For those of us concerned with issues of underrepresented groups in the sciences, the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) has been a hugely important source of data. However in the past months, because of a concern about small cell sizes and confidentiality, the NSF’s Science, Resources Statistics has been suppressing data primarily data related to the numbers of under represented minority women and men PhD recipients although data about women from other ethnic groups are suppressed in some fields as well .

Without these data, the SED loses most, if not all, of it's value for those of us concerned with equity issues. The website says "SRS will be releasing revised tables from the 2006 Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) for the Summary Report, Race/Ethnicity/Gender (REG) and Baccalaureate-Origin tables released by the survey contractor in previous years." And says they will forward the tables to anyone who requests them.

So please request the tables and agree to be surveyed as to the best ways to present the data. I'm a privacy nut, and I know there are ways that we can not invade anyone's privacy and still get the data we need. Thanks for helping.