Government Technology - June 2008 - (Page 54)

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 54 JUNE_08 Allen echoed the same concern. Students need to be motivated as if they are star athletes to stay with these pursuits, as do those who volunteer their time to help mentor students in science and engineering. “Think about football games,” he said. “The coach, he gets paid to be there after school coaching those students in athletics. The robotics coaches that I know of in Georgia do it out of devotion. These guys are working every evening; they’re working weekends — zero compensation in most cases. Think about the booster club for the football team, basketball team and soccer team. Where is the booster club [for areas like robotics], and where are the parents? There’s not a mechanism to give these coaches the resources they REGISTER NOW! ISM CONFERENCE “Transforming Challenges into Opportunities” 41ST ANNUAL PHOTO BY ADRIANA M. GROISMAN 20 this — stuff they love, stuff that’s fun, and they want to make a career out of it … they realize math and science do have applications.” It’s long been known that kids love math and science — to a point. Somewhere around the 11th grade, there is a precipitous decline in the number of students participating in technical pursuits. The numbers are a bad omen for companies and organizations looking for the future work force. Allen said that despite technology’s massive expansion, the number of graduates with science and engineering degrees hasn’t changed significantly since the 1970s. Randy Schaeffer, regional director of New York/New Jersey FIRST, argues that a big part of the problem is the culture, as anyone familiar with IT projects can relate. “On any fall afternoon, you don’t have to go too far to find 22 kids out on a big, grassy field with hundreds and hundreds of community members, cheerleaders, pep bands, coaches and a lot of hoopla,” said Schaeffer. “The local papers devote pages and pages to what those kids are doing. As a result, they come away with the feeling that what they’re doing is pretty cool and pretty important.” need. We need to make robotics a lettering sport. We need to make it culturally acceptable.” The BEST and FIRST programs are making headway. The regional FIRST competition made the front page of several California newspapers. The numbers show progress too: Kids involved in FIRST and BEST are more likely than their peers to attend college. They’re more likely to attain a post-graduate degree and major in science or engineering. Changing the culturally accepted notion that athletes are cool and kids who like science are not isn’t going to be easy. The roots of these perceptions reach into many facets of life. But there are signs of a shift. Pay attention to social networking sites and Web forums — the “nerdier” among us often rule the roost online. The onus to embrace math, science and engineering is as much on the community as it is on children. Hopefully it isn’t too little, too late. Regardless, people like Allen and Schaeffer are doing what they can to make geek chic. And you thought all robots did was vacuum. W E S T I N S T. F R A N C I S , S A N F R A N C I S C O, C A L I F O R N I A AUGUST 24 – 27, 2008 Government’s 24/7 Online Video Site Event Highlights • News Reports • Newsmaker Interviews ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND ON-LINE REGISTRATION: WWW.APHSA-ISM.ORG www.govtech.com/gttv http://www.govtech.com http://www.govtech.com/gttv http://WWW.APHSA-ISM.ORG http://www.govtech.com/gttv http://WWW.APHSA-ISM.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - June 2008

Government Technology - June 2008 Contents Point of View The Last Mile Big Picture On the Scene Four Questions For... 3 Technologies That May Change Your Job ...And Your Life Loosening Medicaid's Grip Better Living Through Technology Immersive Itineraries Help Yourself Taking the Bait Shared Connection Up Close Spectrum Products Personal Computing signal:noise Digital Communities Contents Digital Tactics for a U.S. Recession E-Dilemma Stifling Community Innovation Leadership Interview Estonia Becomes E-Stonia If It Were Up to Me …

Government Technology - June 2008

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