Technical Professions

Emerging Technologies
essay
The Power of Invention—and the Value of Diversity and Inclusion
May 4, 2021
Inventions benefit society and improve lives. Their economic impacts show the value of investing in more young people and their opportunities for learning. Policymakers could support programs that encourage more women, minorities, and people from lower-income families to become inventors.
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Military Personnel Retention
commentary
How the Military Might Expand Its Cyber Skills
James Ryseff
Apr 22, 2021
The RAND Blog
The U.S. military will need to improve its software fluency if it wants to be dominant on the battlefields of the future. Ensuring that future leaders in the military develop cyber skills and the ability to interface with technical experts may be increasingly important.
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Technical Professions
commentary
How to Actually Recruit Talent for the AI Challenge
James Ryseff
Feb 5, 2020
War on the Rocks
In the global race to dominate AI technologies, talent is everything. The Pentagon should consider redesigning its personnel policies to accommodate a much greater degree of speed and permeability in its cyber and AI workforce, regardless of what pay and benefits it offers.
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Workforce Development
commentary
How Community Colleges Can Establish Better Partnerships with Employers
Rita T. Karam
Jun 6, 2019
The RAND Blog
Career and technical education programs give students a chance to engage in learning relevant to their chosen fields and apply immediately for jobs. A strategic vision of collaboration between industry and community colleges can benefit all parties.
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Female Populations
commentary
Book Review: 'The Woman Who Smashed Codes' by Jason Fagone
Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc
Feb 19, 2019
Modern War Institute (West Point)
'The Woman Who Smashed Codes' by Jason Fagone is the story of Elizebeth Friedman, the mother of modern cryptoanalysis and cryptography. She broke coded messages of organized crime, broke the Nazi Enigma cryptography machine, and deciphered, mapped, and monitored Nazi activities in South America, though it is her husband William who often gets credit.
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Gender Equity in the Workplace
commentary
Ending the 'Brogrammer' Culture: How to Close the Gender Gap
Lucy Hocking
May 17, 2018
Public Technology
Despite recent progress, women are significantly outnumbered in technology, comprising only 30 percent of the workforce worldwide. It's up to society, governments, and technology companies to close the gap. Improving internet access, education, and career opportunities for women could help.
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Gender Equity in the Workplace
commentary
Cybersecurity Badge: One Big Step for Girl Scouts, Potentially Giant Leap for Women
Lara Schmidt
Aug 3, 2017
USA Today
The Girl Scouts will start offering 18 cybersecurity badges next year. In addition to exposing girls to cyber concepts and challenges, this could encourage them to pursue cybersecurity or other STEM careers in which women are underrepresented.
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Engineers and Engineering
blog
How the Drinking Bird Foiled a Spruce Goose Engineer
Jun 29, 2017
The famous drinking bird toy gave RAND's Dick Murrow an idea that might help Egyptian farmers. But Murrow, who previously led Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose design team, couldn't secure funding to get the concept off the ground.
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Critical Infrastructure Protection
commentary
Reservists and the National Guard Offer Untapped Resources for Cybersecurity
Isaac R. Porche III, Brian D. Wisniewski
Apr 18, 2017
TechCrunch
More than 100,000 personnel in the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve have some degree of cyber competence, including thousands with deep or mid-level expertise. They could help defend the cyber terrain on which America's national security, prosperity, and democracy depend.
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commentary
On 'Hidden Figures' and Being the Only Woman in the Room
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis
Mar 12, 2017
Scientific American
RAND's Susan Marquis discusses the three brilliant African-American women depicted in the film Hidden Figures, the critical role of women in RAND's history, and more.
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Technical Professions
commentary
To Increase Diversity in Tech, We Need to Rethink What 'Tech' Is
Diana Gehlhaus
Nov 17, 2016
The Hill
Rethinking what defines today's tech jobs, along with greater investment in public-private partnerships, could go a long way toward bridging the diversity gap.
