http://www.cpst.org Latest articles about the human resources of the U.S. in the fields of science, engineering and technology en-us Copyright 2010 CPST http://www.cpst.org/rss/ Tue, 22 June 2010 10:00:00 EDT http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/pages/CPSTHead.gif http://www.cpst.org According to the Center for Work Life Policy, women are leaving their jobs at lower rates than previous years, and about 39% of women earn more than their husbands. A recent article from Computerworld, however, reports that women in mid-management IT positions are leaving their jobs at an unsettling rate. According to the 2009 NCWIT study, Women in IT: The Facts, there is a continuous exodus of women from IT, particularly in middle management. Although 74% of women in IT report loving their work, about 56% of females in IT leave at the midlevel point, more than double the rate of males. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473D011.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 14 April 2010 10:00:00 EDT The Spring 2010 issue of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Salary Survey reports that the overall average salary offer to a Class of 2010 bachelors degree candidate has decreased from the previous year. While the average offer to the Class of 2009 was $48,515, the average offer in 2010 decreased 1.7% to $47,673. As seen in the table below, the highest average salary offer of $66,437 is made to chemical engineering majors, a 1.6% increase from 2009. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473S012.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 14 April 2010 10:00:00 EDT A recent article in The Harvard Crimson asserted that computer science is the most gender-skewed concentration at Harvard, with women accounting for 13% of all undergraduate computer science majors. According to statistics from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, gender disparity increases with course level: 34% of students in CS50, Harvards introductory computer science class, were female last fall; females in CS51 and CS61, the classes that commonly follow CS50, comprised 25% and 23% of the students, respectively; and female enrollment in CS124, an upper level computer science course, decreased to 18%. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473W013.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 14 April 2010 10:00:00 EDT A recent article in the New York Times reports that although women outnumber men in law schools, medical schools, and in the overall workforce, a distinct gender disparity endures in the high-tech world. While the Center for Womens Business Research reports that women own 40% of private businesses in the U.S., they are responsible for only 8% of the venture-backed tech start-ups, according to a non-profit group called Astia that advises female entrepreneurs. According to the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), women represent only 22% of software engineers at tech companies and a mere 6% of chief executives at the top 100 tech companies. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473W021.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 21 April 2010 10:00:00 EDT A current project funded by the National Science Foundation is aimed towards improving the retainment of undergraduate students in engineering. The project, titled ENGAGE: Engaging Students in Engineering, is collaborating with 30 schools of engineering to implement ENGAGE strategies. The participating schools will work with the ENGAGE team to improve student day-to-day classroom and education experience, and to increase engineering schools capacity to retain undergraduate students. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473E022.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 21 April 2010 10:00:00 EDT Recent findings from a study conducted by the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education at Michigan State University showed that elementary and middle-school math teachers in the United States are not as prepared as those from other countries. The Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) assessed how mathematics teachers at the primary and middle school levels were trained in 16 countries. Approximately 3,300 future teachers from 80 public and private colleges and universities in 39 states were assessed in terms of their knowledge of both mathematics and how to teach mathematics. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473W023.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 21 April 2010 10:00:00 EDT The National Center for Education Statistics recently published a report providing national data on the availability and use of educational technology among teachers in public elementary and secondary schools. Beginning in September 2008, 2,005 public schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia were asked to provide sampling lists of full-time teachers. Questionnaires were mailed to 4,133 teachers selected from these sampling lists and collection of teacher surveys began in January 2009. Teachers were surveyed on specific topics about their use of educational technology in public schools. Internet access was available for 93% of the computers located in the classroom every day and for 96% of the computers that could be brought into the classroom. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473E041.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 04 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT The House Science and Technology Committee recently approved a bill that would reauthorize the America COMPETES Act, passed in 2007. Committee Chairman Rep. Bart Gordon promoted the legislation saying, The statistics speak for themselves. More than half of our economic growth since World War II can be directly attributed to development and adoption of new technologies. The path is simple. Research and education lead to innovation. Innovation leads to economic development and good paying jobs. By reauthorizing the COMPETES Act, the bill makes investments in science, innovation and education to strengthen the U.S. scientific and economic leadership. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473C042.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 04 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT Results from a survey conducted by The Scientist revealed the Best Places to Work in Industry in 2010. E-mail invitations were sent to readers of The Scientist and registrants on the website who identified themselves as working in commercial or industrial companies. A survey was posted on the website from September 9 through November 30, 2009, and 1,962 useable and qualified responses were received. Out of 241 companies from which responses were received, 32 companies sent in 5 or more responses. Of the top 30 U.S. Institutions listed (top 10 listed below), 17 companies are defined as large (5,000 or more employees) companies and 13 companies are considered small (less than 1,000 employees). http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473D043.