Posted on 12/03/2006 11:44:21 AM PST by BenLurkin
As the United States embarks on the "Second Space Age," its aerospace, science and other high-tech industries face a critical shortage of skilled engineers, scientists and technicians to do the work necessary for the country to maintain pre-eminence in space.
That message ran throughout Friday's discussions during the California Space Authority's Transforming Space Conference, a gathering of the state's various space enterprise interests.
"The Second Space Age is a new age of space exploration," said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Riverside, honorary co-chairman of the conference.
This new age is similar to the Cold War space race in one important way, he said: "It depends on American leadership."
One oft-cited - but qualified - statistic compares the number of engineers produced yearly in the United States with other rising high-tech nations.
This country graduates approximately 70,000 new engineers per year, based on a 2004 survey, compared to some 200,000 or more in India and as many as 600,000 in China.
While noting that a wide gap in producing new engineers exists, the speakers were careful to note that the figures from India and China may be somewhat skewed due to those nations' broader definitions of engineers.
"We need to wake up. We will not be the leaders of the world we have been since World War II," Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon said. The Santa Clarita Republican is outgoing chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
"We can't just rest on our laurels. There are always people who want to knock us off that pedestal."
The problem of developing a work force of engineers is a pipeline issue, beginning with too few students willing to study math and science, McKeon said. Only half the students who do pursue such subjects in college actually graduate with those degrees, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
About every third adult I know is employed in a highly technical field with a security clearance. I worked for many years in such a field. These jobs are not going to China. In fact, critical jobs are going begging because our schools aren't turning out enough qualified math and science grads. But, feel free to believe otherwise. I know nothing I say will stop you.
This sure did happen to me. We are pressing our two really smart boys to go into medicine or anything besides "engineering for the ingrates".
I agree. And the large compainies that used to have large engineering populations have now found it more cost effective to just buy technology rather than invent it.
Thats exactly what is happening. During the 90's with the tech boom, there was an increasing interest in the sciences. However, a few years ago the zeitgeist was to send every American tech job down the Ganges. Kids got wise quickly and figure that they would make a living some other way. Now the boom is back and they complain of a shortage?
I do believe you. But the key question for a student when he plans his career is whether he can trust the decision makers that they will not pull the rug in the FUTURE.
Can you promise and guarantee that this will not happen?
Public schools: Read not, write not, count not determined to stay on that path.
Only if they work for the government, which is a net drain on the economy. (Taxes pay the salary). Not saying that working for the government makes you a bad person, but lets be honest about what it is.
If you take a non government track, as most engineers do, the future is risky.
Unfortunately, PC is the order of the day at places like Lockheed Martin.
"We need to increase the H1B quota again" alert.
Want to know something? The USA mounted a huge space race effort following Sputnik, got lots of engineers to buy in. They they laid them all off about 1970. We remember; we were there. It's a matter of trust.
Yeah. And if they don't, our army of lawyers will sue them into oblivion.
One challenge to improving higher education in the sciences is the restrictions on foreign students and professors posed by the federal International Traffic in Arms Regulations. These restrictions make it difficult to attract "the best minds worldwide" and causes problems in recruiting and training through industry exposure, Rosakis said.
I think that this is just more propaganda to raise the cap on H1-Bs.
Very well put. Why should someone spend a huge sum of borrowed money, as well as time and work on highly complicated classes, so they can be fired and their jobs outsourced overseas, forcing them to move in with their parents and take a low-paying job as a security guard or cash register attendent?
While it's true that the public schools are part of the problem, the shortage is simply a reaction to foolish hiring practices by greedy corporate chieftans.
They can probably supply the astronauts, launch pads, and ground control.
I went to a "Christmas store" today. Man, those Chinese factories must be busy!
The cultural, educational, political and economic systems of the United States are incapable of sustaining an indigenous first class science and engineering capability.
Recall also that in the first space race, the mostly US designed Vanguard failed miserably. It was the German engineers from Redstone Arsenal that brought us the first successes and generally managed the technical aspects of the space program through Apollo.
Of course, having now shot our wad economically and not being particularly welcome to talent from other countries, the prospects for importing scientists and engineers for a second space program look pretty dim.
Any job that doesn't require your physical presence in a fixed location is suspect now with Free Trade. It is affecting medicine and law btw. They are outsourcing case research in law to India. They are also outsourcing some medical functions like X-ray reading to India as well. Scan it over the internet and let Apu read your film. Oh, and we are outsourcing surgery and dental care too. The HMO's are shipping people to Thailand and India because it's cheaper.
With 1.7 billion Chinese and Indians or so, even if they just barely match our levels in numbers, the price break they offer is going to keep the flow going. Some specialized blue collar jobs are going to stay and pay decently. Auto mechanics, plumbers, A/C heat repair is not going to India or China.
Like yard work, roofing, putting up sheet rock, etc...? And other "immigrant" trades?
Part of the problem
is that this "new" moon venture
looks like a copy
of forty year old
ambitions. I do not see
anything in this
that would inspire folks
to get back in the program
with lots of passion.
breeze through pre med and med school? I don't think so...
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