flygo
09-21 06:17 PM
We're so screwed, been played all the way down here.
Only a dominant Rep. controlled congress after mid-term election could be our hope. Why? When US decided to make official contact with red China in the early 70's, who was in charge of the US government? Nixon! Only a hard-core right wing leader could do that w/o being labelled as a traitor. Likewisely, Dem is always being criticized for being weak against illegal immigration as well as slow to handle national security issues. There's nothing Dem can do for us.
I wouldn't be suprised to see that frustrated H-1Bs and hopeless H-4s use whatever it takes to make some shady money, like H-1Bs not reporting tax for the second jobs (consulting, ...) or H-4s smuggling fake Tiffany's then sell on Ebay. Only money matters in this cruel world.
On the other hand, we should keep our option open, immigration to Canada, UK, even Australia would not seem like a bad idea. The bottom line is their infrastructures are way better than where we're from. Moreover, if we do love working in US, just come back after finish the "immigration jail" (Canada TN visa is pretty good in this sense).
Only a dominant Rep. controlled congress after mid-term election could be our hope. Why? When US decided to make official contact with red China in the early 70's, who was in charge of the US government? Nixon! Only a hard-core right wing leader could do that w/o being labelled as a traitor. Likewisely, Dem is always being criticized for being weak against illegal immigration as well as slow to handle national security issues. There's nothing Dem can do for us.
I wouldn't be suprised to see that frustrated H-1Bs and hopeless H-4s use whatever it takes to make some shady money, like H-1Bs not reporting tax for the second jobs (consulting, ...) or H-4s smuggling fake Tiffany's then sell on Ebay. Only money matters in this cruel world.
On the other hand, we should keep our option open, immigration to Canada, UK, even Australia would not seem like a bad idea. The bottom line is their infrastructures are way better than where we're from. Moreover, if we do love working in US, just come back after finish the "immigration jail" (Canada TN visa is pretty good in this sense).
wallpaper displays de amor. frases de
brb2
06-13 08:23 PM
You missed out a zero!
329,000 stuck in name check against 235,00 same time last year. FBI name check is getting worse
Now that we are out of retrogression lets focus on solving the the Name check black hole. According to 2007 Ombudsman report there are over 30,000 cases whose name check has been pending for more than 3 years.
Immivoice senior members please make this a top priority.
329,000 stuck in name check against 235,00 same time last year. FBI name check is getting worse
Now that we are out of retrogression lets focus on solving the the Name check black hole. According to 2007 Ombudsman report there are over 30,000 cases whose name check has been pending for more than 3 years.
Immivoice senior members please make this a top priority.
mirage
07-16 10:47 AM
Guys you may call me pessimist but nothing is going to happen in the congress for atleast 2 years. The only thing that can give us some relief is Admin fixes that USCIS or DOS can do. While we continue to press the congress to take up our relief bills, but more and immediate stress should be on to press USCIS to provide some admin fixes I mean re-do their visa allocating procedures so it can give maximum relief to most-retrogressed categories...
2011 Trate de sacarte de mi cabeza,
BEC_fog
09-20 12:23 PM
http://www.c-span.org/watch/
It has link for C-SPAN 2 which shows senate sessions.
It has link for C-SPAN 2 which shows senate sessions.
more...
jambapamba
07-17 07:38 AM
my labor shows certified in November end 2006 (PD2004 APRIL) but my lawyer sent an email regarding the approval exactly after a month.So for a month I didn't know my labor is approved ,also wasted filing time for I140. and the lawyer took 6 months to just prepare 140 case...
we need to proactively follow up with Lawyers...they do not inform us until asked.
In 2006, the dates were not current anyway...so he took his own time..(I am not saying his delay is justified)...
we need to proactively follow up with Lawyers...they do not inform us until asked.
In 2006, the dates were not current anyway...so he took his own time..(I am not saying his delay is justified)...
njboy
09-25 04:19 PM
yes it has started. I've seen posts on this website from people who have had their 7th year rejected by california service center because they are subcontracting.
more...
coolmanasip
07-26 01:12 PM
guys this is getting silly beyond comprehension........please please have some self respect........you did what you could and was in your hands......if after all this this stupid agency wants to return applications........do hell with them and do hell with this country..........comon guys don't be so desperate at someone's mercy..........u did what u had to.....else almighty help us all........
