THE UNITED STATES’ CHALLENGES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION: THE HISPANIC FACTOR

摘要

Numerous statistical data indicate that science andrnengineering workforce in the United States is aging andrnnearing retirement. Moreover, various studies show that itrnhas become increasingly difficult to attract Americanrnstudents to science and engineering fields. We focus inrnthis paper on a fast growing minority segment of thernAmerican population. Accordingly, we show that thernsituation is particularly grim for Hispanics. They remainrnan untapped in resource, which could either present thernsolution needed to overcome this challenge, or furtherrndeteriorate the situation. The challenges of recruiting andrnretaining Hispanic students in science and engineeringrndisciplines is illustrated by studying the situation atrnPolytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR), a majorrnproducer of Hispanic engineers located at the UnitedrnStates Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. The objective ofrnthis manuscript is to shed some light on the situation andrnsuggest some solutions to this predicament that the nationrnis facing.