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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
351
D
Education and Workforce Issues
in Solar and Space Physics
SUMMARY
Working Group Mission and Challenges
The cross-disciplinary Education and Workforce Working Group assessed the current state of health of
the solar and space physics field and provided foundational support and guidance to the survey committee regarding recommendations designed to enhance the community’s efforts in education, to support the
necessary workforce needed within solar and space physics, and to contribute to the community’s broader
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education efforts. The assessment was based
on the community’s first demographic survey and quantitative determination of the state of health of the
solar and space physics community.
One of the largest challenges in this undertaking was that the disciplines constituting solar and space
physics are spread among many different academic fields (physics, astronomy, the Earth and space sciences, and several engineering disciplines), making the task of assessing a number of basic quantitative
measures challenging because of different standards and norms in the various academic environments.
Quantitative Studies of the Health of the Field
To quantitatively answer these and other questions, the Education and Workforce Working Group
undertook a series of studies. These included the following: (1) development of a community-wide database of members and programs to determine the size of the community; (2) development of a community
demographic survey with the American Institute of Physics (AIP) to determine the age, gender, type of
employer, academic background, and participation levels within various NASA and National Science
Foundation (NSF) programs, among other questions; (3) development and implementation of graduate student surveys (both online and within focus groups) to determine their pathways into the field; (4) a Ph.D.
survey to determine the number of Ph.D.s graduated each year, from which institution, and within what
subdiscipline; (5) a job advertisement study to determine the number of positions advertised each year;
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
351
D
Education and Workforce Issues
in Solar and Space Physics
SUMMARY
Working Group Mission and Challenges
The cross-disciplinary Education and Workforce Working Group assessed the current state of health of
the solar and space physics field and provided foundational support and guidance to the survey committee regarding recommendations designed to enhance the community’s efforts in education, to support the
necessary workforce needed within solar and space physics, and to contribute to the community’s broader
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education efforts. The assessment was based
on the community’s first demographic survey and quantitative determination of the state of health of the
solar and space physics community.
One of the largest challenges in this undertaking was that the disciplines constituting solar and space
physics are spread among many different academic fields (physics, astronomy, the Earth and space sciences, and several engineering disciplines), making the task of assessing a number of basic quantitative
measures challenging because of different standards and norms in the various academic environments.
Quantitative Studies of the Health of the Field
To quantitatively answer these and other questions, the Education and Workforce Working Group
undertook a series of studies. These included the following: (1) development of a community-wide database of members and programs to determine the size of the community; (2) development of a community
demographic survey with the American Institute of Physics (AIP) to determine the age, gender, type of
employer, academic background, and participation levels within various NASA and National Science
Foundation (NSF) programs, among other questions; (3) development and implementation of graduate student surveys (both online and within focus groups) to determine their pathways into the field; (4) a Ph.D.
survey to determine the number of Ph.D.s graduated each year, from which institution, and within what
subdiscipline; (5) a job advertisement study to determine the number of positions advertised each year;