FEATURE: The Scientist names top 10 places to work (05/07)
http://www.the-scientist.com/bptw/
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The Scientist’s recent survey of the best places to work indicates that scientists seek not only seek intrinsic satisfaction in their work, but also intellectual freedom, appreciation for their efforts, and real world perspective. The article highlights the top 10 companies and explains why the employees there are happy.
FEATURE: Are American Scientists an Endangered Species? (07/02/07)
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/07/02/zimmer
Although the numbers of students enrolled in science and engineering at U.S.
universities has increased over the past few years, more of these students
are foreign and fewer are American. Marc Zimmer, Professor of Chemistry and
chair of the chemistry department at Connecticut College attributes this shift
to changing cultural attitudes towards science in America.
Looking for Quite a Few Good Men and Women
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/09/AR2007070901849.html?sub=new
The US government is increasing hiring in government jobs, partially to offset
retiring baby boomers but also as a result of increased security post 9-11.
Although immigrants now comprise a larger portion of the workforce, noncitizens
cannot take government jobs.
Graduating With a CP-Yay
Firms Lavish Accounting Majors With Trips, Parties and Offers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/05/AR2007070502165.html
Due to rising public scrutiny of businesses’ finances and the retirement
of the baby boom generation, demand has risen for workers in financial services
such as accounting. Graduates in these fields are now seeing much higher salaries
as well as special perks and bonus packages.
The Challenge: Gathering a Different Kind of Intelligence
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/01/AR2007070101012.html
Washington has been working to recruit post-docs to the area, offering jobs
not only in federal laboratories but also in technology companies and science-related
government jobs.
The top indestructible careers
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On CNN’s list of the top ten most reliable careers, from careerbuiler.com, doctors, teachers, and scientists make the top five.
Jobs lag behind in boom sector in India
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f47dae7a-2fc5-11dc-a68f-0000779fd2ac.html
In India, manufacturing jobs are growing at the slowest rate ever and growth
is localized to small companies only, as larger factories are increasingly
using machines to perform formerly human tasks.
No Shortage of Engineers, Despite Claims to Contrary
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118360133866457800-search.html?KEYWORDS=science&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month
Retiring baby boomers creating high tech talent crisis (07/02/07)
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/13262/53/
The Deloitte global survey of the CEOs of the 500 fastest-growing tech companies
reports that companies are seeing shortages of high-tech workers as new workers
are not being produced quickly enough to offset the loss of retiring baby
boomers. This shortage threatens to dampen the rapid growth of high-tech industry
in the next few years. The report indicates that Internet and IP-related sectors
are expected to grow the most over the next year, with wireless communications
and life sciences to continue growing in the future.
Mobility cited as key to recruiting top science talent (05/08/07)
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=36842&ref=rellink
In a recent Gallup poll, 49 percent of the Generation Y workforce placed intellectual
challenges before compensation and job security as a top workplace value.
At an event hosted by the nonprofit Council for Excellence in Government and
the Gallup Organization in May, young federal employees described those factors
that influenced their decision to remain in science and engineering careers
in the government. "I like to think of the government as a big company,"
said Daniel Kolenich, a computer engineer with the U.S. Army Aviation and
Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center. "You find yourself
in a position where you may not have your right match or you're not being
tested enough, and you can feel free to move around."
Wall Street battles Silicon Valley for top tech grads (06/28/07)
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/Editorial/News/new_singleEdit.asp?individual_SQL=6%2F28%2F2007%4015002_Public_.htm
Students with computer science and math skills are now being recruited by
top banking firms as well as computer companies. Banks such as Merrill Lynch
and Goldman Sachs are using financial incentives to lure graduates, as well
as other services such as a “dress for success” seminar at Wharton
and flying interns’ parents in from places as far as Nigeria.
To China For a U.S. Cancer Drug?
Researchers Say Gene Treatment Was Stolen and Rushed to Market
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A Chinese company, SiBiono GeneTech, is producing a gene-therapy cancer treatment that an American company, Introgen Therapeutics, claims to have invented. This issue brings to light issues of intellectual property and safety: China has many fewer clinical trials and safety restrictions, and virtually no intellectual property protection.
