Most of us have heard of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council. Well, these two groups have combined with the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine to form the National Academies, which brings together experts in science and technology. These experts donate their time and talent to tackle difficult national issues in the areas of science and technology. They have just announced their newest report, "Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future". It fortifies the position I've taken here that we must focus more on how we educate our kids, particularly in those areas that lead to innovations.
The press release has a number of scary facts about our preparedness - or lack of it - in science and technology, the areas which made this country great. Two that are particularly frightening:
- Last year more than 600,000 engineers graduated in China, 350,000 in India and 70,000 in the US.
- In 2001 industry spent more on tort litigation than R&D.
The primary recommendations of the report are:
- Increase our talent pool by vastly improving our pre-college math and science education.
- Sustain and strengthen our commitment to long-term basic research.
- Develop, recruit and retain top students, scientists and engineers from the US and other countries.
- Ensure that this country is the premier place in the world for innovation.
Each of the recommendations is followed by a series of implementation steps to achieve these necessary goals.
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