Speech
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| June 2, 2005 | ||
| Address to the Gateway Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers Boeing Integrated Defense Systems - St. Louis | ||
| Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay | ||
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GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IT’S A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU TONIGHT AS YOU CELEBRATE THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS. I THINK IT’S VERY APPROPRIATE THAT TONIGHT’S GATHERING IS RIGHT HERE, AT BOEING. WE’RE STANDING IN ONE OF THE TRUE CITADELS OF AMERICAN INNOVATION AND ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE. AND IT’S A REAL HONOR FOR ME TO REPRESENT ALL OF THE TALENTED PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE, IN WASHINGTON. MOST PEOPLE REALLY DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT WITHOUT THE TALENT, COURAGE AND PERSEVERENCE OF AMERICAN ENGINEERS, DEFENDING FREEDOM WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE. MOST AMERICANS THINK THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT WEAPON IN OUR NATIONAL ARSENAL IS A NEW PLANE, A NEW SUBMARINE, OR A NEW SATELLITE. BUT HISTORY HAS PROVEN THAT THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON WE POSSESS IS THE TRAINED MINDS OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. AND THAT’S WHY THE ON-GOING MISSION OF THE NSBE IS SO ESSENTIAL. THE KEY INDICATORS OF U.S. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP ARE TRULY ALARMING. NATIONWIDE, ONLY 5% OF OUR UNDERGRADUATES EARN ENGINEERING DEGREES. IN JAPAN, GERMANY, KOREA AND FRANCE, THE NUMBER IS MORE LIKE 20%. AND IN CHINA, A STAGGERING 45% OF ALL UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES ARE IN ENGINEERING. THE UNITED STATES NOWS RANKS #17 IN THE PERCENTAGE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS EARNING DEGREES IN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE. AND IF THAT DOESN’T CONCERN YOU, CONSIDER THE LATEST STATISTICS ON WHO IS RECEIVING NEW U.S. PATENTS. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. PATENT OFFICE; LAST YEAR, SIX OF THE TOP PATENTING CORPORATIONS WERE JAPANESE, ONE WAS SOUTH KOREAN, AND ONLY THREE WERE AMERICAN. AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE POOL OF QUALIFIED ENGINEERS AND SCIENTIFIC WORKERS IN THE US IS SHRINKING, BECAUSE THE NEW POST 9-11 VISA RESTRICTIONS MAKE IT MUCH HARDER TO RECRUIT TALENTED FOREIGN TALENT.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS SITUATION IS DANGEROUS, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU PICK UP TOM FRIEDMAN’S NEW BOOK, “THE WORLD IS FLAT,” WHICH IS CURRENTLY NUMBER ONE ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS LIST. IN HIS BOOK, FRIEDMAN ARGUES THAT THE UNITED STATES IS ENGAGED IN A NEW KIND OF WAR; NOT FOR IDEOLOGY OR TO CONTROL RESOURCES; BUT FOR THE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP THAT WILL DEFINE THE REST OF THIS CENTURY. AND WHILE THE POPULATION OF TRAINED ENGINEERS IN INDIA, CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES CONTINUES TO EXPLODE, THE POOL OF AMERICAN ENGINEERS IS AGING. MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS WHO HOLD SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING DEGREES ARE OVER 40 YEARS OLD. BY THE YEAR 2010, JUST FIVE YEARS FROM NOW; AN ESTIMATED 21 MILLION BABY BOOMERS WILL RETIRE FROM THE WORKFORCE. THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ESTIMATES THAT THERE WILL BE THREE MILLION JOB OPENINGS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. SO WHILE THIS BRAIN GAP IS A HUGE PROBLEM, IT’S ALSO A MAJOR