The concern over America's science education is pretty serious these days. Bill Gates recently appeared before Congress, speaking (yet again) about the need to fund better educational programs in science & technology fields ... or else to allow the immigrants that we educate to stick around and work to support the American economy. In an economy entering yet another recession period, talk about losing American jobs - high end science & technology jobs, no less - is extremely serious talk!

In fact, one of the nation's most serious publications, The Wall Street Journal, is even taking notice. In a recent article they present some such initiatives, including Engineering is Elementary, Project Lead the Way, The Infinity Project, and Children Designing & Engineering. These and other programs (such as the Girl Scouts' Girls Go Tech) focus on providing students as early ages with greater opportunities to explore the fundamentals of engineering, science, & technology.

In light of last month's Grand Challenges for Engineering from the National Academy of Engineering, such advancements are even more important if we're to meet these lofty goals. I put forth my own argument for strong scientific education in Why Study Physics? ... and engineering is essentially applied physics, so it seems a natural way to introduce them to practical aspects of the sciences. It remains to be seen how much impact these programs have in the long term, but I think that any exposure is likely to have a positive impact.

Other Science Education Articles:

• Book Review - Why Science? by James Trefil
• Grand Ideas of Science - Trefil's recommendation for a foundation of "scientific literacy"
• What Skills Do I Need to Study Physics?
• What is Physics?