State
of the
STEM Workforce
STS-127 Pre-launch
Education Forum
Amanda Stiles
NASA Ames Research Center
Garret Fitzpatrick
NASA Johnson Space Center
12 JUNE 2009

What Science
is
Technology
STEM Engineering
? Mathematics

“Today, more than ever before,
science holds the key
to our survival as a planet and our
security and prosperity
as a nation.
Why
is it It’s time we once again put science
Important? at the top of our agenda and
work to restore America’s place as
the world leader in
science and technology.”
President Obama
Science Team Rollout Radio Address
December 17th, 2008

STEM makes up
Why
is it less than 5%
of the nation’s workforce,
Important? but has ahigh impact on the
economy of the nation.

Technology accounts for
Why
is it
1/2
GDP growth
Important? of
in
industrialized
nations.

“Economic studies conducted even before
the information-technology revolution have
Why shown that as much as
is it 85% of measured growth
Important? in US income per capita was due to
technological change.”
–National Science Foundation;
Rising Above the Gathering Storm.

Why
But STEM in the
is there a
problem United States
? is in trouble.

“By the year 2000, U.S.
Why students will be the first in
is there a the world in mathematics
problem and science achievement.”
?
- U.S. Dept. of Education’s National
Commission on Excellence in Education;
A Nation At Risk
(1983)

In 2006, out of 26 developed
Why countries, the U.S. ranked
is there a
problem 22nd in math
and
? 19th in science
in middle school
test scores.

Percentage of
undergraduates majoring
in engineering in 2006:
Why
is there a
problem • Europe: 12%
? • Singapore: 20%
• China: 40%
• U.S.: 6%

Why So our STEM testscores are down
is there a and our STEM numbers relative to
problem other competing nations are down,
too.
?

This does not
Why
is there a bode well for the future
problem of the
? U.S. STEM
workforce.

This does not
Why
is there a bode well for the future
problem of the
? NASA
workforce.

How can we expect
to lead the world
Why in
Bold endeavors
is there a technical Exploring new
problem achievement
frontiers
Discovery
? Innovation
if all the
technical
expertise
resides elsewhere?

How can we expect
to lead the world
Why in
Bold endeavors
is there a technical Exploring new
problem achievement
frontiers
Discovery
? Innovation
if our own
technical
expertise
becomes second-rate?

Which brings us to
Generation Y.
The newest
Generation generation
Y
to enter
the workforce.

Generation Y
will have a
big role
in the future
Generation
state of STEM in the U.S.
Y

So what is the
Generation
Y outlook for Generation
Y at NASA?

Generation Y actually
makes up a
Generation
huge percentage
Y of the U.S.
workforce.

Number of Births in U.S.
by Generation
Authors’ note: The term
“Next Gen” defined as
combination of Gen X & Y

Yet,
there’s only
a small
Generation
percentage
Y ofGen Y
in NASA’s
workforce.

Percentage of Workforce
by 5-Year Age Band
Next Gen 25% of U.S.
Baby Boomer
workforce is under 30.
Only 4% of NASA’s
workforce is under 30.

And
Generation this is
common across
Y all
NASA centers.

This shortage of Gen Y in the workforce
leads to gaps in
communication,
Generation career expectations,
Y development,
knowledge sharing,
leadership,
and
technical experience.

Generation
Y Ultimately, this
shortage has a direct
effect on
mission success.

If we don’t get
enough Gen Y
personnel in the
workforce…
Generation
Y …our
future leaders
will not have the experience
necessary to tackle the tough
challenges ahead.

NASA is
taking steps
Generation to prepare for the future
Y &
engaging
its own Generation Y employees
to address workforce strategies.

So
what can
we
do
to
prepare
for
the
future?

First of all,
It’s a
the Different
world is different today
than it World
was in the 60’s.

In the 60’s…
NASA inspired millions to enter
STEM fields It’s a
because of a Different
bold goal, World
visionary leadership,
and
real threat of the
Cold War.

Different challenges
Economy
Terrorism
It’s a
Energy
Different
Climate Change
World
Different national agenda
Different
national status Superpower
Lone
in the world

But our values haven’t
changed.