2010 amistad amigos amor converse
sanjay
09-29 11:27 AM
Two weeks back I mailed NSC for followup on my case and this is the reply I got from them. It's kind of standard reply and I don't think anyone had taken a look at my case. Just replied with standard diplomatic format mail.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Afternoon,
USCIS electronic records indicate that on XX-XX-07, our office received the Employment Based I-485 application referenced in your e-mail below. To date USCIS electronic records do not reflect that final action has been taken on that application. Please note that the background investigation that USCIS is conducting on that application is still not complete. Until that investigation is complete, final action cannot be taken on that application. Unfortunately, at this time it is not known how much more time will be needed to complete that investigation.
I understand that you may be frustrated with the progress of your application. However, in order to fulfill its mission to provide immigration benefits and services to the public, USCIS must balance its obligations to the individual applicant against its obligations to the public as a whole. Consequently, USCIS has adopted background security check procedures that address a wide range of possible risk factors, requiring various levels of scrutiny based on the type of application under consideration.
USCIS is committed to ensure that applications are processed within a reasonable period of time. In some cases, however, security concerns will not permit us to go forward. Given the number of applications submitted and the significance of immigration benefits, it is inevitable that some applications will require more attention than others. USCIS asks for your patience with your application. In return, USCIS promises to continue to seek a resolution to your application as quickly as possible.
I hope that this information will be of assistance to you. At this time I am closing your inquiry on this matter.
Thank you.
USCIS - Nebraska Service Center
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Afternoon,
USCIS electronic records indicate that on XX-XX-07, our office received the Employment Based I-485 application referenced in your e-mail below. To date USCIS electronic records do not reflect that final action has been taken on that application. Please note that the background investigation that USCIS is conducting on that application is still not complete. Until that investigation is complete, final action cannot be taken on that application. Unfortunately, at this time it is not known how much more time will be needed to complete that investigation.
I understand that you may be frustrated with the progress of your application. However, in order to fulfill its mission to provide immigration benefits and services to the public, USCIS must balance its obligations to the individual applicant against its obligations to the public as a whole. Consequently, USCIS has adopted background security check procedures that address a wide range of possible risk factors, requiring various levels of scrutiny based on the type of application under consideration.
USCIS is committed to ensure that applications are processed within a reasonable period of time. In some cases, however, security concerns will not permit us to go forward. Given the number of applications submitted and the significance of immigration benefits, it is inevitable that some applications will require more attention than others. USCIS asks for your patience with your application. In return, USCIS promises to continue to seek a resolution to your application as quickly as possible.
I hope that this information will be of assistance to you. At this time I am closing your inquiry on this matter.
Thank you.
USCIS - Nebraska Service Center
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
more...
aps
07-01 01:52 PM
Have you come across 'resident alien' word? did you file the tax return as a resident or non-resident?
I would suggest you to check with a good CPA.
I guess if you stay here more than 180 days, then you are considered as resident alien for tax filing. But, this one, does not say anything about resident, non-resident alien. But simply uses the term US Person, that is why i am bit confused.
I would suggest you to check with a good CPA.
I guess if you stay here more than 180 days, then you are considered as resident alien for tax filing. But, this one, does not say anything about resident, non-resident alien. But simply uses the term US Person, that is why i am bit confused.
hair de amor y amistad. dibujos de
stirfries
12-02 01:34 PM
AndyMajumder,
On 11/18, you posted the good news that your AP petition was approved and the online petition status was changed to, 'Document Production or Oath Ceremony".
I am in a similar boat as my AP petition was approved on 11/16 and the status was changed to, 'Document Production or Oath Ceremony". It has been 15 days since the status got changed online, but I am yet to receive the physical AP document on hand.
Could you please update whether you received the physical AP document before your travel out of the country on 11/28?
Your response is much appreciated.
Thanks,
My attorney finally received the AP documents on hand, 16 days after the online status had changed to "Document Production or Oath Ceremony".
At least, now I don't have to think about postponing my Tickets !!!
