the.world.is.flat-第60部分

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mainly　between　1995　and　1999；　and　not　in　recent　years。　The　rising　scores　of　American　
eighth…graders　in　science　was　an　improvement　over　1999；　and　it　lifted　the　United　
States　to　a　higher　ranking　relative　to　other　countries。　The　worrying　news；　though；　
was　that　the　scores　of　American　fourth…graders　were　stagnant；　neither　improving　nor　
declining　in　science　or　math　since　1995。　As　a　result；　they　slipped　in　the　international　
rankings　as　other　countries　made　gains。　〃Asian　countries　are　setting　the　pace　in　
advanced　science　and　math；〃　Ina　Mullis；　codirector　of　the　International　
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Study　Center　at　Boston　College；　which　manages　the　study；　told　the　AP。　〃As　one　example；　
44　percent　of　eighth…graders　in　Singapore　scored　at　the　most　advanced　level　in　math；　
as　did　38　percent　in　Taiwan。　Only　7　percent　in　the　United　States　did。〃　Results　from　
another　international　education　test　also　came　out　in　December　2004；　from　the　Program　
for　International　Student　Assessment。　It　showed　that　American　fifteen…year…olds　are　
below　the　international　average　when　it　comes　to　applying　math　skills　to　real…life　
tasks。　
No　wonder　Johns　Hopkins　University　president　Bill　Brody　remarked　to　me；　〃Over　60　


percent　of　our　graduate　students　in　the　sciences　are　foreign　students；　and　mostly　
from　Asia。　At　one　point　four　years　ago　all　of　our　graduate　students　in　mathematics　
were　from　the　PRC　＇Communist　China＇。　I　only　found　out　about　it　because　we　use　them　
as　＇teaching　assistants＇　and　some　of　them　don't　speak　English　all　that　well。〃　A　Johns　
Hopkins　parent　wrote　Brody　to　complain　that　his　son　could　not　understand　his　calculus　
professor　because　of　his　heavy　Chinese　accent　and　poor　English。　
No　wonder　there　is　not　a　major　company　that　I　interviewed　for　this　book　that　is　not　
investing　significantly　in　research　and　development　abroad。　It　is　not　〃follow　the　
money。〃　It　is　〃follow　the　brains。〃　
〃Science　and　math　are　the　universal　language　of　technology；〃　said　Tracy　Koon；　Intel's　
director　of　corporate　affairs；　who　oversees　the　company's　efforts　to　improve　science　
education。　〃They　drive　technology　and　our　standards　of　living。　Unless　our　kids　grow　
up　knowing　that　universal　language；　they　will　not　be　able　to　compete。　We　are　not　in　
the　business　of　manufacturing　somewhere　else。　This　is　a　company　that　was　founded　here；　
but　we　have　two　raw　materials…sand；　which　we　have　a　ready　supply　of；　and　talent；　which　
we　don't。〃　（Silicon　comes　from　sand。）　
〃We　looked　at　two　things；〃　she　continued。　〃We　looked　at　the　fact　that　in　disciplines　
that　were　relevant　to　our　industry；　the　number　of　U。S。　students　graduating　at　the　
master's　and　Ph。D。　levels　was　declining　in　absolute　numbers　and　relative　to　other　
countries。　In　our　K　to　twelve　we　were　doing　okay　at　the　fourth…grade　level；　we　were　
doing　middle…of…the…road　in　the　eighth　grade；　and　by　the　twelfth　grade　we　were　
hovering　near　the　bot…　