1.
To instill within ourselves these Foundations
essential qualities of leadership in of
pursuit of technical and
professional excellence...
Mission
Operations

Discipline ...Being able to follow as well as to lead, knowing we
must master ourselves before we can master our
task.
Competence. ...There being no substitute for total preparation and
complete dedication, for space will not tolerate the
careless or indifferent.
Confidence ...Believing in ourselves as well as others, knowing t
that we must master fear and hesitation before we
can succeed.
Responsibility ...Realizing that it cannot be shifted to others, for it
belongs to each of us; we must answer for what we
do, or fail to do.
Toughness ...Taking a stand when we must; to try again, and
again, even if it means following a more difficult
path.
Teamwork ...Respecting and utilizing the abilities of others,
realizing that we work toward a common goal, for
success depends upon the efforts of all.
Vigilance ... Always attentive to the dangers of spaceflight;
Never accepting success as a substitute for rigor in
everything we do.

2.
To always be aware that suddenly Foundations
and unexpectedly we may find of
ourselves in a role where our
performance has ultimate
Mission
consequences. Operations

3.
To recognize that the greatest error Foundations
is not to have tried and failed, but of
that in the trying we do not give it
our best effort.
Mission
Operations

We still have the
same drive
Creating
to explore the
to understand the universe Future
to seek out new challenges
to bring people together
to create the future

But today we have the potential to take a
new role as an agency and a country.
Creating
Today, we can the
lead the world Future
by facilitating involvement and
participation (across all nations,
generations, organizations, etc.) in the
exploration of space.

To do so, one place to start from is the
bottom of the ladder. Creating
the
Generation Y. Future

Creating
(That’s YOU!) the
Future

Creating
(and us…) the
Future

Engaging Generation Y isn’t all about
catering Creating
to young people. the
re-engaging all
It’s also about
Future
generations.

Creating
the
Engaging Generation Y is Future
actively
creating
the future
instead of passively reacting to the present.

Engaging Generation Y is
setting the tone
for positive change in the agency Creating
the
by empowering employees to take control
Future
of
their own future.

And there’sa ton of exciting Creating
things happening at NASA to do the
just that. Future

Current activities happening all
over the agency are…
Creating new,
innovative
Current
opportunities
for
Activities
growth

Current activities happening all
over the agency are…
Utilizing
emerging technologies
to increase
Current
workforce Activities
effectiveness
and
technical
competence.

Current activities happening all
over the agency are…
Connecting
Current
the
Activities
NASA team

Current activities happening all
over the agency are…
Sharing
the
Current
NASA Activities
story

Current activities happening all
over the agency are…
Re-establishing
and
Current
Re-integrating Activities
core values

YOU!
YOU! YOU! TU!
YOU!
YOU! YOU!
YOU!
YO
YOU U!
YOU!
YOU!
YOU!
! YOU!
YOU!
YOU It’s all
will play a pivotal role in creating YOU
NASA’s future.
YOU! YOU!YOU!
YOU!
YOU!
YOU! YOU! U!
YOU! Not me!
YOU! YOU
YOU!
YOU!
!

It’s all
(So don’t blow it.) YOU

Message
Be patient. to
Gen Y
It will take time, energy, and
relentless dedication to maintain
and enhance the standards of
excellence it will take to achieve
our future missions.
But it will be worth it.

Message
Learn Learn Learn. to
Gen Y
Learn all that you can from your
mentors and peers. Approach
learning with humility and grace.
Challenge accepted assumptions
to better understand WHY things
are done a certain way before
trying to change them.

Message
Step up. to
Gen Y
Neither the United States nor NASA
were built by passive acceptance,
but by active involvement from
passionate individuals dedicated to
a common mission for the benefit of
future generations. Honor their
legacy by stepping up to the
challenges of our time.

Message
Make a difference. to
Gen Y
The best way to predict the future is to
invent it.
- Alan Kay
Computer Scientist
1971

Message
So what difference
Make a to
do you want to make? Gen Y

[4-5] “The STEM Workforce Challenge: the Role of the
Public Workforce System in a National Solution for a
Competitive Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM) Workforce.” U.S. Department of
Labor Employment and Training Administration. (2007).
[6, 10] “Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and
Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.”
Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the
21st Century. (2007). Washington, DC:
National Academies Press. References
[9] Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), PISA 2006 Results,
http://www.oecd.org/
[20-24] “The State of the Next Generation of Explorers” by
Garth Henning and Richard Leshner, NASA Office of
Program Analysis and Evaluation, 2006 (updated 2008).