Students trickle from sciences

According to a UW study published in this month's Issues in Science and Technology, future professions in the sciences are becoming more and more undesirable to graduate students. Although the careers have a high-impact potential, experts say, long courses of study and low-paying jobs may drive the brightest students away from the natural sciences.

William Zumeta, the professor at the Evans School of Public Affairs and College of Education, who conducted the study, said that the best science and engineering (SE) students are critical about their work, even when it could further discoveries and technology.

But the "best" are moving away from the science and engineering professions, Zumeta said.

Between 1993 and 2000, the number of SE graduate students decreased more than 14 percent, according to the National Science Foundation. There was a 32 percent decrease in mathematics enrollment, 25 percent in engineering and 18 percent in physical sciences.

To analyze the top students pursuing SE graduate schools, Zumeta and education graduate student Joyce Raveling analyzed Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Scores of U.S. citizens and permanent residents scoring 750 or above dropped about 8 percent between 1992 and 2000.

Zumeta and Raveling studied other professional tracks such as law, medicine and business and discovered that top SE students were going to graduate school for business.

The number of SE majors taking the MCAT to get into medical school fell between 1992 and 2001, while the number taking the GMAT, for business school, increased 17 percent.

"There's a human loss when someone decides not to follow their passion and talents and makes a career decision based solely on what's marketable," said Raveling.

The two UW researchers also explored ways to make these fields more desirable for students who have the passion and talents for science and engineering.

"Policies really pretty much ignore this problem," said Zumeta, "The federal government needs to fund research assistant professorships."

Zumeta believes that this would expand the number of good SE jobs and students would be better able to set up labs and get published.

"I'm worried about those with a passion for science who opt out because of career prospects," said Raveling.