Hope it works out for all you folks !!!
Good Luck !!!
Thanks,
On 11/18, you posted the good news that your AP petition was approved and the online petition status was changed to, 'Document Production or Oath Ceremony".
I am in a similar boat as my AP petition was approved on 11/16 and the status was changed to, 'Document Production or Oath Ceremony". It has been 15 days since the status got changed online, but I am yet to receive the physical AP document on hand.
Could you please update whether you received the physical AP document before your travel out of the country on 11/28?
Your response is much appreciated.
Thanks,
My attorney finally received the AP documents on hand, 16 days after the online status had changed to "Document Production or Oath Ceremony".
At least, now I don't have to think about postponing my Tickets !!!
Hope it works out for all you folks !!!
Good Luck !!!
Thanks,
more...
FinalGC
09-08 10:43 AM
Came in Aug 1998 on F1 - MBA
1st Labor applied in EB3 by company - 1999....quit to jump to EB2
2nd labor applied in EB2 - 2000....laid off.after 1.5 years due to economy...labor stuck in BEC.....
3rd Labor applied in EB2 - 10/2003....laid off after 2.5 years greedy desi company....labor stuck in BEC...
4th Labor applied EB2 - 12/2005.....got PERM approved in 9 days...140 approved....waiting for 485 approval
1st Labor applied in EB3 by company - 1999....quit to jump to EB2
2nd labor applied in EB2 - 2000....laid off.after 1.5 years due to economy...labor stuck in BEC.....
3rd Labor applied in EB2 - 10/2003....laid off after 2.5 years greedy desi company....labor stuck in BEC...
4th Labor applied EB2 - 12/2005.....got PERM approved in 9 days...140 approved....waiting for 485 approval
hot Recados com Versos de amigos
sb724
06-16 08:55 AM
Helo All,
I am going to file AOS in July.
I have noticed that form I - 693 has expires 06/30/2007.
If we done medicals in June we will get report on current form, and apply AOS JUly with this expired form is correct process?
Any experts inputs please.
thx
I am going to file AOS in July.
I have noticed that form I - 693 has expires 06/30/2007.
If we done medicals in June we will get report on current form, and apply AOS JUly with this expired form is correct process?
Any experts inputs please.
thx
more...
house eu tenho um amigo
coolmanasip
07-26 01:21 PM
Bigboy.........take it easy.........no need to take it all so personally..........may be u did hear this and may be she said this but based on the facts now, what u r saying does not make sense........
stop freaking out and plzzz let people concentrate on their 485s so that they can also join u in this receipt crap at a later date......
plzzz for god's sake stop freaking out........
stop freaking out and plzzz let people concentrate on their 485s so that they can also join u in this receipt crap at a later date......
plzzz for god's sake stop freaking out........
tattoo amor de um grupo de amigos
bigboy007
07-26 01:12 PM
Reciept number == Visa number?
I think they are on a different page altogether.
sHE SAID ONLY CASES THEY CONSIDER FOR ADJUDICATION WITH EVERYTHING FINE WILL BE ALLOTTED A VISA NUMBER.
I think they are on a different page altogether.
sHE SAID ONLY CASES THEY CONSIDER FOR ADJUDICATION WITH EVERYTHING FINE WILL BE ALLOTTED A VISA NUMBER.
more...
pictures amor de mãe. amor de amigos
skynet2500
11-02 12:11 PM
any one want to review the draft ? posted on page 1...
Reviewed the document. Looks good. Only one comment - Delays are seen with TSC as well and it is not just limited to NSC. Please fix this.
Thanks.
Reviewed the document. Looks good. Only one comment - Delays are seen with TSC as well and it is not just limited to NSC. Please fix this.
Thanks.
dresses amigosjan , fuerza de amor
sircaustic
11-18 08:59 PM
Infopass depends on officer, some are nice... nice in the sense they do one step further to help us. Some are just reads through the lines and repeat what we know. I would call it lucky to get expedited or any means via infopass. Only option is ask them to call NSC and check on status. That might help or even email if required. Employers generally dont ask for approval email or treat it as an approval you need to wait till the card. if that would be so we wouldnt be in this problem in the first place.
