[generally]

Several things worth mentioning.

1. Quantity is not the same as quality. I'd certainly like to see more engineer and scientists in the US, but until we know the skill relative skill levels, comparing numbers doesn't show the whole picture. One advantage that we have here, IMO, is that our engineers are generally more innovative and creative. I think that's because our culture encourages it much more than the Chinese culture where students are encouraged to conform.

2. That said, I fear that the general quality of eng/sci grads here may be slipping. The reason is that many of our best and brightest are smart enough to look at the job market and see that a career in engineering or science tops out pretty quickly. The big money is made by the MBA's who exploit the engineers and the lawyers who sue them.

[Sonny M]

The big money is made by the MBA's who exploit the engineers and the lawyers who sue them.

I'm not sure if we know each other but...

My father is a former engineer, my mother a former lawyer, and I am an MBA.

LOL.

Go figure (for what its worth, my father would probably agree with you on the MBA part).

[rasblue]

>The big money is made by the MBA's who exploit the engineers >and the lawyers who sue them.

Which is my the engineer doing his MBA is so common its a cliche. An engineer with an MBA has much greater earnings potential than a person with an easier undergrad degree with an MBA.
Also, law schools love engineering grads.

[Angry_White_Man_Syndrome]

I'm currently going to the University of Oklahoma for a BSME. I good percentage of students are foreign (10-15%). There is a major difference between US students and foreign students. Foreign students do well in taking tests and solving numerical problems. What separates the US students is their ability to solve the unique problems. Most of the foreign students look to solve design problems by following an already existing example. US students seem to study the existing examples and work as hard as they can to solve the problem in a way that has little resemblance to the examples solution. That will separate US workers from the third world countries for years to come, because it is not something that can be taught.