The renowned NASA is facing a big crunch. Its scientific and engineering community is aging fast and are on the verge of retirement. But there are no new young engineers to replace them.
"The people that came into the field in the Apollo era and the early shuttle era are nearing retirement," said Robert Dickman, the executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "The people that are going to make Mars happen, however, are the kids in school today."
This is supposedly a worldwide problem. According to the "golden oldies" the students of today are more interested in a career in the booming IT/electronic gadgets industry with their fancy salaries and stock options rather than getting their hands dirty and greased with traditional engineering fields like mechanical, electrical, civil or aeronautical engineering. This sentiment is reflected by the statement of Mr Peter S Worden, the director of NASA's Ames Research Center when he says, "The average age of my civil servants is 49 and we only have nine people under the age of 30. Then I talked to Google and they only have nine people over the age of 30."
But being the bureaucrats that they are, their approach to "popularising" the study of math and science among today's kids, who they realise are the ones who will make Mars and beyond happen, is quite disappointing.
In conjunction with the Space 2006 conference, the AIAA has a program called Education Alley to show young kids the magic of space and the necessity of learning math and science to get there. In a large hall adjacent to the main conference expo area, hundreds of kids lined up to talk with corporate sponsors and educators — and a speaking robot that wandered the floor.With this approach they are more likely to scare off the kids rather than get them excited.
Instead they should emphasise success stories like Kalpana Chawla and Anousheh Ansari. Both were women who came from societies that did not put much emphasis on the education of women. But both made it by sheer dint of effort and their passion for the sciences. Their biography reads like the "American dream" and would inspire any kid to follow in their footsteps.
Article comments
1 - Vikk Simmons
I guess I see this in an up-front personal way. My father, who is now 90, worked for NASA from Project Apollo through the early stages of the Space Station. So I grew up during the supposed golden, glory years of NASA.
I do wonder what will happen. In part because of the current state of education and the creeping relativism even in math and science, and in part because of the obvious technological lure of computers, games, etc. My grandson has traveled from an interest in space and NASA to what, I guess, is to him a more glamorous lure: Gaming. No longer is he interested in the call of galaxies; now it's all games. Maybe it will revert but I doubt it.
I also wonder if this culture can sustain a "failure is no option" type of mentality any more.
2 - Apollo
Vikk i never meant it in as an attack on NASA or anyone. Infact i'am a big fan and i admire it for all its acheivements.
But i think its approach in getting young kids interested in a career in science and math is wrong. I have seen from personal experience that it won't work. there were open days held in a Aeronautics facility in Bangalore, where employees could bring in their family and children. And the kids showed more interest in the computer games rather than in the plane models and charts.
And i heard the older members here saying exactly the same things about kids not being interested in study of science anymore.
So instead of trying the old approaches which won't work anymore like contests, meets, campus visits etc... why not actually tell that the study of science can actually make their dreams come true. It might work hopefully.
3 - nugget
here's an idea: software/gaming developers could league up with some old school engineers, a team of the most brilliant educators in the world, and create fun games that amalgamate engineering fundamentals, interesting story line/scenarios, and plenty of action.
4 - Vikk Simmons
Well, I like nugget's idea. Now if I could get my dad to cooperate and find one of those developers . . . .
Apollo, I didn't really take it as an attack on NASA, per se. One thing NASA does that seems to nurture interest is the summer program. The classes are a week long and last all day. We gave my grandson a week that focused on going to Mars as a birthday present two years ago and he loved it. Perhaps there will be some residual enthusiasm roaming around his brain cells long enough to catch fire again.
5 - Apollo
Vikk that's one of the really wonderful ways to get kids interested early on. I wonder if we badly need a steve irwin type for promoting the cause of science science that could really make all the difference isn't it?