 |
      |
 |
 |
||
 |
|
 |
||
 |
|
 |
||
|
For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Editor: Cheryl Dybas Contents of this News Tip:
Ph.D. JOBLESS RATES IN S&E; ARE HARD TO PREDICT, SAYS REPORTForecasting unemployment rates for Ph.D.-holding scientists and engineers is not possible now, and may never be reliably predicted, according to a special report from National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Science Resources Studies. The report, "Who Is Unemployed? Factors Affecting Unemployment Among Individuals with Doctoral Degrees in Science and Engineering (S&E;)", authored by Carolyn Shettle, reveals that in the 20-year period between 1973 and 1993, the gender gap shrank, but the age gap widened, among unemployed S&E; doctorate holders. For example, among professionals with 25 or more years' experience, 1993-surveyed Ph.D.s in S&E; were unemployed at a rate at least a half percent higher than those between one and 25 years' experience. This is a wider gap than existed in 1973. Overall, unemployment remains very low among Ph.D.s, at 1.5 percent in 1995. It was 1.6 percent in 1993. The report suggests that future research should be conducted to include parallel analyses for aspects of doctoral careers such as salary and part-time employment. For the full report see: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf97336/start.htm [Bill Noxon] SIX STATES ACCOUNT FOR HALF THE NATION'S R&D;Six states -- California, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas -- accounted for about half of the U.S.' total investments in research and development (R&D;) in 1995. California topped the list in U.S. R&D; expenditures for the year, spending about $36 billion, or just over one-fifth of the $177 billion U.S. total for the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to a new Data Brief from NSF's Division of Science Resources Studies. While the top six R&D; spending states represent the largest numbers, there is another way to look at how states invest in R&D.; "States vary widely in the size of their economies...," authors Richard J. Bennof and Steve Payson say in the data brief. "Consequently, variation in the R&D; expenditure levels of states may simply reflect differences in economic size or the nature of their R&D; efforts." If each state's R&D; level is measured as a proportion of its gross state product (GSP), then the result is a number representing R&D; "intensity" or "concentration." Under this measure, New Mexico has the nation's highest percentage of R&D; spending for its GSP (8.1 percent -- largely due to the Department of Energy's portion of investments in Federally Funded Research and Development Centers). The District of Columbia ranks second, followed by Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and California. Nationwide, the U.S. has a 2.5% R&D; concentration as a proportion of its gross domestic product (GDP). For the data brief see: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/databrf/db98306.htm [Bill Noxon] NEW BOOK EXAMINES ENGINEERING AND THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATIONA new book traces engineers' struggle to win intellectual, financial and organizational recognition within NSF. Enabling American Innovation: Engineering and the National Science Foundation is written by Dian Olson Belanger. The tools and arguments of this struggle altered over time, says the author, but engineers continued to assert the value of their contribution (usually measured in comparative budgetary terms) and philosophical debates, as they were played out through organizational manipulation. By the 1980s, NSF leaders agreed that engineering and science should enjoy an equal and mutually beneficial relationship within the NSF. This story unfolds within the context of the evolution of the engineering profession, national politics and the pressures of the cold war and international economics. In spite of -- and at times because of -- these forces, the NSF evolved and came to promote an interdisciplinary focus. The book, based on historical research supported by NSF, is published by Purdue University Press. (To order call 1-800-933-9637.) [Beth Gaston]
|
||||
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |