NSF and AMS: Their Contributions to Increasing Opportunities for Women and Minorities

In 1974, the AMS formed two ad hoc committees, one to develop strategies to increase opportunities for women, and the second to increase opportunities for minorities, in the atmospheric sciences; these merged into the Board on Women and Minorities the following year. Since then, the population of women and Asians in AMS-related fields has increased considerably, with smaller increases in the population of Hispanics and African-Americans. While the NSF-AMS partnerships in these efforts have occurred primarily at the employee level, NSF has provided synergistic support through programs like SOARS, POWRE and ADVANCE, and through funding for the Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN). The AMS and community culture has been increasingly accepting toward women and minorities, with increasing numbers participating on AMS boards, committees and governance. Along with numbers, strategies for success have evolved. Some strategies to address continuing challenges are discussed, with the primary focus on women, recognizing that our dream and goal is inclusiveness in opportunity based on talent, enthusiasm, and dedication to our field.