Communications of the ACM
Scientist Shortage? Maybe Not
Dr. John Holdren, President Obama's science adviser, disagrees with those who say there won't be enough jobs in the sciences. "More and more the challenges we face are going to require big infusions of science and technology to get solved," he says.
Credit: Getty Images
The predictions are dire, the language grim: Looming shortfalls. Gathering storm. Disturbing mosaic. It's not the economy or global warming. It's the coming shortage of U.S. scientists and engineers, foretold for decades by corporate, government and education advocates, earning the attention in recent years of both the Bush and Obama administrations.
Speaking to the National Academy of Sciences in April, Obama announced "a renewed commitment to education in mathematics and science," fulfilling a campaign promise to train 100,000 scientists and engineers during his presidency. Only problem: We may not have jobs for them all.
As the push to train more young people in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — careers gains steam, a few prominent skeptics are warning that it may be misguided — and that rhetoric about the USA losing its world pre-eminence in science, math and technology may be a stretch.
From USA Today
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