By Eduardo R. Macagno, founding dean of the University of California-San Diego's Division of Biological Sciences
The U.S. Census Bureau's recent declaration that Hispanics are now the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the nation should be a cause for celebration, an affirmation of our country's rich cultural diversity and heritage.
But this rapidly expanding Latino majority, projected to make up a quarter of the nation's population by the middle of the century, is still a minority when it comes to science and engineering. And that should be a cause for concern for anyone worried about our economic future beyond the state's current fiscal crisis.
Only 3 percent of the nation's scientists and engineers are Hispanic, a depressingly low proportion when you consider that Hispanics in the 2000 census accounted for 13.5 percent of the nation's population, almost 27 percent of San Diego County's population and more than 32 percent of Californians. In contrast, 84 percent of our nation's scientists and engineers are non-Hispanic whites and 10 percent are Asians, who account for 4 percent of the U.S. population.
Why is it so critical that we have more Latino scientists and engineers?
The answer is simple: Our economy has become more dependent on science and technology than ever before. California's high-tech sector produces more than $150 billion in annual revenues and employs more than 1.2 million people with an average annual wage of $65,000, nearly double the state's annual average of $35,350 for all industries. In San Diego, the diverse high-tech industry has become the fastest-growing sector for employment and a main factor in the region's continued economic prosperity.
Read the rest of the article here...
