Science in the Triangle

Panelists at the NAE Grand Challenges Summit, Innovation in America. Left to right, Lynn Soby, vice president of innovation and commercialization at RTI International; John Chambers, CEO of CISCO; Jeff Wadsworth, CEO of Battelle Memorial Institute; and Senator Ted Kaufman (D-Delaware). Photo by Roger Winstead/NCSU.

RALEIGH — You may be familiar with the idea that American businesses – especially those tied to technology and engineering – fret that our country is losing its innovative edge on the global stage. And because innovation drives technological advancement and economic growth – one might even say, hegemony – it’s a looming threat that many in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are scrambling to address.

But STEM fields are facing a crisis of their own – fewer graduates in the jobs pipeline compared to industry demands, and companies hiring foreigners for STEM jobs because they are better qualified.

Friday morning in Raleigh, a group of engineers from industry, academia and even government met to discuss the threat of America losing its global lead in innovation. The panel discussion was part of a Summit on the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges sponsored by N.C. State and Duke universities. (To learn more about the NAE Grand Challenges, go here.) Titled “American Innovation and Competitiveness,” the panel was chaired by Lynn Soby, vice president of innovation and commercialization at RTI International in Research Triangle Park. It was one of seven sessions spanning March 4-5.

Three panelists representing public and private industry and government emphasized that the problem could not be fully addressed unless the nation’s secondary education system is revolutionized.

Jeff Wadsworth, CEO and president of Battelle Memorial Institute, noted that high school graduation rates have fallen from about 86 percent in the Baby Boomer generation to about 72 percent today. He compared that to a 96 percent graduation rate in Denmark, 92 percent in Japan and the fact that China graduates three engineering students for every one that we do.  It’s not news that international competition is stiffening against us, but the statistics he presented about how the U.S. measures up to foreign countries in K-12 metrics was gut-wrenching.

“Our historic lead in secondary education has disappeared,” Wadsworth said. “And as a leader of a large organization, I worry about education.”

Wadsworth is not alone in this worry. Members of the Business Round Table have also expressed concern about what the future holds for the U.S. with a shrinking STEM pipeline feeding a growing global demand.

Another panelist, Senator Ted Kaufman (D-Delaware) said the country was at a critical point in history. “We are in an economic war,” he said. “The future of our country rests on our ability to use STEM to solve problems.” Kauffman is the only sitting senator in Congress to have worked in the engineering field, and he repeatedly drummed out a message that policy could drive a solution to the STEM crisis.

Panelists at the American Innovation and Competitveness session. Photo by Roger Winstead/NCSU.

Taking a different tact, Wadsworth emphasized increasing financial incentives to teachers and working to change societal and cultural mores such that STEM education fields and STEM jobs are viewed as more prestigious and more desirable. A third panelist — John Chambers, chairman and CEO of CISCO – said he believed changing teaching methods in K-12 settings to be more collaborative, projects-oriented and skills-mastery oriented would be a good starting point.

Both Chambers and Wadsworth discussed the importance of developing new metrics for measuring not only student potential and performance, but teacher’s efficiencies. “We don’t need to know a student’s class rank,” Wadsworth said. “We need to know their vector.”

Chambers also explored the idea of using gaming and collaborative teaching methods because he said that as an employer, he is interested in hiring people who have collaborative work skills and who can learn and develop in collaborative work situations.

Perhaps with this emphasis on K-12 education as the pivotal platform business is eyeing as a solution to the STEM crisis, it was no accident that the deans of the engineering colleges at both Duke and NC State universities announced today a new nationwide program targeting attracting school-aged children to the STEM fields. The Grand Challenge K-12 Partners Program will lean on engineering colleges throughout the U.S. to be resource hubs for K-12 students and teachers in their region.

It was clear that the panelists were grappling with the conundrum of how to tap future generations of students to step-up their game and embrace devoting themselves to an education and a career path in science, math, technology or engineering.

Wadsworth hammered home the point that despite the grimness of the STEM crisis, “Now is a good time to be an engineer,” because there are so many problems awaiting solutions. In his view, a large part of the path to economic recovery lies in transforming our current economic platform to the energy revolution. “There are so many opportunities if you want to solve energy problems,” he said. He discussed his perspective that the future of economic growth and even political stability was rooted in innovation in green technologies which would create green jobs rooted in a sustainable path.

“China gets it,” Wadsworth said. “Last year they became the biggest producer of wind turbines. They were all ready the biggest producer of solar panels.”

What is it going to take for the U.S. to lead and dominate not only the globally-emerging green markets, but the innovation that will drive these markets? A political solution? An educational revolution? A re-structuring of our society’s values? Each panelist seemed to have a slightly different vision. Elements of all appear to be primary ingredients in the formula for change.

What do you think solutions may be? Is your company, school or organization doing something to address the STEM crisis? Please share your thoughts and stories in the comments section.

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ONLIEN EXTRAS:
Three more NAE Grand Challenge Summits are scheduled to take place next month, in Phoenix, Chicago and Boston. A fourth is scheduled for Seattle in May.

N.C. State University College of Engineering

Duke University Pratt School of Engineering

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