Carlos CastilloChavez

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Underrepresented Minorities in Mathematics
AAAS 2005 Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.

• Carlos Castillo-Chavez
• Joaquin Bustoz Jr. Professor
• Arizona State University
• February 20, 2005

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Mathematics Ph.D. Degrees Awarded by US
Institutions
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Ph.D. Degrees Awarded to US MinoritiesAmerican
Mathematical Association Data
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Data Interpretation on Mathematics

• 9-11 has had no impact on foreign recruitment. In
  fact this population seems to be increasing.
• Number of Ph.D.s seems to be stabilizing around
  1000
• Drecreases in the population of US citizens seem
  to be stopping (NSFs VIGRE, AGEP, IGERT?)

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Underrepresented Minorities Data

• Asian-Americans patterns are becoming strikingly
  similar to those of traditionally
  underrepresented groups
• Trends for women in general seem stable (no
  growth) and
• Numbers fopr underrepresented minorities are
  extremely small (men and women)

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Some Explanations

• Students prefer to go to do something else
  (business, medical school, etc.)
• Huge paying jobs in industry
• Lack of a critical mass prevents recruitment
• Presidents Summers explanation

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Additional reasons

• Federal efforts -NSFs LS-Alliance for Minority
  Participation - are working. So what happens to
  these students?
• US universities focus on general, that is, not
  specialized training while countries in Asia,
  Europe and Latin America do not.
• Initial conditions are naturally extremely
  different-making foreign students more
  attractive.
• Foreign students can produce immediately and
  this benefits faculty(publications, prestige,
  etc.)

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More Reasons

• Recruitment of Minorities - has been left to
  minorities or to special diversity offices with
  limited vision and power.
• University offices in charge of diversity are in
  the hands of non faculty or undistinguised
  minority faculty (Vice provost for diversity or
  similar appointments are non-prestige
  appointments)
• Faculty has no incentives to recruit and train
  American students, particularly, underrepresented
  minorities or women.
• Training and funding of US students while is a
  costlier enterprise--equivalent to that of
  drafting basketball projects.

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Current Efforts

• Brave efforts by individuals often die with their
  retirement or relocation.
• - Richard Tapia, William I. Velez, Joaquin
  Bustoz Jr. (deceased in 2003) and others
• Efforts are seen as outside the departments or
  colleges functions, missions and goals
• Lack of prestige on mentorship activities -
  despite efforts by NSF

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MTBI
Mathematical and Theoretical Biology
Institute REU Programs can work ASU/Los Alamos
National Laboratory
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Focus

• Support sequential research opportunities mostly
  for underrepresented minorities (graduates and
  undergraduates) interested in the applications of
  mathematics to biology or related fields
• Legitimate research experiences in applied
  mathematics, particularly in computational and
  mathematical biology with top researchers
  involved full time.
• Increase the number of underrepresented
  minorities who apply and are accepted in some of
  the best US graduate programs in applied
  mathematics or related fields.

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NSF-Math Institute Type Activities

• University of Michigan (Genomics Training Center)
  and Santa Fe Institute annual participation
  Workshops
• Colloquia with distinguished speakers
• Basic Sequence plus advanced sequence with yearly
  varying themes (special years)
• Opportunity to return as undergraduate and/or
  graduate student to participate in special year
  programs.
• University partnerships Universityof Arizonas
  and University of New Mexicos Mathematics
  Departments
• International undergraduate and graduate
  participants

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MTBI DATA 1996-2004
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Nine Years of MTBI Results

• Since 1996 MTBI has mentored 232 undergraduates.
• Approximately 12 Latinos in graduate school per
  year (15 total underrepresented minority
  students)
• Since 1996 MTBI students have produced 89 papers,
  each years papers are published as technical
  reports--many published articles.

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MTBI 1996
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MTBI 2003
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SUMS/MTBIs Year Round
Institute for Strengthening Understanding of
Mathematics and Science (SUMS) and MTBI Three
White House Awards for Mentorship Changes at ASU
in 2004 alone.
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• ABITuMath- International School of Mathematical
  Modeling
• 6 SUMS/MTBI Institute students majoring in
  Mathematics and Engineering attended the
  ABITuMath Seminar in Munich, Germany and
  Novacella, Italy from September 25- October 5,
  2004 with funds received from the National
  Science Foundation (NSF).
• Students participated in mathematical seminars
  with other students from Europe and the United
  States

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Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation
(LSAMP) Students
Joined ASUs Mathematics Graduate Program in 2004
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SUMS/MTBI Research Professors
Priscilla Greenwood, Emeritus, UBC, Canda
Karl P. Hadeler, Emeritus, Tuebingen, Germany
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Some Data on Impact
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Cornell University

• Sixteen MTBI alumni in graduate programs in
  applied mathematics, biometry, statistics and
  theoretical and applied mechanics
• Nearly 100 retention
• Five Ph.D.s to underrepresented minorities from
  this group in 2005.
• First ever Ph.D. in biometry to an
  underrepresented minority
• First ever Ph.D. in statistics to an
  underrepresented minority

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• Mexican President Vicente Fox and his wife with
  all the Mexican Youth Prize awardees at Los
  Pinos (November 24, 2003)

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Mathematics Department - University of Iowa

• The State of Iowa has a population that includes
  about 4 underrepresented minorities
• Graduate mathematics program - includes between
  20-25 underrepresented minorities-most MTBI
  alumni.
• Full faculty involvement - serious efforts to
  institutionalize change
• Why cant every department do this?

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Mathematics Department - University of Iowa
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Conclusions

• Culture can be changed at State and Ivy League
  Institutions
• It is possibly to massively award Ph,D.s in the
  mathematical sciences to underrepresented
  minorities
• Funding is necessary and important--it should be
  long-term and awarded competitively. NSF should
  not have its funding cut in this area.
• There are clear measures of success retention
  and Ph.D.s awarded.
• Efforts should be led by faculty with active
  well-recognized research programs and funding
  should be provided accordingly
• Current situation unacceptable and easily
  addressed if increasing diversity becomes a
  national priority.

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NSF Funding

• Recent reports on NSF cuts will affect their
  human resources division
• Unfortunately, some scientists have seen the
  mission of this division and those of research
  divisions as competing
• They are closely and intimately related and
  cutting one will affect the other dramatically
• Reduced funding will guarantee that the number of
  American students going into mathematics and the
  sciences will re-start its downward trend.
• Diversity will only be a dream without the
  implementation of serious funding competitive
  programs,with appropriate funding, at the
  interface of research and education.