Shortage of scientists?

[GabrielsThoughts]

America's Pressing challenge
ABSTRCT #2
Gabriel R. Lopez

A congress mandate requires the National Science Board to supervise the collection of  accurate data. This data is then used accurately forecast the current, or future, state of engineering and science within The United States. The data will occasionally raise concerns among policy makers, such as the president or congress, in Washington D.C. Data recently gathered in 2006  raises questions about the future safety and financial security of the United States of America. According to the data gathered pre-college education in  science, technology, engineering and mathematics, does not meet with current global standards of the same education.

The National Science Board has proposed several solutions to the problem, most notably among them encouraging strong public support for the sciences. And, creating more opportunities for students to learn about  science, engineering, and technology. However, America's pressing challenge for this new millennium is to improve the quality of precollege education. Specifically in the following areas noted as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Twenty five years ago, in 1983, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Board  predicted that by the year 2000 America would not only farm the best scientists in the world, but that America itself would  be the international leaders in science and technology. Unfortunately, predictions have a way of  becoming less accurate over time. The United States education system has fallen to the point where a even an academic athlete, in their senior year of high school, performs bellow the international average.

When Sputnik was launched fifty years ago, it inspired fear, panic, and sparked an interest in  science and technology. This undoubtedly happened again with the space program and successful lunar missions and disasters. The United States managed to maintain its economic leadership, and was for a time the world leader in science and technology. Now, America stands defeated. Of the 29 countries who  participated in the assessment conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, America was near the bottom.

Education in the united states has not seen uniform improvements. In fact, studies show  there is an  education gap between students in rural and underprivileged urban areas when compared to  international students is even worse. Fortunately,  between the years 1995 and 2003, statistics have shown some improvement among  8th graders. Although it should be noted that these assessments were  essentially based on the memorization of facts, rather than the application of knowledge.

Studies now show that teachers who are skilled  and knowledgeable about subject matter, are better able close achievement gaps. Sadly, this does nothing for the problem  if even the teachers are unaware a gap exists.  Additionally, College graduates entering the teaching profession have lower than average academic skills. This poses  a danger as according to research  20% of  high school math teachers in the United States lacked certification at the time this article was published. Fortunately, the American government has implemented standards, under the auspicion that "what is learned gets taught." Which is why teachers are required to participate educational assessments themselves.

please note that the above information is an abstract, or summary of an 8 page article, which itself was a summary of statistics and articles on the same subject for my community based learning class. As an  abstract all the information was gathered from one source, so I cannot vouch for the validity of the article.   

[Ryudo Lee]

What really surprises me about this is that it seems like no one saw this coming.

Back in the late 90's I did a research paper on the state of education in this country.  I no longer have the paper, but basically everything I wrote down was No Child Left Behind.  I think that the major issue here is that as kids who are in these programs begin looking at college, they begin to realize that they are ill-prepared for it.  They weren't educated for skills they'd need in the future, they were educated to take the standardized tests.  And anyone in the real world can tell you that the real thing ain't the standard.  And some others are just pushed along through the system without any real education at all.

Take my brother-in-law for example.  The school system, for lack of a better term, screwed him.  He was just pushed along through grade school and high school.  Now he barely reads at a 5th grade level (or what was a 5th grade level at the time of his graduation) and has barely any math skills at all.  He does manual labor for a piping company.  They want to promote him because he works so hard, but his lacking education is holding him back.  Granted, he enjoys his work, but he could have gotten somewhere higher up the corporate ladder.

How many other people has this happened to?  How many of them are adults today?  Is it really any wonder why these studies are giving the results they are?  Did no one see this coming?

[Kenji]

I'm more worried about what the scientists are studying.

"We need a grant to figure out why people want to escape prison." "Done!"
"We need a grant to figure out if people who walk are in better shape than people who drive." "Done!"
"We need to see if sugar is bad for you." "Done!" (I've known this since elementary school, but a few years back they studied it...)

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

What really surprises me about this is that it seems like no one saw this coming.

Really?

