| Issue of the Day Posts Tagged ‘Research’ |
National Education Goals have Far to Go
Published Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 by Lacey Loftin
The national education goals call for U.S. students to be first in the world in science and mathematics, so therefore developing and maintaining students’ skills in science and engineering has long been a priority for the department of education. Recently, President Obama stated in his speech given to school children, “What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.”
Many skills are in great demand, but some companies are moving to locations or setting up facilities overseas where there are large numbers of trained personnel. Further, the share of recent science and engineering graduates taking government and academic positions is decreasing while industrial positions are increasing.
Those recent graduates who have graduated with science and engineering degrees have shrunk from 62% to 57%. The majority of them are male, up to 74%; females equal 26%. The section of greatest growth consists of 17% foreign students.
Recovery Act Offers New Opportunities for Grant Seekers
Published Monday, August 10th, 2009 by Lacey Loftin
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Education has conducted an analysis of 41 audits and 13 investigations that took place during 2003-2009. The data suggest that there are various weaknesses in the administration of grants by state and local education agencies. Due to the Recovery Act, agencies will receive increases in funding, and the OIG has recommended that Departments enhance the guidance or grant requirements, fraud awareness and prevention.
Also, a new feature on www.grants.gov will help users find and apply for all grant funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This includes a series of webinars and links including topics like Introduction to Grants.gov and the Recovery Act, Finding Recovery Act Opportunities and Registration to Submit Recovery Act Opportunities. All in an effort to release Recovery funding quicker and create jobs faster.
Federal research and grant funding for all but the life sciences and engineering have remained relatively steady since 1980, increasing only with the rate of inflation. The life sciences have gained the most and had spiked after 2000 to reach $30 billion as of 2004, declining to $27 billion in 2007. The engineering sector has not lost any steam, gaining in the last 10 years to hit $10 billion. With the Recovery Act, many fields will see more funding, although it will be a while before the figures are published and results are analyzed.