UW Genome Science: An Undergraduate Research Program that is Highly Successful
If current trends continue, the U.S. will see a decline in whites to 63.7% by 2020 (down from 75.6% 2000). By 2050, nearly half of the U.S. will be non-white. Hispanics are expected to be the largest group of non-whites 2, but other minority groups will grow significantly. Hispanics now make up one fifth of high school-aged youth in the United States, compared to one in ten in 1990. These trends will be reflected in Washington state as well. However, Washington has an extremely large population of Alaska Indians/American Natives (1.6%) of its population. The Northwest, which includes Oregon and Idaho, is home to about 170,000 (6.8%), of the nation’s federally-enrolled tribe members.
Hispanics, African Americans, and social science research council Alaska Indians/American Natives (AI/AN), together make up 11.3% of the uw gene science, engineering technology and math (STEM). They also account for 29% of the total population5. The non-Hispanic labor market will increase by 9% and the Hispanic workforce by 77%6 between 2000-2020. There is still a huge gap in the educational accomplishments of people from different ethnicities, which suggests that there will be a significant problem with STEM fields’ future workforce. As an example, 41% of Hispanic high school graduates never go on to graduate, compared with less than 10% of White students. Asian students also earn PhDs at almost five times the rate that African Americans (5% vs. 1.2%).
Students from low socioeconomic status (SES), are not well served by the current educational system. Innovative steps are required to improve access and success rates for students who are underserved. It is complex because of the impact that families have on students’ future careers in life uw genome science.
In 2004, 62% high school seniors in the highest SES quadile enrolled in a course on uw genome science, while 48% of seniors from the lowest SES quarterile8 enrolled. As compared to 76% of high-SES seniors who will apply for college, only 21% of low-SES highschool seniors will apply. Race/ethnicity is strongly correlated with SES status.