Shanon Lucid, Oklahoma native and former NASA Astronaut spoke to over 500 mid and high school students recently at Science Museum Oklahoma:
Lucid said she told her students and children to pursue math because the future cannot be predicted, but strong math skills will be the foundation for most future professions.
Governor Henry’s response:
In an editorial in the Daily Oklahoman yesterday, Dr. Tom Landers Dean of the OU School of Engineering writes:
Oklahoma needs engineers, now and for the future, to create the innovations that are essential for prosperity and security…
Even during the current economic downturn, there is strong demand in Oklahoma for engineering talent in our leading industries, particularly aerospace, biotechnology, energy and infrastructure. Thanks to the vision of our state’s leaders, the Engineering Workforce Act went into effect Jan. 1, providing tax credits to engineering graduates and the Oklahoma aerospace companies that hire them. But as the recession deepens we must keep our sights set on the future and the pipeline to supply vital engineering talent the state and nation demand.
From the executive summary of the final report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel:
During most of the 20th century, the United States possessed peerless mathematical prowess—not just as measured by the depth and number of the mathematical specialists who practiced here but also by the scale and quality of its engineering, science, and financial leadership, and even by the extent of mathematical education in its broad population. But without substantial and sustained changes to its educational system, the United States will relinquish its leadership in the 21st century. This report is about actions that must be taken to strengthen the American people in this central area of learning. Success matters to the nation at large. It matters, too, to individual students and their families, because it opens doors and creates opportunities.
Much of the commentary on mathematics and science in the United States focuses on national economic competitiveness and the economic well-being of citizens and enterprises. There is reason enough for concern about these matters, but it is yet more fundamental to recognize that the safety of the nation and the quality of life—not just the prosperity of the nation—are at issue.
Full Report [PDF]
The Oklahoma Legislature convened on Monday February 2nd.
A Wall Street Journal article laments the decline in highly educated legal immigrants coming to the US. We have depended on these skilled scientists and engineers for research and development.
Enrollment of foreign students in U.S. higher education declined for the first time since the 1950s. And when Congress failed to extend legislation that tripled the quota for highly skilled workers under the H-1B program, the number allowed in under this program has fallen as well. This ambivalence towards foreign talent risks depriving U.S. universities and businesses of the high-octane fuel that helps drive the American innovation machine.
The U.S. economy relies on this fuel. In science and engineering, almost a quarter of the college-educated workers were foreign-born; among workers with engineering doctorates, a staggering 51% were foreign-born, according to the 2000 census.
We must do a better job of identifying and encouraging our own talented young people to meet the demand or we will will not be competitive in this evolving global economy.
Source: Wall Street Journal
In a Washington Post article subtitled “Could Silicon Valley become another Detroit” , Shane Robison, HP’s chief strategy and technology officer sees trouble coming for the tech industry. He and other HP top exectutives:
“are ringing an alarm bell about what they see as a looming disaster, not just for HP, but for the entire U.S. tech industry. They say that unless we boost government spending on science, technology, engineering and math — STEM, in industry jargon — we will be unable to keep up with countries such as China and India.”
Spending more on education for math and sciences could provide a big part of the solution. We must educate more math and science students in the U.S.
Stan Williams a Ph.D Chemist and expert in nanotechnology research at HP labs mentions that in their lab:
“only 18 of the 75 scientists were born in the United States, and 10 of those American-born researchers are over 50 years old; only six are under the age of 35. For now, HP can rely on foreign-born scientists, but “what happens when those people stop wanting to come here?”
As the economies of countries in Asia especially India and China grow, there will be more and more job opportunities for their science and engineering students to find work at home. If we can’t attract foreign talent and we don’t get more of our students educated in math and science, will much of America look like Detroit in 10 or 20 years?
Steven Leinwand a principal research analyst at the American Institutes for Research and the author of the forthcoming book “Accessible Mathematics: Ten Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement” writes that:
The country’s long-term economic security and social well-being are clearly linked to sustained innovation and workplace productivity. This innovation and productivity rely, just as clearly, on the quality of human capital and equity of opportunity that, in turn, emerge from high-quality education, particularly in the areas of literacy, mathematics, and science.
“… average science performance, although still stronger than in many countries, has stagnated since 1995.”
How can we compete in the global economy if we are not producing more talented young people?
Educators in Texas recogize the need to educate more math and science students or lose out in competing in a technology driven global marketplace. Recruiting and retaining math and science teachers and developing curriculum that piques and holds students intersts are priorities.