STEM Roots

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Ever imagined the future of a country depending on STEM.  It is true, and it is what America is thinking these days. STEM is an acronym which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And according to both the United States National Research Council and the National Science Foundation, these fields are collectively considered core technological underpinnings of an advanced society.

We all are aware of the impact of recent recession on US job market. And more so, how hard it has been to bring down the jobless claims for the present government. Few days back, in Durham North Carolina, Mr Obama said companies in the US are having a tough time finding the right candidates in STEM fields, which according to him, is not a good sign for the future of the country. He added that STEM subjects are the ones in which students from India and China are marching ahead and are grabbing the jobs.

According to the US Government reports, only 4% of all undergraduate students enrol in the STEM subjects. Out of those students, 33% will switch out of those fields resulting in only 2.7% graduates with a STEM degree or certification. Obama said, China and India are excelling in STEM fields and Indian and Chinese students are hungry because they understand if they get those skills they can find a good job, can create companies, can create businesses and create wealth. And Americans are falling behind in these very fields.


Americans, however, don’t understand the reason of Indian and Chinese hunger for such jobs. As an Indian, I can say that India is such an over populated country that it is very difficult to create a space for oneself. There is a social pressure to perform. So, most Indians are now aware that education is their only saviour. We study hard and compete harder to achieve everything. Also, IT has changed the Indian picture to such an extent that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is perceived as the building blocks of a successful life. That is the reason every year India produces thousands of STEM graduates. Our hunger to excel has grown so much that we study in Foreign Universities to prove ourselves and to make a mark on the entire globe. So, Mr President, for now the roots of STEM are in India and are there to stay for many more years to come.

Location: Quincy, MA, USA

Comments

  1. dantonverdictJuly 11, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    Saru, I think it is the right thing that nowadays India & China Scientist have been an rapid accelerating...I've known some of excellent mathemathician like S.Ramanujan, S.S. Abhyankar,etc. Even I've been a facebook friend with Aswath Damodaran (Finance Lecturer at NYU-USA), he is one of my fave mentor in finance, he has done a great thing in valuation concept & technique... So I hope India Scientist can give more significan impact in the future...nice article, Saru...^^

    ReplyDelete
  2. Saru SinghalJuly 12, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    @Antonius Elawitachya-Yeah, Indian and Chinese work really hard, they achieve much with less resources. Thanks for appreciating the post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sujatha SathyaFebruary 21, 2012 at 11:48 PM

    i liked the simplicity with which you wrote this post. i didn't know STEM stood for all that. when i saw the title, i thought this must be about stem cell banking! and agree with the central idea expressed here - fos us Indians education and the opportunities it opens up is very critical if we need to break class/caste barriers and an important social marker. no wonder we study so hard and have such a drive to excel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saru SinghalFebruary 22, 2012 at 11:35 AM

      True, we have only education to prove ourselves and break all the barriers. Thank you so much for reading Sujatha...:)

      Delete
  4. K.A. AcharyaJuly 11, 2015 at 10:14 AM

    Well expressed Saru. Indians do consider education their savior.
    Even I thought, the article was about stem cells before reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saru SinghalJuly 14, 2015 at 11:42 AM

      I thought the same initially. Education is a blessing. You have the power to change everything with it.

      Delete

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