[BenLurkin]

'Second Space Age' Ping

[Hydroshock]

For years they have been outsourcing engineer jobs and doing so very publicly, and then they are suprised that people do not go to school for it.

[SandRat]

Did my part to help. Sent my son to college to be and Aerospace Engineer and he's working in the industry right now building missiles and rockets on a Defense Contract.

[randog]

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.

Yup, the "physics barrier" is a bitch, and one you can't PC your way through (e.g., no finals consisting of essays on your feelings about electron flow).

[Moonman62]

We obviously need to open universities and offer scholarships in Mexico.

[CzarNicky]

don't worry we have plenty of lawyers for space.

[Carry_Okie]

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.

Duh. Who wants to study for years for a career that pays about as much as a nurse and might last only a decade?

[Wolfie]

Relax. I'm sure the Chinese will build us whatever we need.

[A. Pole]

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.

These students are smart. They do not want to invest their time and money in order to compete with Indians and Chinese for low wages without any job security and to be dumped after they get 40 years old.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

too few students willing to study math and science

Show them the money and they will study.

In this age of mainline Republican's labor arbitrage and mainline Democrats' global village the individual American's willingness to run up tons of debt just to compete for India and China wages just ain't there. Sorry.

Besides, some of our best a brightest have donned uniforms and risk their butts protecting mainline Republicans and Democrats -- and all of us. Mainline Republicans and Democrats appreciate their efforts -- until they return to civilian life looking for a job paying enough for America's cost of living.

RE: "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."

Usually articles do not mention "broader definitions of engineers." There are connotations that I point out when in the past the article and / or replies go on about how "they're smart and we're not."

What connotations? Oh like, cheating and such things as the GRE being canceled in China and India because of it.

[GOP Poet]

Unfortunately the schools are busy pumping out PC brainwashed, socialist barking rats instead. We need to do a severe overhauling of our educational system from kindergarten to graduate programs in my opinion.

Unions and tenure are ruining any possible nurturing of thinking or skill based training. Many of our kids are learning more about how to accept abortion, gays, transsexuals, environmental terrorism, hate America, hate conservatives and all value based religions except (of course) Islam or they kids are just wanting to be lawyers (but isn't this the same thing?) :-).

[Waco]

Public schools: Read not, write not, count not determined to stay on that path.

[John Jorsett]

"We need to increase the H1B quota again" alert.

[RightWhale]

a critical shortage of skilled engineers

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.

[snowsislander]

From the end of the article, here's what I think reveals real intent of this piece:

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.

[trane250]

Kids today are a lot more worldly-wise than we were back in the good-ole days. If you've got the brains, why spend 4 or 6 years banging your head against the wall trying to master all of the difficult concepts in engineering when you can breeze through pre-med or pre-law and then through professional school and enjoy a rewarding career without having to keep 200 copies of your resume in your desk drawer at work for when there's a hit to the corporate bottom line and you are the first to be "let go?"

[Lessismore]

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.

[Joan Kerrey]

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.

It's only temporary folks. If things keep going like they are we'll end up sending our spys there to steal their technology and American wages will be lower than China's or India's wages. Chinese and Indian governments will be contracting with American companies because of the cheaper labor here. We'll be counterfieting their currency and selling nuke technology to Taiwan, Kashmir and Tibet to make ends meet here.

[newguy357]

I'm really tired of hearing about the supposed shortage of American engineers. Want us? Pay us more. The fact is, I can increase my income by a factor of five by going to business school. Why would I not? Farewell science.

[ColdSteelTalon]

This is what happense when you outsource engineering and technical jobs.

The only jobs left will be in the service industry.

We are going to be selling each other pizza and cutting each other's hair. Thata about the only jobs that will be left.