NSF's IGERT program posts embarassing minority participation statistics

The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program, developed by the NSF in part to attract more minority students, is even more underrepresentative than the national graduate pool average in science and engineering. This article from Science magazine shows that minority groups (defined as African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans) and women were enrolled in the IGERT program at a rate of 9% and 35% respectively, compared with 12% and 38% nationwide. The problem, according to Abt Associates in Bethesda, is the lack of focus on recruitment.