NSF PR 00-13 - March 23, 2000
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NSF Emphasizes Research into the Information Technology
Workforce
Focus is on women and minorities in IT professions
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today
that it will support new research addressing the underrepresentation
of women and minorities in the information technology
workforce (ITW). This emphasis responds to a documented
shortage of qualified IT professionals among these
groups, which contributes to an overall gap of IT
workers nationally.
NSF will support research of technical, social, and
workplace issues related to the ITW. The President's
Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC)
has concluded that U.S. leadership in IT is threatened
unless a steady supply of new professionals can be
attracted to careers in computer and information science
and engineering.
"The underrepresentation of women and minorities in
the IT workforce is a serious national problem," said
Ruzena Bajcsy, leader of NSF's Computer and Information
Science and Engineering directorate (CISE). "Some
of the nation's leading researchers and scientists
agree that systematic research efforts are needed
to address this problem."
ITW awards will range from $75,000 to $250,000 per
year, for up to three years. NSF will fund between
15 and 25 proposals in fiscal year 2000. Full proposals
are due on June 22, 2000.
The special emphasis on ITW research addresses the
following broad themes:
- Environment and Culture. How environment,
culture and other social contexts (such as households,
neighborhoods, communities) shape interest in
IT, and how interest in and use of IT shapes this
environment. Particular emphasis will be on developmental
issues at different ages;
- IT Educational Continuum. Understanding
how the educational environment influences students'
progress from grade school to entry into the workforce,
and why students with potential to succeed in
IT often take educational paths that preclude
them from entering the ITW;
- IT Workplace. Why women and minorities
with potential to succeed in the ITW take alternative
career paths, what barriers and obstacles they
must overcome, and how increased retention and
advancement of women and minorities can be achieved.
Research projects will address how IT education and
career choices of women and minorities are influenced
by access to technology, by popular culture and by
quality-of-life issues (e.g., stress, long days and
lack of social interaction in the workplace), among
other questions. Multidisciplinary studies will examine
fields such as engineering, medicine and law to seek
successful strategies for attracting and retaining
women and minorities to IT careers.
"NSF is committed to encouraging activities that will
contribute significantly to increasing female and
minority participation in IT," according to Caroline
Wardle, deputy director of the NSF Division of Experimental
and Integrative Activities.
For more information about the ITW special emphasis,
see: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0077.
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