What is the intellectual merit of the proposed work?

As stated in the above discussion, issues regarding the adequacy of the STEM workforce are complex. Despite considerable investment of time, money and effort, progress has been largely uneven. To some extent, much of the lack of progress may be attributed to a piecemeal approach to the problem. Many programs, practices, and policies have not been consistently applied, nor have they been data driven. Consequently, we continue to be challenged in our effort to identify and replicate success.

While the workshop will be informed by our current understanding of effective practices, it will also explore possible paradigm shifts in the extant practices of academe and funding agencies that are required to more effectively promote integrative institutional collaborations (Kuhn, 1964; Martin and Murchie-Beyma, 1991; Matyas and Malcom, 1991).

To explore these and other issues, and to identify possible leadership roles for the federal government, the workshop will be attended and led by diverse current and emerging leaders employed in a variety of sectors and representing the disciplines supported by the NSF.

To date, we have not made sufficient progress in developing models that anticipate and assess our national needs for STEM skills. The net result is that our estimates of future labor market conditions for scientists and engineers are both unreliable and imprecise (Wilson, 1994). We need a better understanding of the process of career choice and how the factors associated with it operate. Extending this knowledge is critical (Fechter, 1994).

Sound policy decisions concerning the recruitment, support, training, and utilization of STEM personnel require knowledge about the factors affecting career choice and the quantitative and qualitative impact of those choices on the health of the STEM labor market (Pearson and Fechter, 1994; Teitelbaum, 2001). The workshop seeks to identify topics for research on the STEM workforce that have the potential to inform the design of such collaborations and pathways as well as answering questions about their effectiveness. Some of this insight may be gained from research and programs in non-STEM fields. Drawing on extant knowledge, the workshop's focus is on future efforts to achieve the priority area's goals and to inform new directions.