San Gabriel Valley Tribune – Ling Ling Chang
“Much has been said about California’s struggling economy and scarcity of jobs. During my time in the Legislature thus far, I have been focused on clearing a path for job creators, but also ensuring that the next generation is prepared for the demands of the innovation-focused economy in the 21st century. In a state with pioneers like Facebook, Google, Apple and others, we know that careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are and will be in high demand. In fact, it’s projected that jobs in STEM will grow by 19 percent in the next decade. In a step to encourage women, young and old, to explore the STEM fields and to explore the world around them, I authored ACR 17, a state resolution declaring the week of April 5-11, 2015, as “California Women and Girls in STEM Week.” California must step forward to remain competitive by taking national and global leadership on ensuring that talents and education in STEM are available to emerging companies and organizations, especially those focused on technology. Supporting female STEM students and researchers needs to be an essential component of California’s strategy to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.”(more)