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6 IMPACTS OF RESEARCH ON THE LABOR MARKET AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Pages 49-60

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From page 49...
... Explaining the Residual Economists explain economic growth and productivity increases in part by citing the development of human capital and investments in physical infrastructure. But those two factors explain only part of the growth of the economy.
From page 50...
... The relatively small size of the STEM workforce explains why federal investments in research have relatively small short-term impacts on employment. The STEM workforce engages in both research, which Carnevale identified as scientific investigations -- and development -- or the application of scientific knowledge.
From page 51...
... International diversity is now greater than the domestic diversity in the STEM workforce, and a healthy and productive STEM workforce will require focusing on both sources of diversity. SURVEYS OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS Existing surveys reveal valuable information about the career trajectories of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career scientists and engineers, but they also have many limitations.
From page 52...
... On the demand side, what kinds of jobs are open and what kinds of skills do firms need? For example, an ongoing argument, said Sauermann, is over whether the United States has too few scientists who know something about business and who can work in larger teams and companies.
From page 53...
... How do institutions make selection decisions? Finally, current data provide little information on people who earn doctoral degrees outside the United States, though some efforts are under way to get more data about these individuals.
From page 54...
... " respondents in the biological sciences averaged 50 points on a scale from 0 to 100, while people from physics averaged 38, people from computer science 29, people from chemistry 38, and people from engineering 39. The survey asked whether their research contributes fundamental insights or theories, or whether it creates knowledge to solve practical problems, with people being allowed to respond affirmatively to both questions.
From page 55...
... Physicists and computer scientists rated that option even higher, but chemists and engineers had less interest in a faculty R and D position and more interest in R and D jobs at established firms. People who received industry funding were less interested in a faculty research career and more interested in working either for a start-up or for an established firm.
From page 56...
... Existing measurements of the STEM workforce are closely cued to size, Evans observed. Inputs to the workforce include the gross amounts spent on training grants and an unknown proportion of research grants spent on personnel in training.
From page 57...
... Competitiveness as Efficiency Another framing is to think of competitiveness in the STEM workforce as efficiency in producing a sufficient supply of the skills in demand. From this perspective, the United States can be seen as the most efficient investor in science and engineering skill.
From page 58...
... Evans studied these questions through an investigation of almost 20,000 publications involving Arabidopsis thaliana (a small flowering plant used as a model organism) in which he identified principal
From page 59...
... Investigating this issue will require linking individuals and their preferences with the papers and patents they produce. "Labor market issues cannot be separated from the content of science." DISCUSSION In response to a question from a workshop participant about the importance of the arts and humanities in generating economic value, Evans noted that he was very interested in the complex combinations of STEM knowledge and the arts and humanities in such areas as design.
From page 60...
... Department of Education is supporting the development of an online system that will collect information on all transcripts of students, including those in college and graduate school, and connect that information to wage records supplied by every employer in America. Currently, in 26 states, a student in a Ph.D.


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