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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
APPENDIX D
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improved recruitment from historically underrepresented groups, 9 so solar and space physics as a community could benefit from programs that specifically target enhancing diversity within solar and space
physics, such as the NSF Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences program. 10
Nearly three-quarters of recent Ph.D. recipients (receiving their degree since 2000) participated in some
form of undergraduate research. About half of the respondents reported that they were involved at some
level in K-12 education and/or public outreach. This highlights the importance of education and public
outreach and the role that the Heliophysics Education and Public Outreach Forum plays in connecting
the scientific community with education resources.
The survey asked a number of Likert-scale questions, giving respondents the opportunity to elaborate
on their answers—two of which are highlighted here. One question asked if they strongly agree, agree,
disagree, strongly disagree, or “don’t know” regarding the following statement: “The next generation of scientific leadership is emerging in my field, and I am confident that they will be able to answer the scientific
questions of the next decade.” Two-thirds of the respondents agreed or agreed strongly with the statement,
while one-quarter disagreed or disagreed strongly. The open-ended comments were generally optimistic
about the abilities of the next generation but pessimistic about reduction in funding and NASA missions.
Another question asked, “What have been the barriers to your career up until this point?” and the responses
were divided between men and women. More than 31 percent (48 of 154) of the written responses from
women indicated some form of gender discrimination or lack of family-friendly policies as barriers.
PH.D. PRODUCTION IN SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS
To assess the state of health of the field of solar and space physics and the discipline areas it comprises, an analysis of the number of Ph.D.s produced each year was done for the decade 2001-2010. The
University of Michigan Ph.D. Dissertation Archive (Proquest) was queried for solar and space physics dissertations. The discipline areas generated between 30 to 40 Ph.D.s per year from 2001 to 2006 but then
saw the number increase to 56 to 71 per year for the rest of the decade. Most of the increase was due to
the doubling of ionosphere-thermosphere-meosphere (ITM) Ph.D.s (from an annual average of 12.4 Ph.D.s
in the first half of the decade to 24.4) and solar Ph.D.s (from an average of 5.6 to 13). Magnetospheric
Ph.D.s also increased, but by a smaller number (from an annual average of 12 to 16.5).
The Proquest dissertation database was queried for dissertations published between 2001 and 2010
for Ph.D.s in the broad field of solar and space physics. The keywords used to identify dissertations were
the following: space physics, solar physics, magnetosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, aurora, auroral,
aurorae, heliosphere, space weather, aeronomy, solar corona, solar wind, solar chromosphere, helioseismology, solar flare, and solar active region. These terms were looked for in the dissertation keywords,
title, and abstract. Once identified, the dissertation titles and/or abstracts were then analyzed to eliminate
dissertations more focused on astrophysics, space engineering, or other nonrelated disciplines (like medicine). Only Ph.D. dissertations were included. The Proquest database contains most of the dissertations
produced in the United States and Canada, but only a few from other universities around the world;
therefore, the results include only dissertations produced in North America. The dissertations were divided
9 D.E Chubin, E. Derrick, I. Feller, and P. Phartiyal, AAAS Review of the NSF Science and Technology Centers Integrative Partnerships
(STC) Program, 2000-2009, Final Report, December 17, 2010, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington,
D.C., 2010.
10 See National Science Foundation, Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG), available at http://www.
nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12726.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
APPENDIX D
357
improved recruitment from historically underrepresented groups, 9 so solar and space physics as a community could benefit from programs that specifically target enhancing diversity within solar and space
physics, such as the NSF Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences program. 10
Nearly three-quarters of recent Ph.D. recipients (receiving their degree since 2000) participated in some
form of undergraduate research. About half of the respondents reported that they were involved at some
level in K-12 education and/or public outreach. This highlights the importance of education and public
outreach and the role that the Heliophysics Education and Public Outreach Forum plays in connecting
the scientific community with education resources.
The survey asked a number of Likert-scale questions, giving respondents the opportunity to elaborate
on their answers—two of which are highlighted here. One question asked if they strongly agree, agree,
disagree, strongly disagree, or “don’t know” regarding the following statement: “The next generation of scientific leadership is emerging in my field, and I am confident that they will be able to answer the scientific
questions of the next decade.” Two-thirds of the respondents agreed or agreed strongly with the statement,
while one-quarter disagreed or disagreed strongly. The open-ended comments were generally optimistic
about the abilities of the next generation but pessimistic about reduction in funding and NASA missions.
Another question asked, “What have been the barriers to your career up until this point?” and the responses
were divided between men and women. More than 31 percent (48 of 154) of the written responses from
women indicated some form of gender discrimination or lack of family-friendly policies as barriers.
PH.D. PRODUCTION IN SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS
To assess the state of health of the field of solar and space physics and the discipline areas it comprises, an analysis of the number of Ph.D.s produced each year was done for the decade 2001-2010. The
University of Michigan Ph.D. Dissertation Archive (Proquest) was queried for solar and space physics dissertations. The discipline areas generated between 30 to 40 Ph.D.s per year from 2001 to 2006 but then
saw the number increase to 56 to 71 per year for the rest of the decade. Most of the increase was due to
the doubling of ionosphere-thermosphere-meosphere (ITM) Ph.D.s (from an annual average of 12.4 Ph.D.s
in the first half of the decade to 24.4) and solar Ph.D.s (from an average of 5.6 to 13). Magnetospheric
Ph.D.s also increased, but by a smaller number (from an annual average of 12 to 16.5).
The Proquest dissertation database was queried for dissertations published between 2001 and 2010
for Ph.D.s in the broad field of solar and space physics. The keywords used to identify dissertations were
the following: space physics, solar physics, magnetosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, aurora, auroral,
aurorae, heliosphere, space weather, aeronomy, solar corona, solar wind, solar chromosphere, helioseismology, solar flare, and solar active region. These terms were looked for in the dissertation keywords,
title, and abstract. Once identified, the dissertation titles and/or abstracts were then analyzed to eliminate
dissertations more focused on astrophysics, space engineering, or other nonrelated disciplines (like medicine). Only Ph.D. dissertations were included. The Proquest database contains most of the dissertations
produced in the United States and Canada, but only a few from other universities around the world;
therefore, the results include only dissertations produced in North America. The dissertations were divided
9 D.E Chubin, E. Derrick, I. Feller, and P. Phartiyal, AAAS Review of the NSF Science and Technology Centers Integrative Partnerships
(STC) Program, 2000-2009, Final Report, December 17, 2010, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington,
D.C., 2010.
10 See National Science Foundation, Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG), available at http://www.
nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12726.