Recently, we received a request from a high school senior for help in distributing a survey that she is conducting as part of her senior thesis project. Sunny has put together this survey herself, with advice from people in the field, and I hope that you’ll help her by answering a very short survey. Here is the email I received from Sunny; please copy and paste your answers into email and send it to Sunny directly.
My name is Sunny Burwell. I am currently a senior at Academic Magnet High School in Charleston, SC, where students are required to conduct a year-long senior thesis project on a topic of their choice. My senior thesis is about the status of women in science careers; Dr. Cassandra Runyon is my mentor.
Part of my methodology is to distribute a short survey to men and women in science careers to determine their attitudes toward their field and their work. I am interested in collecting data from your Women in Planetary Science group and I would be very grateful for you to complete this short survey.Thank you for your time!- Sunny
The survey:
Sex:
___ Female ___ Male
Level of Education:
___ Undergraduate ___ Postgraduate ___ Postdoctoral
Field(s):
___ Astronomy ___ Biology ___ Chemistry ___ Engineering ___ Geology ___ Physics
Specialization: ___________________________________________
Occupation: _____________________________________________
Why did you decide to pursue a science-related career? [Check all that apply.]
___ Love of science
___ Personal ambition
___ Interest in monetary gain
___ Lack of other options
___ Encouragement from others
Who encouraged you? ________________________________
___ Inspiration from others
Who inspired you? ________________________________
___ Other reasons
Please specify: ______________________________________
Have you ever strongly considered leaving your field or career? ______________
- If so, why were you considering this?
- Why did you decide to remain in your field or career?
How accurately do the following statements describe your experiences?
[1 means “very inaccurately”, while 5 means “very accurately”.]
- I love my field of science.
1 2 3 4 5
- I am happy with my career.
1 2 3 4 5
- My career can be overwhelming at times.
1 2 3 4 5
- I have loved science since high school or younger.
1 2 3 4 5
- It has been easy for me to balance career and family responsibilities.
1 2 3 4 5
- How many children do you have? ________________________