The case status changed from "Decision" of Denial to "Post Decision Activity" on 11/16 when they decided to reopen the case and today finally it changed to "Card/Document Production". What's your take? Will they send us another CPO email and a PDA email before the actual card is shipped. Or are we being too optimistic to think we may receive a card this Saturday? I am thinking tomorrow during the Infopass, we will ask to speak with a supervisor and request a letter of approval or a copy of form I797, if there is any such thing they can possibly give us, so my wife can take to the office she is supposed to join on Monday. Do you think USCIS will be able to do so?
Also, what date is the card valid from? The date first CPO email is issued? or is it the date of second CPO or PDA? The reason i ask, what if the office that is hiring her, is willing to accept an email as a proof of approval instead of waiting for a physical card to arrive. Your insight is appreciated.
The case status changed from "Decision" of Denial to "Post Decision Activity" on 11/16 when they decided to reopen the case and today finally it changed to "Card/Document Production". What's your take? Will they send us another CPO email and a PDA email before the actual card is shipped. Or are we being too optimistic to think we may receive a card this Saturday? I am thinking tomorrow during the Infopass, we will ask to speak with a supervisor and request a letter of approval or a copy of form I797, if there is any such thing they can possibly give us, so my wife can take to the office she is supposed to join on Monday. Do you think USCIS will be able to do so?
Also, what date is the card valid from? The date first CPO email is issued? or is it the date of second CPO or PDA? The reason i ask, what if the office that is hiring her, is willing to accept an email as a proof of approval instead of waiting for a physical card to arrive. Your insight is appreciated.
more...
makeup BONS AMIGOS - Machado de Assis
cvt123
09-20 04:54 PM
Yes it is, if you have been in these forums for months. Your very first post looks very negative. Please try to put all your energy in positive way and encourage others.
But if this is to raise funds. I better make a pledge and hold the check for now. When is asking clarification become negative in your world?
But if this is to raise funds. I better make a pledge and hold the check for now. When is asking clarification become negative in your world?
girlfriend Lindo é o amor, o amor de
Tito_ortiz
11-21 10:01 AM
I agree. In my assessment efforts coming for the Employment Base applicants like us has minimal weight, if any. I would say that 98% of all lobbying effort and serious push for skilled immigration related bills come from the H1B sponsors, and that's what employers care about.
That said, I think it is not realistic expect that we ever see a bill separated from the H1B increases. There is simply no business case for it !
We have to accept the reality that H1B and EB Green Card are two side of one coin and cannot be separated. As such Business community is benefited by H1B only, eventhough they are pushing H1B/EB together. Business lobby is much much more powerful than 400K EB applicant. Why lawmakers will hear a very small community like us? Only business community can make pressure to lawmakers to prioritize H1B/EB issue through SKIL.
I strongly believe that the recent push by business community (200 + 900 industry, hospital, and University), Aila, and IV will make some results in coming weeks.
Deviding interests will kill the positive current push. If we are not convince for increasing H1B, How come we expect 300 million American should convince for increasing Green Card quota !!
That said, I think it is not realistic expect that we ever see a bill separated from the H1B increases. There is simply no business case for it !
We have to accept the reality that H1B and EB Green Card are two side of one coin and cannot be separated. As such Business community is benefited by H1B only, eventhough they are pushing H1B/EB together. Business lobby is much much more powerful than 400K EB applicant. Why lawmakers will hear a very small community like us? Only business community can make pressure to lawmakers to prioritize H1B/EB issue through SKIL.
I strongly believe that the recent push by business community (200 + 900 industry, hospital, and University), Aila, and IV will make some results in coming weeks.
Deviding interests will kill the positive current push. If we are not convince for increasing H1B, How come we expect 300 million American should convince for increasing Green Card quota !!
hairstyles Amor de amigo
lvinaykumar
09-09 02:55 PM
Master's + 5 years IT Exp in India. Wife also had similar background.
