Nearly 50 geo- and social scientists recently gathered in Washington, D.C., for a workshop on women in the geosciences. The two-fold purpose was to compile data on the status of women in the geosciences and to arrive at a consensus on strategies to increase the proportion of women and their diversity in the field.

Participants spanned 4 decades of experience, including both genders, and represented many types of academic institutions, from high school to private, bachelors degree-granting colleges to public and private Research I institutions. Two social scientists who specialize in women-in-science issues also participated.