posted by Tom Luce, CEO, NMSI

Most of us would concede that the generation that preceded us – those that fought through a World War, depressions and Cold War were clearly “The Greatest Generation”
Our current young people have the opportunity to impact the world in ways that could exceed “The Greatest Generation.”

Heresy; I do not think so. I have had the pleasure of talking on many campuses and to many students lately and I find two dominant characteristics: a desire to improve life for everyone on the planet, to take better care of our planet and a fascination with the use of technology.

That is a good start. This new generation will have the opportunity to solve many global issues: healthcare, energy security and the global food crisis to name just a few.

Given this, the missing ingredient is a better knowledge of math and science and its power to provide solutions to these problems.

Technology can and will change the world. Technology produces the innovation that will solve or worsen these problems.

For this younger generation to be the force for good they want to be, they need to understand that the new literacy of the 21st century includes math and sciences.

This will not happen unless my generation ensures this happens. My generation is too quick to say, “I was not good in math and science, why do my children need to be?”

Wake up America – the world has changed. If you want to go straight to the workforce from high school or want to go to college to be an engineer, you must be proficient in math and science.

Help is on the way. We at the National Math and Science Initiative are marshalling private resources to take proven solutions to students and schools across the country. There is no great mystery to how to solve the challenges before us. We know what works. We just need to make it more available to new generations of Americans.

Join us. Pass the word along that Advanced Placement Training and Incentives work – students who might not have dreamed of a career in math and science before are finding that they can succeed in these courses and go on to college careers in math and science. College students in the UTeach program are finding that teaching math and science is a gratifying choice – they are already changing lives in their classrooms and sparking new interest in math and science. . If we really want to ignite more minds and discover answers to challenges before us, it’s the way to go.

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