How STEM Degrees Pay Off

The Wall Street Journal | Robert Litan | Mar. 13

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/03/13/how-stem-degrees-pay-off/

“‘You earn what you learn,’ President Bill Clinton said….That’s the lesson from a recent Brookings Institution report by Jonathan Rothwell and Mark Muro. The researchers looked at wage growth in “advanced industries” vs. the rest of the economy. They defined industries as advanced if at least $450 was spent on research and development per worker (which put them in the 80th percentile of all industries) and if their share of workers with backgrounds in the STEM fields–science, technology, engineering, and math–was higher than the national average. The authors note that 50 industries meet this two-part test, including manufacturing industries such as autos and aerospace, energy industries such as oil and gas extraction, and high-tech services such as computer software and computer system design (counting those for health applications)…The real eye-opener, though, is how real (inflation-adjusted) wages have performed in the advanced industries. Since 1980, they have almost doubled, compared with a 50% increase for the economy as a whole (and less than 40% for non-advanced industries).”

F.C.C. Sets Net Neutrality Rules

The New York Times | Rebecca R. Ruiz | Mar. 12

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/13/technology/fcc-releases-net-neutrality-rules.html?_r=0

“The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday released extensive details of how it would regulate broadband Internet providers as a public utility, producing official wording that almost certainly sets the stage for extended legal fights. The release of the rules had been eagerly anticipated by advocates and lawmakers, as well as broadband and technology companies, since the agency approved new rules for Internet service two weeks ago. The details came in a 313-page document that included the new rules and the legal justifications for them. The rules revealed how the strict laws would be modified for Internet providers, exempting the companies from the sort of price controls typically applied to utilities, for example. But the full text of the new order also raised uncertainties about broad and subjective regulation. One catchall provision, requiring ‘just and reasonable’ conduct, allows the F.C.C. to decide what is acceptable on a case-by-case basis.”

Redmond Rocket Scientist Roger Myers: Washington Could Evolve into ‘Major Space Sector’ Leader

Puget Sound Business Journal | Steve Wilhelm | Mar. 11

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2015/03/redmond-rocket-scientist-roger-myers-washington.html

“Roger Myers, a leader in organizing Washington state’s growing aerospace industry, is feeling bullish about the industry’s prospects…Myers sat down with me to discuss his company’s future, Washington’s aerospace industry and the future of space exploration…Washington continues to strengthen its role in both the government and commercial space industry. Now with SpaceX setting up an office here for small satellite manufacturing, Blue Origin with progress on engines and launch vehicle, and Aerojet Rocketdyne with work on Orion and large number of commercial and government missions, including a lot of new technologies and developing systems for next-gen missions, that forms the core of it…One of the ideas being circulated now is hosting a commercial space conference in the Seattle area, and we’d like to make that happen; 2016 is what we’re thinking about.”

Tech Training Could Help Close U.S. Skills Gap

U.S. News | Andrew Soergel | Mar. 11

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/11/tech-training-could-help-close-us-skills-gap

“Vice President Joe Biden highlighted the country’s need for skilled labor Wednesday, asserting that simply getting a high school diploma is ‘no longer enough’ to be competitive in the modern workforce but that a four-year college degree may not be mandatory, either. The vice president’s remarks came on the heels of a White House initiative announced this week that will make available $100 million in federal grants to ‘support innovative approaches to training and successfully employing’ low-skill workers who face barriers to entering tech-intensive fields that often require extensive training and certification…The TechHire initiative will cater to those whose training and education prospects are impeded by child care responsibilities, a lack of English-language proficiency and other barriers. It will also provide more opportunities for free and discounted training sessions in low-income areas so prospective employees can acquire desirable skills regardless of their socioeconomic background.”

Seattle Police Dept. Hires Amazon VP as Top Tech Exec, Promising More Data-Driven Crime-Fighting

GeekWire | Todd Bishop | Mar. 11

http://www.geekwire.com/2015/seattle-police-dept-hires-amazon-vp-as-top-tech-exec-promising-more-data-driven-crime-fighting/

“The Seattle Police Department this morning named Amazon vice president Greg Russell as its new chief information officer — aiming to boost its technological prowess and improve its ability to use data to fight crime. Russell, 46, was previously an Amazon vice president overseeing areas including corporate applications, information technology and enterprise data warehousing…. In addition to overseeing the Seattle PD’s internal technology systems, Russell will be tasked with finding new ways of using data to track and predict crime, while balancing those capabilities with the privacy concerns of citizens. The department has been grappling with issues related to police body cameras, video disclosure, drones and other forms of emerging technology. ‘There will always be worries about what you’re going to do with the information,’ said Russell in an interview posted this morning on the official SPD Blotter site. ‘If (you’re) transparent with how you’re going to use the information, and you make sure people can actually see it, I think most people will accept that.’”

