Renewed attention is now being focused on a bill, introduced in
both chambers last year, that would attempt to encourage more
U.S. students to pursue careers in science, math, engineering,
and technology (SMET) fields. A March 7 hearing addressed the
"Technology Talent" Act and the related issue of undergraduate
science and math instruction.
The bipartisan bill was introduced in the House as H.R. 3130 by
Reps. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), John Larson (D-CT), Melissa Hart
(R-PA), Mike Honda (D-CA), and Mark Udall (D-CO), and in the
Senate as S. 1549 by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD), Christopher Bond (R-MO), Bill Frist (R-TN) and
Pete Domenici (R-NM). It would authorize NSF to award
competitive grants to institutions of higher education (including
community colleges) for programs aimed at increasing the number
of U.S. citizens and permanent residents obtaining degrees in
SMET fields. Acceptable program objectives include increasing
the number of women and underrepresented groups in these fields,
assisting students not adequately prepared to pursue technical
subjects in college, improving the quality of undergraduate
teaching and student learning, exposing students to research
opportunities and possible S&T careers, and providing financial
incentives to students who pursue these subjects. Although this
authorizing legislation has not yet been passed, $5 million was
appropriated in FY 2002 for a pilot program at NSF (the
authorizers sought $25 million), and the FY 2003 request includes
$2 million for a continuation of the program.
To encourage undergraduate students to pursue a SMET education at
any type of higher education institution, witnesses at the March
7 hearing of the House Science Subcommittee on Research
emphasized the importance of research opportunities for the
students and their teachers, resources for good quality
laboratory equipment, and mentoring or other forms of support for
students. Many of the witnesses received funding from - and
praised - existing NSF programs targeted at improving
undergraduate science and math education, and concern was
expressed about the requested 4.8 percent decline in NS's
Division of Undergraduate Education for FY 2003.
Carl Wieman of the University of Colorado-Boulder, winner of the
2001 Nobel Prize in Physics, spoke of the difficulty of changing
traditional instruction at large research universities, including
the culture of large first- and second-year lecture courses
designed to "weed out" students from science, math and
engineering. With research valued more than undergraduate
education at many universities, he said, faculty members have
little incentive to change the entrenched system unless subjected
to pressure from university and departmental administration.
Kathleen Howard of Swarthmore College said that undergraduate
institution such as Swarthmore frequently produce more students
that go on to earn PhDs in science than do many large research
universities. She noted that Swarthmore has a lab-intensive
science curriculum for majors and non-majors alike, a low
student-faculty ratio with students actively involved in faculty
research programs, and has turned around the traditional
structure so first-year students learn science in small, seminar-
style classes. Comprehensive institutions such as Towson and
James Madison Universities have poor student-faculty ratios and
do not have the resources for state-of-the-art lab equipment nor
the manpower for significant faculty mentoring, said Daniel Wubah
of James Madison. These institutions are experimenting with peer
mentoring to help retain students in S&T fields. He also
stressed the need for role models, bridging programs for students
who are academically unprepared, and undergraduate involvement in
research that is relevant to students' everyday lives.
Steven Johnson of Sinclair Community College pointed out that
nearly half of all U.S. undergraduate students are enrolled in
community colleges, and many future K-12 teachers get their core
science and math courses at such schools. He urged greater
federal support for undergraduate SMET education, particularly at
community colleges, and broader dissemination of successful and
effective programs. Narl Davidson described the Georgia
Institute of Technology's varied programs to attract and retain
students in technical fields, including collaboration with a
local magnet high school and partnerships and transfer programs
with undergraduate institutions, including those serving groups
underrepresented in science and engineering fields. He said new
and experimental ideas needed to be encouraged, for "there are
no
silver bullets."
Subcommittee Chairman Nick Smith (R-MI) asked whether industry
salaries drew away undergraduates who might otherwise pursue
graduate degrees in technical areas. Wieman responded that the
country "is based on the free market system" and students
had
freedom of choice, but it would be helpful to make them aware
that there are "interesting, fulfilling" careers for science
graduates. Wubah urged that education be thought of as a
"pathway" rather than a "pipeline," to which students
could
return at any time in their careers. Reps. Bob Etheridge (D-NC)
and Mike Honda (D-CA) raised concerns that many high school
students do not have access to advanced science and math to
prepare them for college-level courses. The K-12 system is
fragmented from the university system, which is fragmented from
the community college system, Johnson declared.
Smith asked whether institutions followed the careers of students
after they graduated and, in particular, kept track of how many
foreign students returned to their home countries. Wieman noted
that the American Institute of Physics tracks such statistics
"fairly carefully:"about half the graduate students in physics
are foreign, and while most stay in this country, other countries
are "getting more sensitive" to this issue. The U.S. will
need
to "start growing our own scientists," Wubah stated.
The witnesses, in summing up, expressed support for NSF programs
designed to enhance undergraduate SMET instruction, research
opportunities, laboratory instrumentation, mentoring, and
linkages with K-12 science and math education. Davidson added
that universities rely on NSF as well for support of basic
research, and "basic research involves the whole [scientific]
community, including undergraduates."
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