College students: Science, technology vital after Sept. 11

The new U.S. focus on terrorism has made college students more aware of the roles science and technology play in the military, intelligence and homeland security fields, according to a new Gallup Organization poll.


Seventy percent of college students surveyed said they are more aware of the role of science and technology in homeland security. Seven in 10 also said new job opportunities would be open to them because of the emphasis on homeland security. But only one in 10 said they were seriously considering those opportunities.


The survey also identified a shift in attitude toward careers in public service. Two-thirds of the students polled said they see a shift toward careers that benefit society and the public interest.

About one in five students surveyed said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted them to seriously consider changing their career plans or major or, for the first time, think about joining the military or intelligence fields.


The survey, released May 21, was commissioned by Pittsburgh-based chemical and pharmaceutical firm Bayer Corp. as part of its "Making Science Make Sense" initiative, which uses hands-on science education, employee volunteerism and public education to improve science literacy in the United States.


Results of the Bayer Facts VIII survey are based on telephone interviews during March and April with a random national sample of 1,000 full-time college students attending four-year colleges.

The Gallup Organization of Princeton, N.J., conducted the interviews. The survey has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The full report can be accessed at www.BayerUS.com/msms.


More than eight in l0 of the students polled said they consider themselves science literate. However, four in 10 said they wish their pre-college science and math education had been stronger. Nearly 75 percent said science literacy is important to their careers.


The survey results are encouraging, because they show increased interest in pursuing science and technology careers, said Rebecca Luccore, executive director of the Bayer Foundation and manager of the Making Science Make Sense program. However, the students may not be as well-prepared as they think, she said.


"While the students think they are prepared, you look at some of the national findings, for instance, the Third International Math and Science Study, and you see we are underachieving in math and science, especially in comparison to other countries we compete with," she said.


In a foundation survey conducted last year among first-year managers and employees, the employees thought they were very well-prepared, but their managers thought more should be done to prepare future employees, Luccore said.


Ryan Wagner, a survey participant, said he is probably more science literate than many people. A senior at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., Wagner's course load has included technology and policy of weapons of mass destruction, cryptography, information security and national security.

Wagner said he would like to work for the federal government or a contractor in intelligence or computer security.


"I want to take what I learn and put it to good use," he said "I feel pretty secure that I'll be one of the lucky people who can choose what I am interested in, rather than whatever [job] I can find."


He is skeptical of the survey results that show many of his peers considering changes to their career plans, however.


"I think when it comes right down to it, people are going to stick with the jobs that pay the most," he said. "It feels good to think about these things, but to say I am going to leave an $80,000 job for a $35,000 government job is unrealistic."