Hispanics’ Access to Science Studied
Photo/Norm Schneider
The study will be conducted by USC Rossier School assistant professor Alicia C. Dowd and professor Estela Mara Bensimon, director of the Center for Urban Education and assisted by doctoral degree candidate Lindsey Malcom.
“Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group in the U.S. but have the lowest levels of college degree attainment,” Bensimon said. “The educational status of Hispanics is of particular concern because the economy and productivity of several states and cities will be affected by the educational preparation of Hispanics.”
The study will examine the role of community colleges as a pathway for students to obtain the Bachelor of Science degree in science and technology fields. The focus will be on community colleges as the entry point into the science pipeline because Hispanics, more than any other group, are likely to start their education in the two-year college sector.
In addition, Hispanics are highly concentrated in community colleges that are designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) by the U.S. Department of Education. Nearly 60 percent of Hispanics in the American higher education system are enrolled in a community college. Of these students, 56 percent attend Hispanic-serving community colleges. Nearly 44 percent of all bachelor degree holders in science and technology attend community college at some point in their career.
The study will investigate three research topics: the characteristics of Hispanic students who transfer from a community college as a route to the science and technology baccalaureate; the college financing strategies of Hispanic students and the effects of borrowing on graduate school enrollment; and the characteristics and culture of institutions that contribute relatively large shares of Hispanic bachelor’s recipients in the fields of science, technology and computer science.
The role of community colleges to diversify the nation’s science and technology talent pool largely has been overlooked by policy makers, educational researchers and practitioners, Dowd said. “Our study will provide new knowledge and information about the role of community colleges in providing access to minority science and technology majors.”
Hispanic Serving Institutions earn their designation as a result of demographic changes, but it is not clear whether those institutions are strongly oriented to serving Hispanic students in particular.
“I’m interested in understanding whether (the institutions) promote the status attainment of Hispanic students,” Malcom said, “particularly in science and technology fields where they are so greatly underrepresented.”
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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