On June 8, the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. hosted a forum entitled, “Improving Science and Technology Innovation in the United States”. The forum’s goal was to bring leaders together from the fields of government, higher education, and business to discuss the need for increasing both innovation and investment in science and technology. Participants in the program included Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer; Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer; Phil Weiser, Senior Advisor to the National Economic Council Director for Technology and Innovation; Robert Braun, Chief Technologist of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology.
The panel acknowledged some troubling signs in science and technology innovation in the U.S. Last year was the first year that non-U.S. innovators filed more patents than did U.S. innovators, and the United States also is falling behind other nations in the percentage of GDP spent on the critical area of research and development.
However, the panel acknowledged that there are promising signs for the future of science and technology innovation in the United States. The House recently passed the America COMPETES Act, which was designed to foster research, spur innovation, create jobs for the 21st century economy; and create, educate, and train a suitable workforce for those jobs. Additionally, President Obama has made a commitment to utilizing technology in a wide range of initiatives, from online games to encouraging children to eat healthily to the digitization of federal records and the promotion of STEM education through Educate to Innovate.
The importance of STEM education for the future of American innovation was emphasized throughout the program. The Honorable Paula Stern, representing NCWIT, posed a question to members of the administration in the panel regarding what is being done to increase the participation of women specifically in information technology and engineering, and what their participation might mean for the future of American innovation. Phil Weiser, Senior Advisor to the National Economic Council Director for Technology and Innovation answered the question by citing NCWIT as a great example of social innovation and a coalition built to tackle current public policy challenges.
Weiser noted NCWIT’s work to change the demographics of the IT workforce, which presently is predominantly white and male. This homogeneity does not reflect the great diversity of the United States. Thus STEM education needs to be emphasized in the early stages so as to provide diverse individuals with the opportunity to pursue careers in information technology and scientific fields more broadly. Phil Weiser pointed to Educate to Innovate as an example of a White House program designed to create a generation passionate about science and mathematics, thus contributing to continued U.S. innovation.
The importance of STEM education, particularly for women and minorities, was addressed again later on in the program when The Honorable Paula Stern questioned Congressman Bart Gordon, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology regarding the extent to which the America COMPETES Act will address the issue of limited female participation in computer science education. Congressman Gordon responded by saying that the best place to make progress in the science and technology workforce and in the STEM education area is with women and minorities as they are currently the most underrepresented groups. Gordon stated, “And so just by bumping them up, you know, again, that’s the best bang for our buck”. He continued by describing some of the incentives in the America COMPETES Act to encourage women and minorities to pursue STEM education. Gordon conceded that the initiatives were not currently calibrated specifically to computer science, but that this should be a step to consider moving forward.
The forum ended by emphasizing the importance of passing the America COMPETES Act in the Senate. You can show your support for this important piece of legislation by signing this petition at www.usinnovation.org. In conclusion, the “Improving Science and Technology Innovation in the United States” forum provided an insightful arena for the discussion of technology and the future of innovation in the United States. The promotion of STEM education, especially among women and minorities, is a crucial component of this initiative, one which NCWIT will continue to fight for and support.
- K-12
- K-12
- I Want To
- K-12 Resources
K-12 Resources
Act and advocate for more inclusive computing learning experiences. Encourage and inspire students to explore computing pathways that match their interests and abilities.
- K-12 Programs
K-12 Programs
Inspire and encourage individuals of all backgrounds, equip K-12 and higher education influencers, and foster virtual and in-person communities at local, regional, and national levels.
- K-12 Alliance
K-12 Alliance
Mobilize year-round alongside formal and informal educators and other adult influencers nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Higher Education
- Higher Education
- I Want To
- Higher Ed Resources
Higher Education Resources
Build consensus for action amongst colleagues, leaders, and advisors to create momentum for measurable, sustainable change within computing departments and institutions.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Education Programs
Recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- Academic Alliance
Academic Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside faculty, staff, administrators, department heads, and other mentors nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Workforce
- Workforce
- I Want To
- Workforce Resources
Workforce Resources
Employ strategic approaches that avoid the typical pitfalls of traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion interventions.
- Workforce Programs
Workforce Programs
Volunteer to engage with the next generation of technologists, amplify the bottom-line benefits of diverse technological contributions, and more.
- Workforce Alliance
Workforce Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside corporate seniors, executives, and team leaders nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Resources
- Resources
- Programs
- Programs
- Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing (AiC) provides encouragement, enables persistence, opens doors, and changes lives for women in technology from K-12 through career.
- BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM provides opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to learn the skills of computer science and research methodology within a research university setting.
- Color of Our Future
Color of Our Future
The Color of Our Future focuses on broadening the meaningful participation of underrepresented women and girls of color (Black, Latinx, and Native American).
- Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change is an online thought leadership series that presents research-based recommendations and prompts peer-to-peer discussions to further inclusivity in computing.
- Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing (C4C) offers professional development to school counselors, positioning them to effectively guide ALL students in exploring computing pathways.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed programs recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions foster great potential that otherwise may have gone unrecognized, and foster great ideas that might never have come to fruition.
- Regional Initiatives
Regional Initiatives
NCWIT’s Regional Initiatives bundle research-backed programs and practices to increase the local participation of women and girls in tech fields and careers. To understand local computing ecosystems, and cater content and programming to needs on the ground, NCWIT partners with community stakeholders to build awareness, inspire participation, and connect women to like-minded peers, role models, and opportunities.
- Sit With Me
Sit with Me
Sit With Me uses its iconic red chair to create in-person and virtual spaces where everyone can reflect on the value of diversity and inclusion.
- Tech Inclusion Journey
Tech Inclusion Journey
The Tech Inclusion Journey (TIJ) is a unique, scalable software platform that empowers change leaders to implement systemic, sustainable approaches to the creation of inclusive cultures.
- Aspirations in Computing
- News & Events
- News & Events
- NCWIT Summit
NCWIT Summit
The NCWIT Summit: where conversations lead to change is the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and equity in computing.
- News
News
Check out NCWIT’s latest press releases, press mentions, newsletters, blogs, and articles we are talking about!
- Events
Events
NCWIT offers various in-person and virtual events throughout the year and is also present at many other industry events. Find out about past and upcoming items here.
- re:think Magazine
re:think Magazine
A thought leadership magazine from NCWIT, advocates for a more diverse, equal, and inclusive technology industry. Check out current and past issues here.
- NCWIT Summit
- About NCWIT
- About NCWIT
- LOG IN