Phil writes:
> From Philip Greenspun's weblog at:
> http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2003/05/15
>
> "The number of science and engineering students in the United
> States peaked in the early 1990s.

Although there is some evidence that things may have bottomed out back in
1997 and at least in some areas science education is on the rise again.
From this week's Physics News Update...

"FIRST-YEAR PHYSICS GRADUATE STUDENTS are on the rise at US universities, a
new AIP study shows.  The number of first-year physics/astronomy students
for the year 2000 (2697) was some 5% higher than the recent low in 1997.
(In still more recent numbers for 2002, about to be published, the number of
first year grad students is some 15% higher than in 1997.)  In the 1999/2000
beginning-grad cohort, foreign students (52%) outnumber US students (48%).
Chinese students (25%) make up the largest single international component,
with Eastern European students accounting for 22%, up from about 5% in the
early 1980s.  Women constitute 19% of the 1999/2000 first-year physics grad
students and 29% in astronomy.  Age is a factor: about 64% of the foreign
students were 2
4 or older when they began physics grad school, whereas the number for US
students is 41%.  What kind of employment do these students hope for?  A
majority indicated their long-term desire was an academic job.  ("Graduate
Student Report: First-Year Students in 1999 and 2000," prepared by the
Statistical Research Center, AIP; www.aip.org/statistics, contact Patrick J.
Mulvey, 301-209-3070.)"

One might wonder whether the '90s (computer) technology boom was responsible
from pulling people away from the more traditional science and technology
tracks, and whether the bust of the last few years is now making science and
engineering at least as interesting as computer technology :-)

G.

* To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, *
* etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html *