the.world.is.flat-第75章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
education。 〃They drive technology and our standards of living。 Unless our kids grow
up knowing that universal language； they will not be able to compete。 We are not in
the business of manufacturing somewhere else。 This is a company that was founded here；
but we have two raw materials…sand； which we have a ready supply of； and talent； which
we don't。〃 （Silicon comes from sand。）
〃We looked at two things；〃 she continued。 〃We looked at the fact that in disciplines
that were relevant to our industry； the number of U。S。 students graduating at the
master's and Ph。D。 levels was declining in absolute numbers and relative to other
countries。 In our K to twelve we were doing okay at the fourth…grade level； we were
doing middle…of…the…road in the eighth grade； and by the twelfth grade we were
hovering near the bot…
torn in international tests related to math。 So the longer kids were in school； the
dumber they were getting 。 。 。 You have teachers turning off kids because they were
not trained。 You know the old saw about the football coach teaching science…people
who do not have the ability to make this accessible and gripping for kids。〃
One of the problems in remedying the situation； said Koon； is the fact that education
in America is relatively decentralized and fragmented。 If Intel goes to India or China
or Jordan and introduces a teacher education program for making science more
interesting； it can get into schools all over the country at once。 In America； the
public schools are overseen by fifty different state governments。 While Intel does
sponsor research atthe university level that will benefitits own product development；
it is growing increasingly concerned about the feeder system into those universities
and the job market。
〃Have we seen any change here？ No； not really；〃 said Koon。 So Intel has been lobbying
the INS for an increase in the number of advanced foreign engineers allowed into the
United States on temporary work visas。 〃When we look at the kinds of people that we
are trying to hire here…the master's and Ph。D。 levels in photonics and optics
engineering and very large…scale computer architecture…what we are finding is that
as you go up the food chain from bachelor's to master's to Ph。D。's； the number of
people graduating from top…tier universities in those fields are increasingly
foreign…born。 So what do you do？ For years ＇America＇ could count on the fact that
we still have the best higher…education system in the world。 And we made up for our
deficiencies in K through twelve by being able to get all these good students from
abroad。 But now fewer are coming and fewer are staying 。 。 。 We have no God…given
right to be able to hire all these people； and little by little we won't have the
first…round draft choices。 People who graduate in these very technical fields that
are critical to our industries should get a green card stapled to their diploma。〃
It appears that young people wanting to be lawyers started to swamp those wanting
to be engineers and scientists in the 1970s and early 1980s。 Then； with the dot…com
boom； those wanting to go to business school and earn MBAs swamped engineering
students and lawyers in the 1990s。
274
One can also hope that the marketplace will address the shortage of engineers and
scientists by changing the incentives。
〃Intel has to go where the IQ is；〃 said Koon。 Remember； she repeated； Intel's chips
are made from just two things…sand and brains； 〃and right now the brains are the
problem 。 。 。 We will need a stronger and more supportive immigration system if we
want to hire the people who want to stay here。 Otherwise； we will go where they are。
What are the alternatives？ I am not talking about data programmers or ＇people with＇
B。S。 degrees in computer science。 We are talking about high…end specialized
engineering。 We have just started a whole engineering function in Russia； where
engineers have wonderful training…and talk about underemployed！ We are beefing that
up。 Why wouldn't you？〃
Wait a minute： Didn't we win the Cold War？ If one of America's premier technology
companies feels compelled to meet its engineering needs by going to the broken…down
former Soviet Union； where the only thing that seems to work is old…school math and
science education； then we've got a quiet little crisis onour hands。 One cannot stress
enough the fact that in the flat world the frontiers of knowledge get pushed out
farther and farther； faster and faster。 Therefore； companies need the brainpower that
can not only reach the new frontiers but push them still farther。 That is where the
breakthrough drugs and software and hardware products are going to be found。 And
America either needs to be training that brainpower itself or importing it from
somewhere else …or ideally both …if it wants to dominate the twenty…first century
the way it dominated the twentieth…and that simply is not happening。
〃There are two things that worry me right now；〃 said Richard A。 Rashid； the director
of research for Microsoft。 〃One is the fact that we have really dramatically shut
down the pipeline of very smart people coming to the United States。 If you believe
that we have the greatest re…seach universities and opportunities； it all has to be
driven by IQ。 In trying to create processes that protect the country from undesirables；
＇the government＇ has done a much better job of keeping out desirables。 A really
significant fraction of the top people graduated from our universities ＇in science
and engineering＇ were not born here； but stayed here and created the businesses； and
became the professors； that were engines for
275
our economic growth。 We want these people。 In a world where IQ is one of the most
important commodities； you want to get as many smart people as you can。〃
Second； said Rashid； 〃We have done a very poor job of conveying to kids the value
of science and technology as a career choice that will make the world a better place。
Engineering and science is what led to so many improvements in our lives。 But you
talk to K through twelve kids about changing the world and they don't look at computer
science as a career that is going to be a great thing。 The amazing thing is that it
is hard to get women into computer science now； and getting worse。 Young women in
junior high are told this is a really wretched lifestyle。 As a result； we are not
getting enough students through our systems who want to be computer scientists and
engineers； and if we cut off the flow from abroad； the confluence of those two will
potentially put us in a very difficult position ten or fifteen years from now。 It
is a pipeline process。 It won't come to roost right away； but fifteen or twenty years
from now； you'll find you don't have the people and the energy in these areas where
you need them。〃
From Richard Rashid at Microsoft in the Northwest to Tracy Koon at Intel in Silicon
Valley to Shirley Ann Jackson at Rensselaer on the East Coast； the people who
understand these issues the best and are closest to them have the same message： Because
it takes fifteen years to create a scientist or advanced engineer； starting from when
that young man or woman first gets hooked on science and math in elementary school；
we shouldbe embarking on an all…hands…on…deck； no…holds…barred； no…budget…too…large
crash program for science and engineering education immediately。 The fact that we
are not doing so is our quiet crisis。 Scientists and engineers don't grow on trees。
They have to be educated through a long process； because； ladies and gentlemen； this
really is rocket science。
：：：：： EIGHT
This Is Not a Test
We have the power to shape the civilization that we want。 But we need your will； your
labor； your hearts； if we are to build that kind of society。 Those who came to this
land sought to build more than just a new country。 They sought a new world。 So I have
come here today to your campus to say that you can make their vision our reality。
So let us from this moment begin our work so that in the future men will look back
and say： It was then； after a long and weary way； tha
