Stemming the STEM problem

UTICA — Technology has always changed our lives. Millennia ago, it was the discovery of fire, the wheel, and iron. Today, it’s everything digital: computers, smart phones, the Internet, and GPS.

A few years ago, these ideas seemed like science fiction; now we have the bionic retinal implant that receives updates, the first lab-grown burger (made from stem cells), the first flying car (already tested in public), and UAVs that Amazon hopes will be a prime delivery service.

The only difference between technology advances in the time of the caveman and now is their sophistication, the speed of introduction, and America’s anxiety about our ability to compete globally. Uncle Sam first panicked about the nation’s lack of technological prowess in the 1950s when Admiral Hyman Rickover called for more math and science education to keep us competitive with the Soviets. In 1958, Congress passed legislation to support math and science education. More than 50 years later, Congress is still passing laws and budgeting billions of dollars to promote the study of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

To attract more teachers to the field of science and math, STEM promoters offer scholarships, loan-forgiveness, higher pay, and opportunities to undertake actual scientific work at national laboratories. But, what about the problem of attracting students? Many are unaware of the opportunities available, others can’t make the choice because the quality of their education is poor, and peer and societal pressures hold back girls’ and minority participation.

Over the next decade, STEM jobs will grow by 17 percent, far faster than the 10 percent growth projected for all employment, according to the STEM Education Coalition, a national affiliation of 580 member organizations in government, education, and industry. The average annual wage for all STEM occupations was nearly $78,000 (according to 2009 data), compared to the average of $43,460 for non-STEM occupations.

The top-10 bachelor-degree programs with the highest median earnings are all in STEM fields, and 47 percent of STEM workers with bachelor’s degrees earn more than Ph.D.s in non-STEM occupations. But here’s the kicker: unemployed people in the U.S. outnumber job postings by 3.6 to 1; in STEM occupations, job postings outnumber unemployed people by 1.9 to 1. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, 60 percent of U.S. technology employers are having difficulties finding qualified workers to fill vacancies at their companies.

In short, there is a dearth of STEM workers and too few in the pipeline, one of the few things Republicans and Democrats agree on. Compounding the scarcity of qualified students matriculating in STEM fields is a leakage problem: fewer than 40 percent of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM field actually complete a STEM degree.

One solution sought by industry is an increase in the H-1B visa program that allows companies to hire foreigners in positions where they can’t find qualified American citizens. The program is a political hot-potato with critics claiming it’s just a cover for business to hire cheap labor. Recognizing that the economic future depends on remaining a leader in science and technology, some companies, such as the Indium Corp., are taking a proactive position to encourage students as young as middle-school age to engage in experiential learning.

Talking STEM
“Our goal is to excite students about science and technology, educate their parents and the community to the opportunities in STEM, and frankly recruit future employees,” says Dawn Roller, Indium’s director of HQ services and human resources. “Everybody at this company talks STEM, regardless of their role. This is our fourth year working with the Oneida–Herkimer–Madison B.O.C.E.S. (11 school districts) in the SABA (School and Business Alliance) program. We offer area students 12 to 18 years of age tours and shadowing opportunities, address groups of teachers to educate them on the careers available locally in the STEM field and the skills needed, and we support National Manufacturing Day by inviting some of the participating schools to visit our facility to see how an advanced manufacturer operates.

“Indium hosts about 200 students annually and about 30 teachers,” continues Roller. “We also offer paid internships to college students; there are eight working here this summer. Since the program began, somewhere between 50 and 75 of our employees have volunteered to work one-on-one with the students. Initially, management saw this as a way of giving back to the community but now recognizes it’s a critical program to ensure a qualified work force to keep up with our growth.”

Indium supplies materials to the global electronics-assembly, semiconductor-fabrication and packaging, solar-photovoltaic, thin-film, and thermal-management industries. The company, with headquarters in Clinton, has 11 manufacturing sites occupying 385,000 square feet in the U.S., Europe, and Asia and holds more than 50 patents. Of the 700 people employed worldwide, 500 work in the U.S., of whom 450 work in the Mohawk Valley. Over the last half-dozen years, employment at the company has grown 32 percent. Fifty employees hold advanced degrees in STEM. The Business Journal News Network estimates annual revenue at more than $200 million. The business was founded in 1934 and has been owned by the William Macartney family since 1960.

STEM is also vital to a key area college.

“STEM is critical to our mission,” says Robert E. Geer, the senior vice president and COO of the newly merged entity (March 2014) of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) located in Albany and SUNYIT located in Utica. “Currently, nano research and development is conducted at CNSE, and SUNYIT serves as the academic campus. [However], … the student population on both campuses (Utica has 2,700 students enrolled and Albany 350) is growing and research in Utica is expanding with the creation of ‘Nano Utica,’ a $1.5 billion commitment by six global technology leaders and the Quad C project, the research-and-development arm of the effort to bring nanotechnology to the Utica campus. Our job is to ensure that there is a work force with STEM degrees and, in addition to workers with advanced degrees, trained technical people with STEM associate degrees. Construction of the Quad C research facility should be completed by December of this year, including the expansion to accommodate Nano Utica.

“Partnerships with companies such as Indium are critical to our success in cultivating students to STEM,” notes Geer. “This gives us the opportunity to showcase a local technology company with global, advanced-technology customer. Kids as young as … [middle-schoolers] can see the impact of technology and glimpse a career path. We follow the success of our efforts by tracking those who participated in our programs, are engaged in the different participating school districts, and then apply to SUNYIT. There is also a huge reservoir of girls and minorities who seem to lose interest in high school. Young people want to change the world, and our program is designed to show all the students, but especially girls and minorities, the social impact they can have by pursuing a STEM career. These programs are critical to the SUNY goal of doubling STEM degrees over the next five to six years.”

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@cnybj.com