The survey findings indicate a clear opportunity to engage women to enter the field of technology at an earlier age, potentially making a significant impact on the widespread gender disparity in IT careers today. In fact, 69% of all respondents, which included 658 women and men, believe the key to getting more women in tech is encouraging females to pursue technology in high school or college.
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the global financial crisis, the world economy is showing encouraging signs of recovery, with GDP growth accelerating to 3.5 percent in 2017. Despite this positive development, leaders are facing major predicaments when it comes to economic policy. Uneven distribution of the benefits of economic progress, generational divides, rising income inequality in advanced economies, and increasing environmental degradation have heightened the sense that the economic policies of past years have not served citizens or society well.
As schools continue to foster 21st century skills in students in order to prepare them for the demands of a global workforce, K–12 will see the adoption of more makerspaces and research efforts to surface best benefits and practices. Furthermore, the report noted that “makerspaces were initially lauded for their role in stimulating interest in STEM fields,” but now they are often viewed as conduits to STEAM education with more emphasis on the humanities, visual arts, dance, drama and other areas of the arts.
Innovation is one of those words that can mean a lot of different things. Whether you’ve developed artificial intelligence software that can predict your schedule or just decided to put potato chips on a turkey sandwich (try it, seriously), innovation comes in all shapes and sizes. However, when it comes to the tech world, the word has a very specific meaning: your ability to disrupt your industry. And these cities house some of the most innovative people, companies, and attitudes in the entire world.
The total score for each country--and thus the final overall ranking--is based on 81 criteria, collected under 7 ‘pillars’ that in turn represent 2 overarching sub-indices. The five pillars under the Innovation Input Sub-Index are: 1) institutions, 2) human capital and research, 3) infrastructure, 4) market sophistication, and 5) business sophistication, all of which address elements of the national economy reflecting innovative activities.
The initial federal research investment is small. Eighty percent of the companies in the report cited less than $5 million as the amount of federal funding received for their foundational work. For 40 percent of companies, this amount was less than $1 million. The 102 companies highlighted are predominantly small businesses, like most companies in the United States. Sixty-five percent of companies have fewer than 100 employees. Yet, the companies collectively employ 8,900 people.
The bulk of this report focuses on indicators of progress toward 10 policy priorities widely seen as central to broadening participation in K–12 CS education. These priorities were developed collaboratively by a 27-member Advocacy Coalition assembled by Code.org and are among the criteria used by other organizations as well.
Science and technology (S&T)have a pervasive influence over a wide range of issues confronting the nation. Public and private research and development spur scientific and technological advancement. Such advances can drive economic growth, help address national priorities, and improve health and quality of life. The constantly changing nature and ubiquity of science and technology frequently create public policy issues of congressional interest.
As tech innovations unfold, China is stacking up to the United States as a leading force. Global tech industry leaders indicated, in KPMG’s tech innovation survey, the United States and China are the world’s dominant tech epicenters with the greatest potential to develop disruptive technology breakthroughs that will have a global impact. The strong showing for these two mega-powers is relatively consistent with earlier KPMG surveys, although this year’s poll reflects a slight uptick for China—25 percent compared with 23 percent the prior year.
By 2020, STEM jobs in the United States are expected to increase by 10% (Lockard & Wolf, 2012); however, with some sectors reporting nearly 600,000 unfilled engineering jobs (BLS, 2015), declining numbers of engineering graduates cause alarm.
