Opinions
American Journey: Excitement about Science Growing on College Campuses
SOURCE: Anderson Cooper 360° It was the college convocation speech heard around the world. A Georgia Tech sophomore’s excitement about mechanical engineering is lighting up the internet. Video of his speech has gone viral, it is comes during a big push to get more students just as excited about the sciences. Tom Foreman has the story. … Watch the video »
Read More »Immigration Reform Measures Could Fill Desperate Need in Washington State for STEM-Educated Workers
SOURCE: NW Daily Marker By Nansen Malin All of Washington must have been proud earlier this year when one of our very own was awarded the 63rd National Teacher of the Year. Jeff Charbonneau, a 9th-12th grade chemistry, physics, and engineering teacher from Zillah High School, was also praised for starting the school’s first robotics team. Charbonneau’s work and the work of so many other Washington teachers are crucial, and the state continues to lead the nation in a tech-driven economy. The presence of Washington-headquartered companies such as Microsoft and Amazon has helped the area outperform the Silicon Valley with… Read More »
Grant More H-1B Visas
SOURCE: Real Clear Policy By Alan Daley, Retired Businessman and Writer for The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research Every year, American universities grant advanced degrees to tens of thousands of bright foreign students. Upon graduation, unless they manage to procure an H-1B visa, these students typically return home and work for companies that compete with American employers. It would be much smarter to welcome these workers onto the U.S. team than to force them to fight against us. Today’s annual cap on H-1B visas is 65,000; the visas last for three years, and there are some exemptions for… Read More »
STEM Visas Should Be No-Brainer in Immigration Debate
SOURCE: Townhall By Erik Telford, Vice-President for Strategic Initiatives and Outreach, Franklin Center Although the conversation on immigration reform tends to unfold in terms of border security, enforcement of laws, and pathways to citizenship – there is one critical aspect this debate that has failed to break through all of the other noise. Immigration reform could help the economy grow–if done the right way. Instead of getting bogged down in negotiations about amnesty and its various forms, conservatives should drive the conversation toward STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and H1-B visas. These visas can help bring the world’s best… Read More »
STEM Education Needed in the Pipeline
SOURCE: Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Blog Throughout my career with the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, one thing has always been apparent: the Chamber is effective because of the strength of our members. We are a member-led business advocacy organization and we thrive from the cumulative energy, strength and vibrancy of our members. While many macro-challenges to economic success remain, our members are increasingly telling us that finding, retaining, and growing skilled workers at the local and national level has become, if not a crisis, a major issue that needs to be addressed. We are at a… Read More »
House Bill Offers to Ease Utah’s Tech Pro Shortage
SOURCE: The Salt Lake Tribune By Daryl Acumen Back when the golden spike was pounded in at Promontory, completing the transcontinental railroad nearly 150 years ago, immigrant workers in Utah meant Irish and Chinese laborers who performed backbreaking work for meager wages. Later came the Greeks and Italians to do the hard labor of mining. Add in the pioneers, and Utah truly was built by immigrant labor. Utah still needs workers from around the world, but today strong academic backgrounds mean more than strong backs. Utah has undergone a long but radical transformation from an economy based on mining and… Read More »
WMUR Political Scoop Interview with Jim Brett
SOURCE: WMUR New England Council CEO Jim Brett was interviewed on WMUR on Saturday, July 27. Brett discusses the need for more H-1B visas in the short-term and a stronger STEM education pipeline in the long-term to address the STEM skills shortage in New England. … Watch the video »
Read More »The Immigrant Brain Drain: How America Is Losing Its High-Tech Talent
SOURCE: PBS NewsHour By Vivek Wadhwa Diversity boosts high-tech innovation in America, argues Vivek Wadhwa. Paul Solman: There aren’t enough IT jobs to meet demand? Vivek Wadhwa, director of research at Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University and a fellow at Stanford Law School, questions that claim. He responds to Wednesday’s post on the Making Sen$e Business Desk from Hal Salzman, B. Lindsay Lowell and Daniel Kuehn, in which they argued that competition from high-tech guest workers is keeping domestic workers’ wages low and making it harder for native STEM graduates to find jobs in their fields. Wadhwa, the author… Read More »
The Importance of STEM Education for Latina Mothers
SOURCE: Mamiverse By Maria Cardona, inSPIRE STEM USA Co-Chair Like any mother raising two young children, much of my attention is focused on their education with an eye toward their futures and the opportunities they will have as adults in the workforce. For kids, grade school is the time for fun. But, like it or not, even at early ages schools and parents are also helping to shape whether our children will have an interest in the critical areas of math and science. This focus and this challenge for parents and educators should be at the forefront of most of… Read More »
Much to Celebrate in Senate’s Immigration Bill; The House Should Back This Needed Legislation
SOURCE: The Plain Dealer By Isabel Framer, CEO, Language Access Consultants, LLC. All throughout the state, Ohioans gathered on Thursday in recognition of America’s Independence Day, the day 300 million-plus immigrants celebrate being a nation. Our celebrations last week were almost exactly as John Adams envisioned them 237 years ago, “solemnized with pomp, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other.” Some of the proudest among us celebrated their first Independence Day as American citizens. And thanks to the bipartisan immigration reform bill passed recently by the U.S. Senate, millions of… Read More »