Help wanted: US teens need science and engineering mentors
It has become somewhat common to read stories or see surveys about the fact that the United States' ranking in scientific and mathematical competency is lower than we would like it to be, or about how the nation's research output is declining. But what is less often discussed are the underlying causes of these trends, and what may be done to address them. One simple solution is to throw more money at the problem, but whether this would result in any improvement proportional to the money spent has yet to be determined. The underlying assumption behind the money-throwing approach is that if kids learn more science and math, things would trickle down through time. When they grow up, they would become part of a more competent, scientifically literate populace that would have more scientists and engineers. The more people doing innovative research, the better for the economy, our country, and the world at large.
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