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Commentary

Cybersecurity Badge: One Big Step for Girl Scouts, Potentially Giant Leap for Women

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.

Aug 3, 2017
Blog

How the Drinking Bird Foiled a Spruce Goose Engineer

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.

Jun 29, 2017
Tool

Tool

Regional Maps of the Appalachia Partnership Initiative Region

The interactive tool highlights the geographic reach of Appalachia Partnership Initiative programs that address STEM K-12 education and workforce development needs in the Greater Pittsburgh area's advanced manufacturing and energy sectors.

May 31, 2017
Commentary

Reservists and the National Guard Offer Untapped Resources for Cybersecurity

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.

Apr 18, 2017
Report

Wages, Employment, and STEM Education in Appalachia

An ongoing assessment of employment and wages in energy and advanced manufacturing industries in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia region captures trends about which counties might have greater demand for educating or employing local talent in STEM careers.

Mar 22, 2017
Commentary

On 'Hidden Figures' and Being the Only Woman in the Room

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.

Mar 12, 2017
Commentary

To Increase Diversity in Tech, We Need to Rethink What 'Tech' Is

The tech sector is a driving force for high-skill, high-wage job creation in the United States, but too few women and minorities reap the gains. 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.

Nov 17, 2016
Commentary

The Brains Behind Autonomous Vehicles May Need a License to Drive

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.

Sep 27, 2016
Commentary

Getting Technical: Preparing High School Students for the Workforce America Needs

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.

Aug 25, 2016
Commentary

Back to Work: Middle-Skill Jobs in the STEM Economy

The STEM economy will grow by 17 percent through 2018, with expected job vacancies totaling 2.4 million. Middle-skill STEM jobs that require associate's degrees or occupational certifications—such as computer support specialists, web developers, and engineering technicians—are in the highest demand.

Aug 24, 2016
Commentary

Infrastructure Design Must Change with Climate

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.

Aug 12, 2016
Report

Expanding Flight Research: Capabilities, Needs, and Management Options for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate asked RAND to assess flight research capabilities and needs, and to identify management options that would facilitate increased and improved flight research.

Jun 27, 2016
News Release

News Release

Examining Wages, Employment and STEM Education at County Level for the Appalachia Partnership Initiative

The first-ever county-level examination of wages and employment for workers with STEM training sets a baseline that will help measure the ongoing success of the Appalachia Partnership Initiative's efforts to support long-term economic growth in the region by preparing K-12 students and local workers for jobs in the energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Mar 16, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Some Implications of Automated Design on the Engineering Process

Competitive pressures will be a paramount force in the increasing automation of engineering.

Mar 16, 2016
Report

Wages, Employment, and STEM Education in Appalachia

The first county-level examination of wages and employment for workers in the Appalachia region with STEM training sets a baseline that will help measure the ongoing success of the Appalachia Partnership Initiative's efforts to prepare K-12 students and local workers for jobs in the energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Mar 9, 2016
Commentary

Why Engineers Need to Be Thinking About Climate Change

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 pavement, bridges, and culverts.

Feb 22, 2016
Report

Report

Air Force-Wide Needs for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Academic Degrees

RAND researchers asked Air Force senior functional authorities which STEM degrees are and will be needed to maintain vital technical skills. The results suggest areas the Air Force should review for emerging demand.

Oct 6, 2014
Commentary

The Realities of Silicon Valley's Lack of Workforce Diversity

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.

Oct 2, 2014
Commentary

What to Make of P-TECH Schools

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 (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) program could be promising for two reasons that have nothing to do with technology.

Feb 21, 2014
Blog

Blog

Thomas V. Jones, Risk-Taking CEO Who Propelled Northrop's Expansion, Revolutionized Aerospace Industry

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.

Jan 17, 2014

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