32 • Support a significant number of selective research assistant professorships in the natural sciences and engineering at universities. These would be highly competitive positions open to postdoctoral scholars who are US citizens or permanent residents. They would provide young and creative scholars with opportunities to pursue research of their own choosing even if they cannot secure positions at research institutions. This would expand the pool of good jobs in S&E in a way that would be expected to affect young people who are trying to decide whether to go to graduate school. • Develop prizes for research goals of particular national interest, such as curing AIDS or going into space cheaply. Such prizes can provide flexibility for the researchers striving to achieve them and inspire and educate the public in current research interests. 32 William Zumeta and Joyce S. Raveling, "Attracting the Best and the Brightest," Issues in Science and Technology, Winter 2002, pp. 36-40. 33 National Academy of Engineering, "Concerning Federally Sponsored Inducement Prizes in Engineering and Science," 1999. Attracting the Most Able US Students to Science and Engineering Appendix TS 1 Figures and Tables Figure TS-1: There Has been a Gradual Increase in the Number of S&E Bachelor's and Master's Degrees Awarded, While Graduate Enrollment and PhD Production Are Just Starting to Increase after Several Years of Declines. Figure TS-1a: Number of S&E Master's Degrees Awarded Flat or Increasing. Figure TS-1b: First-Year Graduate Enrollments Increasing in All S&E Fields Figure TS-1c: US Citizens and Permanent Residents Earn on Average about 6070% of S&E Doctoral Degrees; About 80% in Life Sciences and Social Sciences, 60% in Physical Sciences, and 50% in Engineering and Mathematics and Computer Sciences. Figure TS-2: Most US Doctorate Degrees Are Awarded in S&E Fields. Figure TS-5: Top Students Are Increasingly Choosing S&E Graduate Study Figure TS-3: Most Biomedical Job Growth in Industrial Sector; Biomedical Figure TS-4a: Equal Numbers of S&E Doctorates Employed in Academe and Figure TS-4b: S&E PhD Employment Sector is Dependent Upon Field; Most Social Scientists Employed in Academe, Most Engineering Employed in Industry. Table TS-1: Opportunity Costs are High for Pursuing S&E Graduate Education and Training. Figure TS-5: Top Students Are Increasingly Choosing S&E Graduate Study. Figure TS-1: There Has been a Gradual Increase in the Number of S&E Bachelor's and Master's Degrees Awarded, While Graduate Enrollment and PhD Production Are Just Starting to Increase after Several Years of Declines. 450,000 Number of First Year Graduate Students and Number of S&E Number of Students or Degrees Note: 95% of US Bachelor's Degrees are awarded to US citizens or permanent residents. 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Figure TS-1a: Number of S&E Master's Degrees Awarded Flat or Increasing. Figure TS-1b: First-Year Graduate Enrollments Increasing in All S&E Fields. Social and Engineering Physical Math and Sciences Sciences --Social and Figure TS-1c: US Citizens and Permanent Residents Earn on Average about 60-70% of S&E Doctoral Degrees; About 80% in Life Sciences and Social Sciences, 60% in Physical Sciences, and 50% in Engineering and Mathematics and Computer Sciences. Life Sciences Life Sciences Total Life Sciences US Citizens and Permanent Doctorates Awarded 9,000 8.000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 Social Sciences Source: National Science Foundation. Survey of Earned Graduates. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. 2005 Socal and Social and Residents |