Innovate America

Today’s college students have the opportunity and freedom to choose their major and their career path. Many factors influence the decision of a college student’s career paths including background, general interests, personal strengths, time commitment, and job outlook. Although many important decisions are made in college, one of the most important is the choice of major and career track. Out of hundreds of majors the science and engineering fields are under-represented by women. Although the numbers of women in science technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, majors has been increasing in the past years, women still are in the minority in the STEM fields. In her study, Lona Whitmarsh

Chapter Eight of Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat explains six “dirty secrets” when it comes to America’s standing as a competitive nation, six truths that reveal that America will not maintain its relative wealth if the world continues to flatten. The first of these “secrets” is what Friedman calls “the numbers gap”, referring to the declining number of Americans who are training to become scientists and engineers compared to citizens of other nations. Friedman posits that scientists and engineers are paramount to an economy that wishes to be flourish and be competitive. Before the world began to flatten, citizens of foreign nations would have to emigrate to America if they wished to be a scientist or an engineer, because their home country had no equivalent labs to those of America. Now, with the effects of flattening and the Internet, researchers can collaborate over the Internet, and globalization allows labs to have multiple, international locations.

The first secret is “The Numbers Gap”. This secret refers to the fact that the number of US students obtaining degrees in the STEM fields now is much lower than the amount of those retiring from the same fields of labor. This is also worrisome in the fact that other countries are obtaining the same types of degrees at an increasingly faster rate. A report done by the

Some argue that there is a shortage of U.S. STEM workers, but the answer is not just black or white. The STEM field is heterogeneous, and varies from biomedical research to engineering.[footnoteRef:5] Therefore, analyzing whether there is a STEM shortage, depends on what field within the industry you

The Science and Engineering Indicators 2014 Report shows that the average annual income for those employed in a STEM occupation in 2012 was $82,160, nearly twice the average for all U.S. workers. This average income also grows faster than the average U.S. income, with an average annual growth rate of 2.4% compared to 1.8% (3-32). Furthermore, STEM occupations have lower unemployment rates than non-STEM disciplines. As David Langdon and others from the Economics and Statistics Administration indicate, by 2010, unemployment rates for STEM occupations evened out to 5.3% while non-STEM occupations saw a continued to rise to nearly 10% (5). STEM degrees are also applicable to many jobs not traditionally considered STEM. Over 65% of STEM graduates in non-STEM jobs state that their occupations do relate to their degree (“Science and Engineering Indicators 2014”, 3-17). This implies that a STEM degree opens many doors for students and does not limit them to traditional STEM

In 2005, the three reports entitled Innovative America, Tapping America’s Potential, and Rising Above the Gathering Storm, argue that if the U.S. does not improve its science technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education the standard of living in the U.S. may decrease and threaten the economy and national security. The reasoning that the proponents use is that with more innovation and technological advancements, exports will increase and benefit the economy, but if there is no innovation this will harm the economy. The three reports, according to the Congressional Research Service, argue that in order to prevent these issues, we must close the academic achievement gaps in STEM, improve the quality of teachers, increase STEM labor supply, improve on international ranking assessments, produce more STEM degrees, and increase the number of H-1B visas issued. One of the most controversial subjects of the STEM movement is that companies are using H1-B visas to employ foreigners at cheaper rates rather than U.S. citizens. However, critics of the STEM movement argue that this is a strategic idea called “Brain Drain” where the U.S. is “draining” the most talented and skilled workers from other countries in order to gain an advantage on a global stage. In order for the U.S. to remain a leader in innovation and STEM education, the issue of H1-B visas needs to be addressed.

Innovation constantly provides new technologies that allow Americans to produce more, cure more diseases, pollute less, improve education, and choose from a greater range of investment opportunities. The resulting economic growth generates better-paying jobs, higher standards of living, and a greater appreciation of the benefits of living in a peaceful society. In the process, however, some sectors suffer until they can adapt to the new changes and begin to benefit from them. But in the same way that it adapted them to a new, more industry-based society, America will adapt again to a new, more knowledge-based society. To promote economic growth, the Administration should advance more free trade agreements and lead negotiations at the World Trade Organization to eliminate agricultural subsidies, antidumping measures, and other protectionist policies that benefit a very small group of Americans at the expense of most other citizens. There are at least five important reasons for continuing

The United States Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all students have access to a quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education (“Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math”, n.d.). Despite this commitment, reports indicate a decline in STEM proficiency as well as a lack of qualified teachers to respond to the deficiency (Holdren, Lander, & Varmus, 2009). The lack of qualified STEM teachers has resulted in critical shortage areas in many districts across the United States, prompting policy reform allowing alternative certification pathways to alleviate shortages (“Alternative Routes”, n.d.). Even with a reduction in critical shortage areas, preliminary reports continue to show little or no

Today’s world economies are so tied together and react to one another that only the brightest and smartest will survive. The better educated a student is in the specific career that they have chosen to earn a degree in will give them the educated edge so that they can out compete with foreign markets. President Barack Obama said "In this kind of economy, countries who out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow. Already, China is graduating eight times as many engineers as we are. By 12th grade, our children score lower on math and science tests than most other kids in the world,” (“Full”). American colleges need to do a better job at improving math and science scores so that the graduating student can better compete in the world market Asian countries are continuously outperforming American students. Gary W. Phillips, chief scientist at the American Institutes of Research said “In this case, the bad news trumps the good because our Asian economic competitors are winning the race to prepare students in math and science,” (Dillon). The better colleges prepare students to edge out competitors in the world market needs to be their priority.

Science education has been a controversial topic among employers and schools for years. Employers are requesting more STEM graduates yet the schools are unable to keep up with the rising demand. Unemployment rates continue to go up while positions in the science, technology, and engineering fields have remained open and unfulfilled. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education is vital to the position of the United States in the world standings in STEM research and design. Currently 3 of the 5 top positions in STEM research are held by Asian countries and sadly the United States doesn’t even fall in the top 10 for the list. There was once a time when the United States led the world in STEM research, but times have

In 2013, 32 per cent of immigrant scientists reported their highest degree was a master’s (compared to 29 per cent of US-born counterparts) and 9 per cent reported it was a doctorate (compared to 4 per cent of US-born counterparts).

A STEM education is a necessity in the United States because the country is lacking knowledgeable people in such fields. However, one is better equipped for multiple job and career positions with the addition of a liberal arts education. It is nearly impossible to transition to different careers with only vocational training. In 2003, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development studied math and science literacy among fifteen year olds. The United States was ranked number twenty-four in math literacy (Drew 27). They are behind countries such as Finland, Slovak Republic, and Hungary. Likewise, the United States was ranked number nineteen in science literacy (Drew 27). It is obvious that the country is behind. STEM education needs to be reformed at the secondary and post-secondary levels of schooling. Katrina Trinko, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors, agrees that more emphasis should be placed on STEM education; however, this emphasis should not be at the sacrifice of a good liberal arts education. She writes, “Even technology wizards can become more innovative with a solid background in liberal arts” (Trinko 6). A liberal arts education is beneficial to people in all career fields.

Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension.

It is clear that STEM is a rapidly growing and advancing field that is needed for our human progression. There are so many different professions that fall under STEM education and many of them impact the world every day. According to former President Barack Obama "[Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world" (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Here, former President Obama is talking about how important science is as more than just a school subject; science can be taken out of school and used to impact many people and change the world. Some may say that there have been other fields in history that became very popular but