Impressed by your story. Lot to learn from you :)
Impressed by your story. Lot to learn from you :)
Macaca
01-05 11:37 AM
Rising Above "The Gathering Storm" (http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2007_12_14/caredit_a0700179) By Beryl Lieff Benderly | Science, 14 Dec 2007
In the past few years, reports by several prestigious bodies have warned that an impending shortage of scientists, engineers, and technical personnel at least partly caused by inadequate K-12 science education threatens the nation�s long-standing scientific leadership in an increasingly competitive, globalized world. With American prosperity dependent on innovation, the studies warn, the nation�s economic future is at risk.
The U.S. National Academies published the most influential of these documents, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463), to considerable fanfare in 2005. It called for more undergraduate and graduate science scholarships, new programs to train science teachers, more research funding, and more foreign scientists to be admitted to this country. Earlier this year, Congress enacted the first three recommendations in the America COMPETES Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00761:@@@D&summ2=m&).
Now, however, a new study and related congressional testimony call into question this picture of America�s educational system and scientific work force. Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand (http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411562_Salzman_Science.pdf), released in October by the Urban Institute (http://www.urban.org/) (UI), a policy-research organization in Washington, D.C., retains the U.S. National Academy of Sciences� report's meteorological metaphor but rejects its analysis and conclusions. "The education system produces qualified graduates far in excess of demand. � Workforce development and education policy requires a more thorough analysis than appears to be guiding current policy reports," Eye of the Storm states.
No disadvantage for the United States
"U.S. schools show steady improvement in math and science, the U.S. is not at any particular disadvantage compared to most nations, and the supply of S&E [science and engineering] graduates is large and ranks among the best internationally," continues Eye, which was co-authored by two labor force experts, B. Lindsay Lowell, director of Policy Studies for the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Harold Salzman of UI�s Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population.
Nor do today�s young Americans show less interest in science than previous generations, according to Eye of the Storm. "The proportion of all bachelor�s degrees awarded in S&E has been relatively stable over time, as has the proportion of freshmen in an S&E major," the report states. About three times as many Americans hold scientific degrees as work in scientific jobs. Science education does need improvement, Eye argues, but of a different form from that suggested in Gathering Storm.
Based on these findings, any shortage in America�s scientific labor market is "most likely a demand-side problem of STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] career opportunities that are less attractive than career opportunities in other fields" rather than a supply-side problem of too few Americans with scientific training, asserted Salzman in congressional testimony (http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2032) presented on 6 November before the House Committee on Science and Technology�s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. "The standard education measures indicate there are enough students with requisite skills to succeed in science and engineering courses of study, and managers we have interviewed rarely if ever note a lack of technical skills among their STEM workers," he continued.
On the contrary, Eye of the Storm states that "a weakening demand, a comparative decline in S&E wages, and market signals to students about low relative wages in S&E occupations" are discouraging able Americans from pursing scientific and technical careers. Rather than indicating a dearth of scientists, "research finds that the real wages in S&E occupations declined over the past two decades"--the opposite of what one would expect during a labor shortage.
Contrary to reported decline, both the number and the level of achievement of American high school science students have risen in recent decades, Eye continues. High schoolers on average now take a year more of both science and math than they did in the 1980s, and the number of students taking algebra by eighth grade has markedly increased. America�s apparently mediocre national averages on international tests reflect not uniformly poor performance, Eye argues, but rather the enormous diversity of our school population, which exceeds that of nearly every other competing country.
Close analysis of test results reveals that "the majority of U.S. students (white students) actually rank near the very top on international tests." Social and economic inequality, not just formal instruction, strongly affects test scores, and "achievement is known to vary significantly by socioeconomic class and race." Educational improvement efforts, Eye concludes, should focus not on correcting a nonexistent overall deficit but on improving the academic performance of the students "in the lower portion of the performance distribution," many of whom face social and familial challenges that interfere with their education.
"Largely inconsistent with the facts"
Gathering Storm�s image of mediocrity and shortage has become the "conventional portrait" of American scientific education and labor power that dominates media and political discussions, in the words of Michael Teitelbaum of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York, New York, another witness at the 6 November hearing. That picture, however, is "largely inconsistent with the facts," he testified. Labor market data are "suggestive of surpluses" of scientists, with only "isolated shortages of skilled people in narrow fields or in specific technologies." In reality, "substantially more scientists and engineers graduate from U.S. universities than can find attractive career openings in the U.S. work force [and] the postdoc population, which has grown very rapidly in U.S. universities and is recruited increasingly from abroad, looks more like a pool of low-cost research lab workers with limited career prospects than a high-quality training program for soon-to-be academic researchers," he continued.