torn　in　international　tests　related　to　math。　So　the　longer　kids　were　in　school；　the　
dumber　they　were　getting　。　。　。　You　have　teachers　turning　off　kids　because　they　were　
not　trained。　You　know　the　old　saw　about　the　football　coach　teaching　science…people　
who　do　not　have　the　ability　to　make　this　accessible　and　gripping　for　kids。〃　
One　of　the　problems　in　remedying　the　situation；　said　Koon；　is　the　fact　that　education　
in　America　is　relatively　decentralized　and　fragmented。　If　Intel　goes　to　India　or　China　
or　Jordan　and　introduces　a　teacher　education　program　for　making　science　more　
interesting；　it　can　get　into　schools　all　over　the　country　at　once。　In　America；　the　
public　schools　are　overseen　by　fifty　different　state　governments。　While　Intel　does　
sponsor　research　atthe　university　level　that　will　benefitits　own　product　development；　
it　is　growing　increasingly　concerned　about　the　feeder　system　into　those　universities　
and　the　job　market。　
〃Have　we　seen　any　change　here？　No；　not　really；〃　said　Koon。　So　Intel　has　been　lobbying　
the　INS　for　an　increase　in　the　number　of　advanced　foreign　engineers　allowed　into　the　
United　States　on　temporary　work　visas。　〃When　we　look　at　the　kinds　of　people　that　we　
are　trying　to　hire　here…the　master's　and　Ph。D。　levels　in　photonics　and　optics　
engineering　and　very　large…scale　computer　architecture…what　we　are　finding　is　that　
as　you　go　up　the　food　chain　from　bachelor's　to　master's　to　Ph。D。's；　the　number　of　
people　graduating　from　top…tier　universities　in　those　fields　are　increasingly　
foreign…born。　So　what　do　you　do？　For　years　＇America＇　could　count　on　the　fact　that　
we　still　have　the　best　higher…education　system　in　the　world。　And　we　made　up　for　our　


deficiencies　in　K　through　twelve　by　being　able　to　get　all　these　good　students　from　
abroad。　But　now　fewer　are　coming　and　fewer　are　staying　。　。　。　We　have　no　God…given　
right　to　be　able　to　hire　all　these　people；　and　little　by　little　we　won't　have　the　
first…round　draft　choices。　People　who　graduate　in　these　very　technical　fields　that　
are　critical　to　our　industries　should　get　a　green　card　stapled　to　their　diploma。〃　
It　appears　that　young　people　wanting　to　be　lawyers　started　to　swamp　those　wanting　
to　be　engineers　and　scientists　in　the　1970s　and　early　1980s。　Then；　with　the　dot…com　
boom；　those　wanting　to　go　to　business　school　and　earn　MBAs　swamped　engineering　
students　and　lawyers　in　the　1990s。　
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One　can　also　hope　that　the　marketplace　will　address　the　shortage　of　engineers　and　
scientists　by　changing　the　incentives。　
〃Intel　has　to　go　where　the　IQ　is；〃　said　Koon。　Remember；　she　repeated；　Intel's　chips　
are　made　from　just　two　things…sand　and　brains；　〃and　right　now　the　brains　are　the　
problem　。　。　。　We　will　need　a　stronger　and　more　supportive　immigration　system　if　we　
want　to　hire　the　people　who　want　to　stay　here。　Otherwise；　we　will　go　where　they　are。　
What　are　the　alternatives？　I　am　not　talking　about　data　programmers　or　＇people　with＇　