India's software, services exports forecast at US$40 billion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/03/AR2007070300088.html
India’s income due to outsourcing of software services is predicted
to increase 26 to 29 percent in the next year. This is partially due to expansion
in India of companies such as IBM Corp., Oracle Corp., and Accenture Ltd.
Intel to join '$100 laptop' project
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/13/hundred.dollar.laptop.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch
Intel is partnering with the non-profit group One Laptop Per Child to provide
low-cost laptop computers to schools in developing countries. Intel plans
to offer a range of low-cost laptops to suit various learning environments.
The IT Industry Desperately Needs to Get Cooler
http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2007/07/09/the-it-industry-desperately-needs-to-get-cooler/
Engineering and high-tech jobs are suffering an image crisis, after the dot-com
burst destroyed the idea of dot-com billionaires as role models. Although
menial tasks can be outsourced, the tech industry needs American leaders who
can be role models for future generations.
Some in Silicon Valley Begin to Sour on India
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118342455118256110-search.html?KEYWORDS=science&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month
In a Tech Backwater, A Profit Fortress Rises
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118403146441961477-search.html?KEYWORDS=engineering&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month
‘The Indian Advantage’ (05/21/07)
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/85/8521cover.html
Large pharmaceutical firms have recently been outsourcing significant aspects
of the drug discovery process to Indian research service providers, including
work that involves sharing sensitive data.
Drug scientists get top dollar in India (06/13/07)
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=287580&leftnm=1&subLeft=0&chkFlg=
Top R&D talent is becoming a valuable commodity for Indian firms that
are investing greater resources in new-drug development. Research professionals
command "flexible working options" and U.S.-level salaries, as companies
have increased R&D spending over the last five years.
NASA Faces Major Transition in Workforce Needs (06/02/07)
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=24382
With approximately thirty percent of the NASA workforce eligible for retirement
and some employees not being fully utilized, it is widely recognized that
the space agency needs to retrain many current employees and attract a new
generation of workers, while preserving institutional memory and employee
morale. Toni Dawsey, NASA's Assistant Administrator for Human Capital Management,
announced that NASA will need to retrain existing workers or recruit new ones,
with the intent of retaining these workers long-term.
Highly Skilled Immigrants Can't Get Work
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/14/AR2007071400124.html
Immigrants from Latin American and Asian countries often find themselves working
unskilled jobs despite having advanced degrees and professional careers in
their home countries. Many attribute this to the United States’ immigration
system’s bias toward low-skilled jobs, as well as cultural and language
barriers.
Indian green card seekers in flowery U.S. protest
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071001553.html
In protest of the recent reversal of a proposal to expedite green card processing,
thousands of Indians living in the United States sent flowers to the US Citizenship
and Immigration Services office. The flowers were intended to evoke the protests
of Mahatma Gandhi, and the office decided to send the flowers to soldiers
serving in Iraq.
Class Action Planned on Green Cards
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/06/AR2007070602412.html
A Polish immigrant working for an engineering consulting company is attempting
to sue the US government for denying her application for a green card. She
is attempting to gain class-action status for her suit, alleging that thousands
of other immigrants were similarly wronged.
A Reunion at the "MIT of India"
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1641232,00.html
Google, joined by several other high-tech companies, sponsored a reunion of
the Indian Institutes of Technology, the most selective engineering college
in India. Alumni found themselves overwhelmed by job offers, reflecting the
IIT’s successful “branding” and “glamorization”
of the engineering fields.
More workforce-related articles…
Technical Societies Call for Increase to NASA Budget (06/28/07)
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-28-2007/0004617647&EDATE=
Leaders from 11 professional science and engineering societies called on Congress
on June 28 to boost NASA's fiscal year 2008 budget or risk losing the nation's
scientific and engineering primacy.
Who will staff the nuclear renaissance? (06/10/07)
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/10/Business/Who_will_staff_the_nu.shtml
The revival of interest in nuclear power has left the industry struggling
find qualified workers. This article describes the current situation in Florida.