Workforce

Efforts to diversify representation in science and engineering require initiatives that increase diversity of thought as well.

The current system for comparing universities relies entirely on arbitrary rankings. An analytical framework for comparison can help.

Who does science and technology policy? We surveyed the community to find out who the practitioners are, what the field is trying to do, and what science and tech policymakers envision for the future of the field.

Rashada Alexander is the director of AAAS’s Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program. She talks about how her fellowship experience helped her look up from the bench and find meaning in her life, and why scientists and engineers should apply for this transformational experience.

Elena Fuentes-Afflick talks to us about how complex and poorly implemented family caregiving policies and bad workplace cultures are hurting the STEMM workforce, and how to fix it.

Review of Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson.

Teaching early-career researchers the skills to engage in the policy arena could prepare them for a lifetime of high-impact engagement and invite new perspectives into the democratic process.

A new occupational category can both create opportunities for workers and position the United States to lead in advanced manufacturing.

Now that the potential of quantum technologies is becoming clearer, the United States must work quickly to build a workforce that reflects the diverse perspectives of our society.

Sexual harassment in scientific and technical fields isolates survivors, and legal compliance practices alienate some even further. Collective bargaining could engage the whole academic community in creating a better workplace.

To build a more inclusive academic STEM workforce, the federal government and universities should explore ways to provide accessible and affordable childcare to graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty.

The economist Anne Case discusses her research into the reversal of life expectancy gains for Americans without a college degree—and what policymakers could do about it.