Preserving Strength While Meeting Challenges Summary Report of a Workshop on Actions for the Mathematical Sciences (1997) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix C: National Science Foundation Workshop Summary Report
Appendix C: National Science Foundation Workshop Summary Report
Pages 77-83
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From page 77... ...
sponsored a workshop on graduate education in the mathematical and physical sciences. Its purpose was to bring together leaders from MPS disciplines to examine the current practices used to prepare young people for careers in science, and to suggest strategies appropriate for the next decade.
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From page 78... ...
Harris Assistant Director Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences Introduction The heightened international economic and technological competitiveness of the post-Cold War world and the growing influence of domestic fiscal stringency are forcing the research university community to adjust to a changing environment. In particular, these new forces affect the training of graduate students in the physical sciences and mathematics, and so the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)
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From page 79... ...
4. Efforts should be made to decrease gradually the proportion of graduate students funded as Research Assistants and to increase gradually the proportion funded by other mechanisms, including traineeships and fellowships, as well as novel, collective modes of support.
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The emphasis over the past half-century on physical sciences research has borne fruit, not only in spectacular advances in science, but also in the form of a myriad of new technologies and industries and in a cadre of highly trained individuals with the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to perform cutting edge work in many fields. Often, however, these students are unaware not only of the options available to them outside of academia, but also of the applicability of the skills they have acquired through their graduate education to fields other than the one they have "trained" to enter.
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From page 81... ...
This diversity could be fostered through encouraging the reinstatement or reinvigoration of breadth requirements, such as "minors." In these programs, schools could offer courses designed to foster interdisciplinary training or facilitate experiences that provide preparation for specific, nonacademic technical careers. Another way to adapt graduate training to fit current requirements would be the development of professional-level master's programs in MPS disciplines, which Workshop participants likened to professional engineering degrees or the MBA.
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From page 82... ...
In the interest of producing more broadly educated students with more wide-ranging career expectations and capabilities, the participants recommended the incorporation of an option for some sort of internship, or real-world work experience, into the traditional education of graduate students. Particularly relevant to this recommendation is the success of the NSF "GOALI" program (Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry )
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From page 83... ...
The Workshop recommended that MPS experiment with means to increase gradually the fraction of graduate students supported on fellowships and traineeships. Further, NSF should encourage members of the MPS community in academia to propose new institutional, "thematic" funding mechanisms for graduate student training and support that would involve collective responsibility for groups of students.
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