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 04 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT According to a recent report from the Commission on the Future of Graduate Education in the United States (FGE), it is projected that about 2.5 million jobs will require a masters or doctoral degree between 2008 and 2018, yet many undergraduate degree holders who have the ability to obtain a graduate degree never enroll in a graduate program, and many who do enroll leave without a degree. The overall increase in enrollment in colleges and graduate schools has not kept pace with the increase in the general college age population, and data indicate that only slightly more than half of high school completers enroll in some type of postsecondary education. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473E051.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 11 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT The 2009 Payscale Salary Survey reveals the, Best- and Worst-Paying College Majors. According to survey results, bachelors degrees in chemical engineering and computer engineering yield the highest starting median salaries at $65,700 and $61,700, respectively. Social work and elementary education majors earn the lowest starting median salaries a $33,000 and $33,400, respectively. Seven of the top ten highest-paying bachelors degrees at the mid-career point are engineering fields. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473S052.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 11 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT Held on May 12, 2010, National Lab Day celebrates the collaboration of activities across the country, joining volunteers, university students, scientists, engineers, and educators to bring discovery-based science experiences to students in grades K-12. This nationwide initiative is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Chemical Society, the National Institute of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Jack D. Hidary Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. National Lab Day aims to inspire future innovators and foster U.S. competitiveness by improving the quality of STEM education in America. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473C053.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 11 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT Based on the U.S. Census Bureaus 2008 American Community Survey, a recent report from the Pew Hispanic Center examines the educational attainment and outcomes of adults ages 20 and older. According to the report, approximately 41% of Hispanics ages 20 and older do not have a high school diploma, compared to 23% of blacks and 14% of whites. And as seen in the figure below, two-in-ten black high school dropouts and three-in-ten white high school dropouts have a General Educational Development (GED) credential, while just one-in-ten Hispanic high school dropouts has a GED. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473W061.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 18 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2010 Student Survey reports that 2010 graduates with business or technical-related degrees are most likely to have jobs following graduation. More than 400 colleges and universities and more than 31,740 students, of which approximately 13,000 were graduating seniors, took part in the 2010 Student Survey. The survey was conducted February 9, 2010, through April 30, 2010. Although more than two-thirds of responding seniors plan to work following graduation, just 45.5% of seniors had applied for a job at the time the survey was conducted, and 58.6% of the top five majors with jobs offers had done so. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473D062.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 18 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT The National Science Foundation Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: Summary Report 2007-2008 shows that the percentage of new doctorates awarded to individuals on temporary visas rose from 12% of all doctorate recipients in 1978 to 33% in 2008. According to the report, the growing number of doctorates awarded to foreign students on temporary visas has accounted for the majority of the overall growth in the number of doctorate recipients since 1978. While U.S. citizens and permanent residents earned more doctorates in life sciences than any other broad fields in 2008, temporary residents earned the majority of doctorates awarded in engineering (60%) and 48% of the doctorates awarded in physical sciences. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473A063.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 18 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT A recent article in SiliconIndia outlined the top 10 jobs that can generate the best return on investment in terms of salary as well as a career option. Researchers for SiliconIndia collaborated with various IT firms and consultants to create the top ten list. Ethical Hacker – Countering widespread cyber crime, computer geeks are training themselves in the art of ethical hacking. One leading ethical hacker, Sunny Vaghela, from India, has helped security agencies crack several cases using his hacking capabilities. Systems Manager – With the increasing use of computers and information technology, the position of system manager is being considered one of the leading jobs in terms of percentage of growth across sectors. System managers plan, coordinate and implement all technology-related activities of firms. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473D071.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 25 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT According to Diverse Online News, a coalition of western states is seeking to ensure diversity and equity remain high priorities for their higher education systems in the coming years. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and the University of Southern California Center for Urban Education (CUE) are partnering to make equity a state policy issue and improve policies using data to measure the success of underrepresented students at their institutions. WICHE is a regional organization that facilitates cooperation among western state higher education systems and represents 15 states from Alaska in the north, south to Hawaii and east to Colorado. WICHE states will have to award more than 2 million additional degrees than what had originally been projected prior to the Obama 2020 college completion challenge. The western state percentage of additional degree completion is a quarter of that needed for the U.S. to meet the degree completion goal. http://www.cpst.org/hrdata/documents/pwm13s/C473W072.pdf info@cpst.org Tue, 25 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT