ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
The article reminds me of some of the pundits of the past like Lewis
Perelman (School's Out, 1992), who foresaw the demise of the obsolete ways
we prepare students for the world of work and how technology was going to
sweep through and eliminate traditional education. Only in this treatise,
the problem is that we don't prepare students for the global collaborative
economy, and how our parents do not encourage us to go into science and
engineering careers. What is conspicuously absent is anything about the
effects of the economic side of technology and science on the perception
and value or science and engineering workers. With the commoditization and
capitalization of all things science and engineering, we have lost sight
of their inspirational and creative aspects. Yes, test scores are rising,
likely due to ferociously expanded emphasis on test prep at the expense of
teaching real science. Yes, there are probably enough engineers and
scientists to fill jobs, but the research and corporate entities cherry
pick strands of reasearch which will result in the most profits. Part of
maximizing profits is outsourcing and hiring cheap labor, primarily from
third world countries. They don't talk in the article about how profits
are rising dramatically as companies try to outcompete each other for the
most productive practices (aka, lowest wages, which for most middle class
earners in the U.S. are stagant or falling). When I lived in SV, I was
friends with a number of the people these firms hired and fired, due to
moving operations overseas. So when a parent tells their kids they should
be avoiding engineering and science, it is partly because the engineers
and scientists are not valued, the entrepreneurs are. They know that at
some point all the struggle to get through engineering school or earning a
Ph.D. will come down to having their job "outsourced."
So, once again, it looks like it is up to science centers to fill the gap.
More than ever kids need to understand the ramifications of technology
science and math on post-modern life, how to apply their curiousity and
inquisitiveness to solving the real problems of the world (which the
article does point out at the very end), which often require them to go
against the prevailing mindset for quick profits. If we can help inspire
the next generation of thinkers in spite of the current flowing against
us, we have done them justice. It would be interesting to hear from people
on the list about what they think are the most pressing human and
environmental needs which science centers are addressing or should be
addressing. How can we do a better job of preparing the future generations
to fix the problems we are creating? Rather than just teach them about the
technology and science research that has already been done.
Business Week article: no STEM shortage?
Eric Siegel
to:
ISEN-ASTC-L
10/28/07 07:21 PM
Sent by:
Informal Science Education Network <[log in to unmask]>
Please respond to Informal Science Education Network
<[log in to unmask]>
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Hello, all:
This is a contrarian and thought-provoking article from Business Week
citing a recently published Urban Institute study. This study argues
that the data suggesting a shortage in well-educated American
scientists, mathematicians, and engineers is based on flawed
methodology; that more engineers and scientists are created than can
be absorbed by the job market; that American students do not lag
their international peers; and that the average amount of math and
science taken in high school have risen significantly in the past
decade. The article's author is "Executive in Residence" at Duke
University, and an entrepeneur who was born in Delhi, India and came
to the United States in 1980. He holds a B.A. degree in computer
science from Canberra University in Australia and a Master's degree
in Business Administration from New York University.
The authors' own summary of their study is available at http://
www.urban.org/publications/1001094.html
Eric Siegel
Director and
Chief Content Officer
New York Hall of Science
www.nyscience.org
(718) 699-0005 x 317
esiegel at nyscience dot org
***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
|