[Published originally in the March 2005 edition of Computing Research News, Vol. 17/No. 2]

New STEM Workforce Report

Preparing the STEM Workforce of the 21st Century: Broadening Participation through a Comprehensive, Integrated System, prepared by C. Dianne Martin (The George Washington University) and Willie Pearson, Jr. (Georgia Institute of Technology), has recently been released.

The report summarizes discussions and recommendations resulting from a workshop convened at the National Science Foundation to examine issues surrounding the development of a diverse and well-prepared science and engineering workforce for the 21st century. Workshop attendees represented a range of diverse leaders employed in a variety of sectors and representing the disciplines supported by the National Science Foundation.

The continuing lack of full and diverse participation of all citizens in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce threatens the economic strength, national security, and well-being of U.S. citizens. As groups under-represented in the STEM workforce become an increasingly larger part of the U.S. population, the vitality of the STEM workforce may further decline unless action is taken to broaden participation of all parts of our society.

Federal agencies and other funding organizations must implement program principles designed to increase the full and diverse participation of all citizens in STEM fields, and seven principles that apply to all research, education and infrastructure funding programs were recommended by the workshop. Realizing the capability of all its citizens requires that the nation’s policy makers view the development of human resources as inseparable from the goal of expanding the research frontier.

The full report can be found at: www.seas.gwu.edu/~stem/

Hard copies can be ordered from: School of History, Technology and Society,
685 Cherry Street, NW, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0345.
Tel: 404-385-2265.