Workshop Issues
National Concerns:
- aggregate funding in federal R&D investments is predicted to decline (up to 30% in some scenarios)
- many universities and colleges are considering or implementing downsizing strategies
- major industrial labs are downsizing dramatically
- industrial sector regards science PhDs as too narrowly trained, too old
Context for Astronomy:
- number of PhDs awarded in astronomy has been slowly climbing, up to 173 in 1995
- majority (80%) of PhDs come from approximately 30 institutions
- median time to degree has risen from 6 to 7 years in the last two decades
- approximately half of astronomy graduate students are supported on federal funds, 80% of these are PI supported RAs
- number of post-doc positions available in a given year is approximately equal to the number of PhDs awarded
- number of traditional tenure track positions in astronomy (universities, colleges, national centers, government labs) advertised each year is approximately 30% of PhDs awarded
Key Discussion Areas:
- Broadening Academic Options
- Examine merits/liabilities of revising graduate curricula to provide students with broader skill mix
- Identify experiments which would facilitate exploring new approaches
- Funding Modes
- Examine merits/liabilities of changing the mix of federal support, by increasing fraction of students supported via fellowships, traineeships or block grants to departments
- Professional Masters Programs
- Examine merits/liabilities of enhancing masters degrees in astronomy
- Discuss whether traditional path through graduate school should be
restructured to require a masters degree
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