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Autonomous Vehicles
commentary
The Brains Behind Autonomous Vehicles May Need a License to Drive
Isaac R. Porche III
Sep 27, 2016
VentureBeat
Autonomous vehicles require exquisite software. To make this software secure, industry and government should consider educational standards and licensure requirements for the engineers who create it.
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Vocational Education
commentary
Getting Technical: Preparing High School Students for the Workforce America Needs
Gabriella C. Gonzalez, Robert Bozick
Aug 25, 2016
The Hill
Fields such as computers, engineering, and health care are expected to grow. Employers and policymakers have a vested interest in ensuring that America's high schoolers are ready to meet future employment needs. Access to high-quality career and technical education programs is key.
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Technical Professions
commentary
Back to Work: Middle-Skill Jobs in the STEM Economy
Gabriella C. Gonzalez, Robert Bozick
Aug 24, 2016
The RAND Blog
The STEM economy will grow by 17 percent through 2018, with expected job vacancies totaling 2.4 million. Middle-skill STEM jobs—such as computer support specialists, web developers, and engineering technicians—are in the highest demand.
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Critical Infrastructure Protection
commentary
Infrastructure Design Must Change with Climate
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert
Aug 12, 2016
Orange County Register
Until recently, infrastructure engineers could use data on past weather to predict future climate. But this is no longer an option. More and more, engineers must consider the effects of climate change. Failure to do so would threaten public safety.
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Critical Infrastructure Protection
commentary
Why Engineers Need to Be Thinking About Climate Change
Kenneth Kuhn
Feb 22, 2016
Inside Science
As sea levels rise and extreme weather events become more common, evacuation routes in coastal areas will become more important. Transportation engineers need to be more proactive as they try to anticipate damage to transportation infrastructure assets such as pavement, bridges, and culverts.
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Engineers and Engineering
blog
Test Your RAND Knowledge on Jeopardy!
May 5, 2015
RAND was once a category on the long-running TV game show Jeopardy! How much money could you have won? Take the quiz and find out.
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Workforce Diversity
commentary
The Realities of Silicon Valley's Lack of Workforce Diversity
Lawrence M. Hanser, Nelson Lim
Oct 2, 2014
San Francisco Chronicle
Major Silicon Valley tech firms have released statistics indicating their workforces are largely made up of white men. Corporate America is on the receiving end of a complex chain of social and educational factors that continue to leave minorities behind in terms of college graduation, and both minorities and women behind in terms of STEM degrees.
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STEM Education
commentary
What to Make of P-TECH Schools
Rafiq Dossani
Feb 21, 2014
The RAND Blog
There is no doubting the viability of STEM skills in the 21st century job market and the long-term benefits of going to college. But the P-TECH program could be promising for two reasons that have nothing to do with technology.
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Military Aircraft
blog
Thomas V. Jones, Risk-Taking CEO Who Propelled Northrop's Expansion, Revolutionized Aerospace Industry
Jan 17, 2014
Thomas V. Jones, the Stanford-educated engineer who authored a bestselling RAND report in the early 1950s on U.S. Air Force transport options before becoming chief executive of Northrop, died January 7 at the age of 93.
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Data Science
announcement
Willis Ware Inducted Into the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame
Oct 17, 2013
The board of advisors for the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame has chosen Willis H. Ware, computer scientist emeritus at RAND, as one of its five inductees for the Class of 2013.
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Engineers and Engineering
announcement
James Drake, 'Father of Windsurfing' and RAND Engineer, Dies at 83
Jun 22, 2012
James Drake, a former RAND aeronautical engineer who is also considered the father of windsurfing died on June 19 in his hometown of Pfafftown, North Carolina. He was 83.
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commentary
Making Europe a Home Fit for the Next Einstein
Erik J. Frinking, Titus Galama
Feb 22, 2006
Financial Times
Published commentary by RAND staff: Making Europe a Home Fit for the Next Einstein, in the Financial Times.
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