B。S。　degrees　in　computer　science。　We　are　talking　about　high…end　specialized　
engineering。　We　have　just　started　a　whole　engineering　function　in　Russia；　where　
engineers　have　wonderful　training…and　talk　about　underemployed！　We　are　beefing　that　
up。　Why　wouldn't　you？〃　
Wait　a　minute：　Didn't　we　win　the　Cold　War？　If　one　of　America's　premier　technology　
companies　feels　compelled　to　meet　its　engineering　needs　by　going　to　the　broken…down　
former　Soviet　Union；　where　the　only　thing　that　seems　to　work　is　old…school　math　and　
science　education；　then　we've　got　a　quiet　little　crisis　onour　hands。　One　cannot　stress　
enough　the　fact　that　in　the　flat　world　the　frontiers　of　knowledge　get　pushed　out　
farther　and　farther；　faster　and　faster。　Therefore；　companies　need　the　brainpower　that　
can　not　only　reach　the　new　frontiers　but　push　them　still　farther。　That　is　where　the　
breakthrough　drugs　and　software　and　hardware　products　are　going　to　be　found。　And　
America　either　needs　to　be　training　that　brainpower　itself　or　importing　it　from　
somewhere　else　…or　ideally　both　…if　it　wants　to　dominate　the　twenty…first　century　
the　way　it　dominated　the　twentieth…and　that　simply　is　not　happening。　
〃There　are　two　things　that　worry　me　right　now；〃　said　Richard　A。　Rashid；　the　director　
of　research　for　Microsoft。　〃One　is　the　fact　that　we　have　really　dramatically　shut　
down　the　pipeline　of　very　smart　people　coming　to　the　United　States。　If　you　believe　
that　we　have　the　greatest　re…seach　universities　and　opportunities；　it　all　has　to　be　
driven　by　IQ。　In　trying　to　create　processes　that　protect　the　country　from　undesirables；　
＇the　government＇　has　done　a　much　better　job　of　keeping　out　desirables。　A　really　
significant　fraction　of　the　top　people　graduated　from　our　universities　＇in　science　
and　engineering＇　were　not　born　here；　but　stayed　here　and　created　the　businesses；　and　
became　the　professors；　that　were　engines　for　
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our　economic　growth。　We　want　these　people。　In　a　world　where　IQ　is　one　of　the　most　
important　commodities；　you　want　to　get　as　many　smart　people　as　you　can。〃　

Second；　said　Rashid；　〃We　have　done　a　very　poor　job　of　conveying　to　kids　the　value　
of　science　and　technology　as　a　career　choice　that　will　make　the　world　a　better　place。　
Engineering　and　science　is　what　led　to　so　many　improvements　in　our　lives。　But　you　
talk　to　K　through　twelve　kids　about　changing　the　world　and　they　don't　look　at　computer　
science　as　a　career　that　is　going　to　be　a　great　thing。　The　amazing　thing　is　that　it　
is　hard　to　get　women　into　computer　science　now；　and　getting　worse。　Young　women　in　
junior　high　are　told　this　is　a　really　wretched　lifestyle。　As　a　result；　we　are　not　
getting　enough　students　through　our　systems　who　want　to　be　computer　scientists　and　
engineers；　and　if　we　cut　off　the　flow　from　abroad；　the　confluence　of　those　two　will　
potentially　put　us　in　a　very　difficult　position　ten　or　fifteen　years　from　now。　It　
is　a　pipeline　process。　It　won't　come　to　roost　right　away；　but　fifteen　or　twenty　years　
from　now；　you'll　find　you　don't　have　the　people　and　the　energy　in　these　areas　where　
you　need　them。〃　
From　Richard　Rashid　at　Microsoft　in　the　Northwest　to　Tracy　Koon　at　Intel　in　Silicon　
Valley　to　Shirley　Ann　Jackson　at　Rensselaer　on　the　East　Coast；　the　people　who　
understand　these　issues　the　best　and　are　closest　to　them　have　the　same　message：　Because　
it　takes　fifteen　years　to　create　a　scientist　or　advanced　engineer；　starting　from　when　
that　young　man　or　woman　first　gets　hooked　on　science　and　math　in　elementary　school；　
we　shouldbe　embarking　on　an　all…hands…on…deck；　no…holds…barred；　no…budget…too…large　
crash　program　for　science　and　engineering　education　immediately。　The　fact　that　we　
are　not　doing　so　is　our　quiet　crisis。　Scientists　and　engineers　don't　grow　on　trees。　
They　have　to　be　educated　through　a　long　process；　because；　ladies　and　gentlemen；　this　
really　is　rocket　science。　
：：：：：　EIGHT　
This　Is　Not　a　Test　
We　have　the　power　to　shape　the　civilization　that　we　want。　But　we　need　your　will；　your　
labor；　your　hearts；　if　we　are　to　build　that　kind　of　society。　Those　who　came　to　this　
land　sought　to　build　more　than　just　a　new　country。　They　sought　a　new　world。　So　I　have　
come　here　today　to　your　campus　to　say　that　you　can　make　their　vision　our　reality。　
So　let　us　from　this　moment　begin　our　work　so　that　in　the　future　men　will　look　back　
and　say：　It