UW Eyes Bellevue’s Spring District for New Tech Graduate Program

Puget Sound Business Journal | Marc Stiles & Jacob Demmitt | Mar. 11

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2015/03/uw-eyes-bellevues-spring-district-for-new-tech.html

“The University of Washington is in the market for a Bellevue site to house its new startup-focused masters program, called the Global Innovation Exchange– or GIX. Several sites have been discussed, including the $ 2.3 billion Spring District, UW computer science professor Shwetak Patel said Wednesday…Located in what is now a warehouse district at the southeast quadrant of where Interstate 405 and Highway 520 intersect, the Spring District is to be built in phases over 15 years. Patel said he would be happy to locate the GIX anywhere as long as the space meets the needs of the program, which aims to build a center off of the UW’s campus where graduate students could get real-world experience as they earn a degree. Patel said GIX is trying to break the mold of what technology degrees and classrooms look like. Instead of lectures, students will form teams and work on real problems with real businesses…The whole project is being pitched as a joint venture between UW, large local companies like Microsoft and international universities, particularly around China.”

Apple Donates over $50 Million to Improve Diversity in Tech

The Verge | Micah Singleton | Mar. 10

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/10/8184241/apple-donates-50-million-diversity-in-tech\

“In an effort to improve diversity within the tech community, Apple is donating over $50 million to a pair of organizations working to get more women and minorities working in the tech industry. In an interview with Fortune, Apple’s HR chief Denise Young Smith revealed that the company has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the National Center for Women and Information Technology to help improve diversity within the pipeline of talent coming into Apple, and throughout the industry. ‘We wanted to create opportunities for minority candidates to get their first job at Apple,’ Young told Fortune. ‘In any of these programs we’re really trying to provide focus, impact, and a ripple effect — not just on Apple.’…The fund will be used to create a database of computer science majors at the 106 HBCUs across the country and train students and teachers. Apple is also starting a paid internship program for top students at the schools.”

How Technology Can Help Close the Skills Gap in Education

Huffington Post | Felix Ortiz III | Mar. 10

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/felix-w-ortiz-iii/how-technology-can-help-c_b_6829614.html

“A new report from the Education Testing Services (ETS) group highlights a relatively silent but highly urgent problem in America: the skills gap in STEM (science, technology, education, and math) education. What we mean by ‘skills gap’ is the mismatch between the kinds of skills employers say they need compared to the skills our students possess…Maintaining America’s global economic competitiveness in the 21st century largely depends on equipping our students with the kinds of STEM skills employers need…Database platforms used by both schools and employers can match students’ talents to employers’ needs…The stereotype of millennials glued to their smartphones is hardly an exaggeration. Therefore, consumption of educational content should shift more toward how millennial brains like to process it: in short chunks, and online…Its important to get kids introduced to STEM subjects early if we want them to be successful long-term. Let’s push STEM at a time in their life when their brains are most malleable to learning it.”

Commentary: Computer Science Education is Key to Our Future

GeekWire | Michael Schutzler | Mar. 7

http://www.geekwire.com/2015/commentary-computer-science-education-is-key-to-our-future/

“The Seattle area is home to more software development engineers than any metropolitan area in the country. More than Boston. More than New York. More than San Francisco. When it comes to software, we are number one. Our deep talent pool in this field is one of the reasons why Apple, Google, Facebook, and so many other global tech powerhouse companies have opened large offices here. The impact on our region has been extraordinary. Each software engineering job has led to seven other jobs in the wider economy. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created in a time when most communities across the nation have struggled to maintain jobs. Thanks to our entrepreneurial vitality, we now create software engineering jobs about ten times faster than we produce grads qualified to take those positions. This makes us a top recruiter of software talent in the nation. Our investment in public education, however, has not kept pace. As a result, we have an access dilemma.”