National Academies Press: OpenBook

Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference (2013)

Chapter: Appendix E-21: Geological Society of America Written Testimony

« Previous: Appendix E-20: Academic Women of Color in Computing: A Testimony on the Issues and Possible Solutions
Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-21: Geological Society of America Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
×

APPENDIX E-21


Geological Society of America Written Testimony


John W. Geissman35

My name is John W. Geissman. I am the President of the Geological Society of America, a Full Professor of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Full Professor Emeritus at the University of New Mexico. I am testifying today on behalf of the Geological Society of America (GSA). Founded in 1888, the Geological Society of America is the oldest professional geoscience scientific society in North America. It represents over 25,000 members from academia, government, and industry in all 50 states and more than 103 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, the society advances the geosciences, enhances the professional growth of its members, and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education. GSA has a standing Committee on Diversity in the Geosciences, a commitment to diversity in the GSA leadership (three women of color on the 16 member Council), as well as a new staff position focused on diversity.

The Geological Society of America recognizes the great need for and importance in enhancing the diversity of workforce that is to fill the growing and broadening workforce in Geoscience-related fields, be they in industry; local, state, tribal, or federal government positions; or higher as well as K-12 education. As the demand for a geoscience workforce grows, it is vital that we encourage all students to pursue educational experiences in the geosciences. In higher education in the United States, women of color are very poorly represented as Geoscience faculty, as documented by research by the American Geosciences Institute, and changing this situation is and will continue to be a focus of discussion by professional geoscience societies. As geoscience faculty, women of color play tremendous roles in encouraging our diverse youth to become interested in the sciences, and geosciences in particular, as a rewarding career. In October, 2011, the Geological Society of America and American Geosciences Institute met with representatives from their Associated Societies and Member Societies, respectively, to discuss enhanced efforts to coordinate activities in geoscience education across all professional geoscience societies. A major component of this discussion was how to build the diversity of the future geoscience workforce.

The Geological Society of America adopted a Position Statement on Diversity in the Geosciences in June, 2010. Part of this statement reads, “This GSA Position Statement on diversity addresses GSA staff and the membership, headquarters activities, meeting, and special functions, and the role of GSA and its members in their larger communities. In this latter regard, the statement challenges the membership and all GSA units to deal with the complexity of issues

__________________

35 Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Professor Emeritus, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, and President, Geological Society of America.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-21: Geological Society of America Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
×

related to diversity in their home institutions, whether they are academic, governmental, non-profit, or industry.”

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony about the importance of woman of color in all professions in the Geosciences. The Geological Society of America is grateful to the National Research Council’s efforts to assure a greater representation by women of color in the sciences. For additional information or to learn more about the Geological Society of America – including GSA Position Statements on geoscience education and diversity in the geosciences– please visit www.geosociety.org or contact Kasey White at kwhite@geosociety.org.

 

Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-21: Geological Society of America Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
×
Page 242
Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-21: Geological Society of America Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
×
Page 243
Next: Appendix E-22: NASA and Women of Color: Recruitment, Building a Pipeline, and Ensuring Inclusion and Diversity in the Workforce »
Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $58.00 Buy Ebook | $46.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia is the summary of a 2013 conference convened by the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine of the National Research Council to discuss the current status of women of color in academia and explore the challenges and successful initiatives for creating the institutional changes required to increase representation of women of color at all levels of the academic workforce. While the number of women, including minority women, pursuing higher education in science, engineering and medicine has grown, the number of minority women faculty in all institutions of higher education has remained small and has grown less rapidly than the numbers of nonminority women or minority men.

Seeking Solutions reviews the existing research on education and academic career patterns for minority women in science, engineering, and medicine to enhance understanding of the barriers and challenges to the full participation of all minority women in STEM disciplines and academic careers. Additionally, this report identifies reliable and credible data source and data gaps, as well as key aspects of exemplary policies and programs that are effective in enhancing minority women's participation in faculty ranks. Success in academia is predicated on many factors and is not solely a function of talent. Seeking Solutions elucidates those other factors and highlights ways that institutions and the individuals working there can take action to create institutional cultures hospitable to people of any gender, race, and ethnicity.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!