach science; biology majors often lack needed pedagogical skills. This program was a necessary one to create more and better science teachers. Florida's students will be worse off for this. In summary, "Use it or lose it" is the message. A moral is written here for departments like mathematics and physics with few Ph.D. candidates. In my opinion, this decision makes University of Florida less of an academic milieu and more of a marketplace selling a commodity. The University of Florida is the second largest state university (by enrollment) in the US (2007 data) with over 51,100 students enrolled (4). A university of that size eliminating 3 humanities Ph.D. programs and rolling 3 biology majors into 1 shows a Draconian response to declining student enrollment on those programs. Yet the faculty in German, Philosophy, Botany, and so forth will still be paid by the university (though they may choose to leave). Imagine a world in which another major state university eliminates a doctoral program in one of the natural or applied sciences. It is a chilling thought to me. What can we, as practicing scientists, do to improve this predicted outcome? Strategies for bringing the next generation into the wondrous world of science As practicing scientists, we can and should influence the next generation to the best of our ability. We should help prepare them to carry on as scientists and help train science teachers. Indeed, some at UNESCO believe we should be educating all citizens to meet the technological challenges of the future (5). I believe we can do the following to invigorate our profession and get young people excited by the challenges and rewards of a career in science. Mentor students: Whether college undergraduates or young people you know in your neighborhood, you can mentor by talking about your profession. Even mentoring outside of the laboratory setting may influence someone enough to seek a program for summer research. Mentor teachers: Many science teachers have excellent pedagogical skills but incomplete mastery of current science. Talk to the science supervisor in your town about mentoring a teacher as a volunteer. Student volunteers/interns: Offer to take a student volunteer or intern in your lab for a summer. Perhaps you were bitten by the science bug in this way. I was. Programs like ACS Project SEED: Formal summer programs for high school students, which will pay a stipend to qualified students, do exist. Look at the American Chemical Society website. Lobby for more programs, especially those aimed at middle-class students: Project SEED is intended for economically-disadvantaged students. But middle-class students need programs too, especially as college costs soar and these students are expected to earn money for tuition over their summers. Such programs would allow middle-class students to work in laboratories over the summers for pay. Lobby legislators and agencies to agree to funding for merit-based programs. More visibility: Make your profession visible to the public. Visit schools and speak at career days or ask science teachers if you can talk about being a practicing scientist. Ask to judge science fair competitions: It raises the prestige of the science fair and gives you an opportunity to talk up your profession at the same time. Teaching as a second (retirement) career: Through an alternative pathway program, you can teach what you know to advanced high school students. Often, the school system will pay for your didactic courses and of course you will have benefits beyond the paycheck. An example of a state-run program is here. Finally, you should be telling everyone you know, especially young people looking at career paths, about your scientific career. No, not everyone will be Madame Curie and not everyone will cure cancer. But more young people ought to aspire to a satisfying career that pays them in more than just dollars; it pays them in a soul-satisfying manner few professions can match. References Cited
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