Man. I thought Robert Heinlein predicted it aptly in one of the "flashback" chapters of Starship Troopers, back in 1959 or so.

Shows what I know...

[gh0st]

yeah were all getting screwed over by the government whats new... if you really want to do something about it then become rich by some long standing scheme that doesn't screw anybody... do that and then you might as well be supreme ruler over the entire planet for all i care...

[techmaster-glitch]

I've read about this a few years ago. And going through high school right now, I've asked myself the question one or two times; "Am I really learning what I'm supposed to?" I've got good grades, but sometimes I'm not sure about how things are going with the current system.

[Alondro]

yeah were all getting screwed over by the government whats new... if you really want to do something about it then become rich by some long standing scheme that doesn't screw anybody... do that and then you might as well be supreme ruler over the entire planet for all i care...

What about if you just want to be supreme ruler with the intent to screw everybody?  Is that ok too?

Erm...

Eh heh heh heh... but then, no could REALLY do that... yeah, that's just silly!  It'd take someone evil and sinister with tremendous intelligence, a knowledge of genetic engineering, a keen sense of just when the world governments and economies would be at their weakest, and a hatred of all mankind, plus a plan to replace the smelly hairless monkies with supreme lifeforms created from the most advantageous parts of several species' genomes all spliced together!

And we don't know anyone like that! 

Not at all! 

[Zorro]

If you REALLY want to know where the scientists are the fact its that the jobs just aren't out there and the pay is low.

I have degrees in three sciences and I have never earned a dime as a scientist that wasn't connected to agriculture and not much of that.

It simply doesn't pay to spend the years not working to get those degrees and then get paid less than your average business student.

[Alondro]

Don't I know it.

I make $32,000 a year as a lab technician, a job which requires at minimum a bachelors degree in biology.

To compare, a NJ Turnpike toll collector STARTS at $44,000 with benefits... to collect change.  You only need an IQ of 70 and one functioning arm to qualify for that job.

And then we give contracts of $100 million to football players to run about with a ball..

We pay some actors $25 million per movie...

Lawyers make millions on class-action lawsuits...

And politicians make money for doing nothing whatsoever but pretending to know what they're doing...

Scientists unite!  WE should rule all!  WE know all!  WE'LL FORM THE SCIENCE EMPIRE!! 

Scientology is all about science, right?  Maybe they should lead us!   

[NDDR]

i know the secrets of immortality and a cure for all diseases, why don't they make me supreme ruler.

[bill]

So, I guess the NSB wants more money.

[Alondro]

So, I guess the NSB wants more money.

Yes!  I want a raise, dammit!

Just think, the more money I get, the more money Amber can get from me for commissions... it all works out in the end, one hand washes the other, criss-cross, you murder my wife, I'll murder your husband...

...

Uhm, forget I said that...   

[rabid_fox]

My sister is about to become a Doctor of Microbiology and has spent the last seven years genetically engineering tiny thingies that you can only see under a very powerful microscope to do her bidding.

Due to the way she's been treated by what she calls 'The Industry', she's going to take her doctorate and go into teaching. Tells you everything you need to know, really.

[Zorro]

H1B Visas.

Cheaper to import scientists than it is to pay them enough to pay off their college loans.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... and, of course, cheaper to get cheap degrees.

.. nothing is said about the quality of those degrees, nor the capability of the scientists then bought in....

[Omega]

I'm a scientist, well a first year student of biochemistry, but I do get to wear a lab coat, and I believe that the modern "problem" of universities all over the world (or at least in this little plot of land I call home) is that they are too focused on giving money to research projects that aim making money. This will encourage on developing the search of practical knowledge and lessen the need of academical knowledge. The difference between these two, is that practical knowledge is practical knowledge is based on academical knowledge. It doesn't really create anything new, just makes few more details to old studies and new ways to build a car (for example), lowering the building cost, making the car go faster with less gasoline, etc. This will reduce the evolution of science, because academical knowledge is what the rest of the knowledge is based on; foundations, if I may call it/them. With out new foundations, we cannot build our house any bigger and have to settle just redecorating it.