Eye of the Storm is hardly the first study to note such inconsistencies. "There are many researchers and organizations that have developed this set of understandings of what is actually happening--for example, leading researchers at the Rand Corporation, Harvard University, National Bureau of Economic Research, � Georgia State University, Stanford University," and others, Teitelbaum told the congressional committee. Even as major media figures such as New York Times columnist and megaselling "flat-world" guru Thomas Friedman were trumpeting Gathering Storm's conclusions, experts in labor-power economics and research administration were voicing less publicized doubts about any purported dearth of well-trained U.S. science graduates.
In 2005, for example--the same year that Gathering Storm was published--the National Academies also published Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11249), which received far less publicity. Produced by a committee of bioscience researchers chaired by Nobel laureate Thomas Cech, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, it bemoaned the damage done to the vitality of American science by the growing glut of young bioscience Ph.D.s.
Gathering Storm's argument is "influential because it is a point of view held and put forward strongly by very visible and reputable people and organizations," Teitelbaum tells Science Careers in an interview. The committee that produced Gathering Storm was chaired by Norman Augustine, retired chair and chief executive of Lockheed Martin Corp. and a member of numerous illustrious boards and advisory bodies, and included Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg; executives of research-intensive corporations such as Intel, Eli Lilly, and DuPont; the director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and presidents of Texas A&M, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Yale University, the University of Maryland, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Gathering Storm's supporters "believe what they say, and they say it frequently and strongly and with conviction," Teitelbaum continues. "The people who say other than this are relatively less well-organized."
The existence of two conflicting narratives about America�s education and scientific labor market, each put forward by prominent and respected scientific figures, reveals a deep discontinuity in perceptions of what is going on in science. The discrepancy, some observers suggest, reveals less about the data points cited on the two sides of the debate than it does about the points of view of those doing the analysis.
In the past few years, reports by several prestigious bodies have warned that an impending shortage of scientists, engineers, and technical personnel at least partly caused by inadequate K-12 science education threatens the nation�s long-standing scientific leadership in an increasingly competitive, globalized world. With American prosperity dependent on innovation, the studies warn, the nation�s economic future is at risk.
The U.S. National Academies published the most influential of these documents, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463), to considerable fanfare in 2005. It called for more undergraduate and graduate science scholarships, new programs to train science teachers, more research funding, and more foreign scientists to be admitted to this country. Earlier this year, Congress enacted the first three recommendations in the America COMPETES Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00761:@@@D&summ2=m&).
Now, however, a new study and related congressional testimony call into question this picture of America�s educational system and scientific work force. Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand (http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411562_Salzman_Science.pdf), released in October by the Urban Institute (http://www.urban.org/) (UI), a policy-research organization in Washington, D.C., retains the U.S. National Academy of Sciences� report's meteorological metaphor but rejects its analysis and conclusions. "The education system produces qualified graduates far in excess of demand. � Workforce development and education policy requires a more thorough analysis than appears to be guiding current policy reports," Eye of the Storm states.
No disadvantage for the United States
"U.S. schools show steady improvement in math and science, the U.S. is not at any particular disadvantage compared to most nations, and the supply of S&E [science and engineering] graduates is large and ranks among the best internationally," continues Eye, which was co-authored by two labor force experts, B. Lindsay Lowell, director of Policy Studies for the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Harold Salzman of UI�s Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population.
Nor do today�s young Americans show less interest in science than previous generations, according to Eye of the Storm. "The proportion of all bachelor�s degrees awarded in S&E has been relatively stable over time, as has the proportion of freshmen in an S&E major," the report states. About three times as many Americans hold scientific degrees as work in scientific jobs. Science education does need improvement, Eye argues, but of a different form from that suggested in Gathering Storm.