OPPORTUNITY FOR ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE NSBE. BECAUSE ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO CLOSE THE BRAIN GAP IS TO TAP INTO A PRECIOUS, UNDERUTILZED NATIONAL RESOURCE…TALENTED MINORITY STUDENTS. WE HAVE TO LET OUR CHILDREN KNOW THAT MATH AND SCIENCE ARE NOT FOREIGN LANGUAGES THAT CAN ONLY BE SPOKEN BY SOMEONE ELSE. AND WE CAN’T WAIT UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL TO MAKE THAT CLEAR. WE HAVE TO DEMAND THAT LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS AND STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS CREATE ACADEMIC STANDARDS THAT INCLUDE BETTER, BROADER AND EARLIER SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. TOUGHER STANDARDS AND HIGHER EXPECTATIONS ARE A PART OF THE SOLUTION. BUT THE OTHER KEY TO CLOSING THE BRAIN GAP IS ENDING THE DIVERSITY DEFICIT THAT HAS BEEN A NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT FOR FAR TOO LONG. CONSIDER THIS; AFRICAN AMERICANS REPRESENT APPROXIMATLEY 12% OF THE US POPULATION. TO REACH PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION BY 2010, WE WOULD HAVE TO GRADUATE 25,000 MINORITY ENGINEERS PER YEAR. THAT WOULD MEAN PRODUCING IN JUST FIVE YEARS, THE SAME NUMBER OF MINORITY ENGINEERS THAT HAVE GRADUATED IN THE LAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. THAT’S A BIG MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB, BUT WE MUST HAVE FAITH THAT WE WILL GET THERE EVENTUALLY. CLIMBING THAT MOUNTAIN NEEDS TO BECOME A NATIONAL PRIORITY. AND I’M PLEASED TO SEE THAT THE NSBE HAS ALREADY TAKEN SOME IMPORTANT FIRST STEPS. YOUR MENTORING PROGRAM IS CRITICAL, BECAUSE TO PRODUCE MORE MINORITY ENGINEERS, YOU HAVE TO ESTABLISH STRONG CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS. MANY MINORITY ENGINEERING STUDENTS MAY BE THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILY TO ATTEND COLLEGE, OR TO PURSUE A TECHNICAL DEGREE.
AMERICAN CORPORATIONS WHO DEPEND ON TALENTED ENGINEERS NEED TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB OF ENCOURAGING MINORITY STUDENTS AND THEN RECRUITING THEM WHEN THEY GRADUATE. ANOTHER HUGE ISSUE THAT STOPS OUR MOST TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE FROM PURSUING A CAREER IN ENGINEERING OR SCIENCE…IS YOUR IMAGE, OR I SHOULD SAY, THE LACK OF AN IMAGE. OUR YOUNG PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER DOES, BECAUSE THEY SEE IT ON TV. BUT VERY FEW OF THEM COULD TELL YOU WHAT AN ENGINEER ACTUALLY DOES, AND WHY YOUR WORK COULD OFFER THEM A SATISFYING AND IMPORTANT CAREER. ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO ATTACK THIS PROBLEM IS FOR PROFESSIONALS LIKE YOU TO BE HIGHLY VISIBLE AND ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY. I KNOW THAT THE NSBE IS ALREADY VERY ACTIVE IN TUTORING AND SERVING AS VOLUNTEER JUDGES FOR SCIENCE COMPETITIONS. AND THE NSBE IS PROVIDING REAL LEADERSHIP IN CONNECTING WITH TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH PROGRAMS LIKE THE BOEING FLIGHT COMPETITION, AND THE MICROSOFT WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER SKINS CHALLENGE. IN CONCLUSION, I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT WHILE THESE ARE HARD PROBLEMS, I HAVE FAITH THAT WE WILL GET THERE… BECAUSE ENGINEERS SPECIALIZE IN SOLVING THE HARD PROBLEMS. I TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN ALL OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUING SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ORGANIZATION’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU WITH HEALTH, STRENTH, COURAGE, VISION AND A RENEWED COMMITMENT TO YOUR MISSION. THANK YOU. # # |
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