Survey Respondents

Primary Source of Support Black Race White 

The place where I worked for room and board didn t give me enough to eat. I got leftovers and it was never enough. For breakfast, I got a piece of toast and a cup of coffee and would have to last me all day. I was pretty thin And I was hungry all of the time. That was the worst part of graduate school. I d stay up until 2 am and then get up 6 am each day. That first semester was real tough. 

Previous studies have reported similar findings regarding doctoral students in general (Blackwell, 1981) and science in particular (Pearson, 1985). Blackwell found major differences in the manner in which African American and white students finance their graduate education. He reported that white students were more likely than African American students to have their graduate studies supported by teaching and research assistantships. Pearson reported that 30% of the white scientists in his study held some form of assistantship, compared to 19% of African American scientists. African Americans, however, were more likely than their white peers to hold a fellowship (23% vs. 14%). 

Beyond Small Numbers Voices of African American PhD Chemists 

Howard University 47 Louisiana Sate Univ. AG MECH Hebert Laws Ctr 16 

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Most survey respondents indicated that they perform reactive hazard evaluation studies during specific life-cycle phases of a process or product. These phases include process development, commercial process design, periodic re-evaluation, and before proposed modifications. The protocol for hazard evaluation of reactive systems varies from company-to-company. At a minimum, all surveyed companies employ qualitative hazard evaluations.58... 

Table 2.2. Percent Distribution by Parental Education by Cohort and Race [Survey Respondents],...

Nearly one in ten interviewees had never married. As was the case with the survey respondents, there were striking gender differences with females more likely to have never married. These findings are consistent with those reported by Pearson and Earle (1984) in their study of African American and white doctoral scientists. They found that African American women were far more likely than any race-gender group to have never married. 

Table 3.3 shows striking race differences in the baccalaureate origins of survey respondents. The data confirm the results of previous studies regarding the concentration of whites in same race colleges and universities. The data also reveal a virtual reversal in the racial composition of the undergraduate institutions of African American chemists from the pre-1985 cohort to the 1985-2002 cohort. 

Table 3.4. B.A.-Granting Institutions of Chemistry Doctorates by Race and Sex, U.S. Citizens and Institutions Only [Survey Respondents].

In general, interviewees continued the pattern of achievement evidenced in high school. In fact, some 70% graduated from college with honors. As can be seen in Table 3.5, regardless of race or cohort, most survey respondents earned a... 

Data in Table 3.7 confirm the distributional pattern by specialty for the cohort of survey respondents earning doctorates prior to 1985. For example, organic and physical chemistry were the first and second most popular specialties for both African American and white respondents. A somewhat different pattern prevailed for the 1985-2002 cohort with other and organic chemistry being the first and second most preferred specialties for African Americans. These specialties were also the most preferred by whites (see Table 3.7). 

Table 3.8 shows the primary source of graduate support by race for survey respondents in the 1985-2002 cohort. There are significant race differences in the type of support used to fund graduate education. In terms of institutional support, white respondents (60%) were considerably more likely than African American respondents (40%) to hold some form of assistantship. Specifically, white respondents held proportionately more research assistantships, compared to less than a fifth of African American respondents. Further, nearly two-fifths of white respondents were supported by a teaching assistantship, compared to slightly less than one-fourth of African American respondents. Relatedly, more than two-fifths of African American respondents but less than one-fifth of white respondents were supported by fellowships. The relative financial position of white respondents... 

Table 3.8. Percent Distribution of Primary Source of Graduate Support by Race, 1985-2002 [Survey Respondents].

Data in Table 3.13 reveal the postdoctorate plans of survey respondents. In the pre-1985 cohort, white respondents were twice as likely as their black... 

Table 4.7 shows essentially no major racial differences among survey respondents in level of satisfaction with salary. In fact, the data reveal that slightly more than eight in 10 respondents of both racial groups are either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with salary compensation. 

Data in Table 4.8 show that African American and white survey respondents were similarly satisfied with their job responsibility. For example, approximately... 

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