The Washington Post – Bahija Jallal and Brian Gaines
“Dina Link may not be a household name, but she holds one of the most important jobs in the American economy: high school science teacher. At Northwest High School in Germantown, Md., she helps mold the next generation of scientists so that they can compete for jobs in an economy dominated by science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. Too often, however, teachers like Ms. Link aren’t given a clear picture of the types of skills America’s top STEM employers want from tomorrow’s workforce. Nor do they always know what inspires a high school student to become a genetic engineer later in life. This gap in knowledge is one of several obstacles America must overcome if we are to lead the world in STEM workforce development. Fortunately, we can shed new light on this challenge. The MdBio Foundation, in collaboration with the Science Advisory Board, recently surveyed more than 500 scientists nationwide to learn when in their lives they decided to pursue a STEM career and what experiences motivated them to do so. Some results may surprise you.”(more)