Based on these findings, any shortage in America�s scientific labor market is "most likely a demand-side problem of STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] career opportunities that are less attractive than career opportunities in other fields" rather than a supply-side problem of too few Americans with scientific training, asserted Salzman in congressional testimony (http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2032) presented on 6 November before the House Committee on Science and Technology�s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. "The standard education measures indicate there are enough students with requisite skills to succeed in science and engineering courses of study, and managers we have interviewed rarely if ever note a lack of technical skills among their STEM workers," he continued.
On the contrary, Eye of the Storm states that "a weakening demand, a comparative decline in S&E wages, and market signals to students about low relative wages in S&E occupations" are discouraging able Americans from pursing scientific and technical careers. Rather than indicating a dearth of scientists, "research finds that the real wages in S&E occupations declined over the past two decades"--the opposite of what one would expect during a labor shortage.
Contrary to reported decline, both the number and the level of achievement of American high school science students have risen in recent decades, Eye continues. High schoolers on average now take a year more of both science and math than they did in the 1980s, and the number of students taking algebra by eighth grade has markedly increased. America�s apparently mediocre national averages on international tests reflect not uniformly poor performance, Eye argues, but rather the enormous diversity of our school population, which exceeds that of nearly every other competing country.
Close analysis of test results reveals that "the majority of U.S. students (white students) actually rank near the very top on international tests." Social and economic inequality, not just formal instruction, strongly affects test scores, and "achievement is known to vary significantly by socioeconomic class and race." Educational improvement efforts, Eye concludes, should focus not on correcting a nonexistent overall deficit but on improving the academic performance of the students "in the lower portion of the performance distribution," many of whom face social and familial challenges that interfere with their education.
"Largely inconsistent with the facts"
Gathering Storm�s image of mediocrity and shortage has become the "conventional portrait" of American scientific education and labor power that dominates media and political discussions, in the words of Michael Teitelbaum of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York, New York, another witness at the 6 November hearing. That picture, however, is "largely inconsistent with the facts," he testified. Labor market data are "suggestive of surpluses" of scientists, with only "isolated shortages of skilled people in narrow fields or in specific technologies." In reality, "substantially more scientists and engineers graduate from U.S. universities than can find attractive career openings in the U.S. work force [and] the postdoc population, which has grown very rapidly in U.S. universities and is recruited increasingly from abroad, looks more like a pool of low-cost research lab workers with limited career prospects than a high-quality training program for soon-to-be academic researchers," he continued.
Eye of the Storm is hardly the first study to note such inconsistencies. "There are many researchers and organizations that have developed this set of understandings of what is actually happening--for example, leading researchers at the Rand Corporation, Harvard University, National Bureau of Economic Research, � Georgia State University, Stanford University," and others, Teitelbaum told the congressional committee. Even as major media figures such as New York Times columnist and megaselling "flat-world" guru Thomas Friedman were trumpeting Gathering Storm's conclusions, experts in labor-power economics and research administration were voicing less publicized doubts about any purported dearth of well-trained U.S. science graduates.
In 2005, for example--the same year that Gathering Storm was published--the National Academies also published Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11249), which received far less publicity. Produced by a committee of bioscience researchers chaired by Nobel laureate Thomas Cech, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, it bemoaned the damage done to the vitality of American science by the growing glut of young bioscience Ph.D.s.
Gathering Storm's argument is "influential because it is a point of view held and put forward strongly by very visible and reputable people and organizations," Teitelbaum tells Science Careers in an interview. The committee that produced Gathering Storm was chaired by Norman Augustine, retired chair and chief executive of Lockheed Martin Corp. and a member of numerous illustrious boards and advisory bodies, and included Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg; executives of research-intensive corporations such as Intel, Eli Lilly, and DuPont; the director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and presidents of Texas A&M, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Yale University, the University of Maryland, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Gathering Storm's supporters "believe what they say, and they say it frequently and strongly and with conviction," Teitelbaum continues. "The people who say other than this are relatively less well-organized."
The existence of two conflicting narratives about America�s education and scientific labor market, each put forward by prominent and respected scientific figures, reveals a deep discontinuity in perceptions of what is going on in science. The discrepancy, some observers suggest, reveals less about the data points cited on the two sides of the debate than it does about the points of view of those doing the analysis.
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