According to an article in Issues in Science and Technology, U.S. Immigration Laws Hamper Science and the Economy

DALLAS, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cumbersome and outdated immigration rules are making it unnecessarily difficult for the United States to attract the highly talented people needed to drive an innovative economy, according to Albert H. Teich, a research professor at George Washington University, writing in the Fall edition of Issues in Science and Technology. Cutting-edge research and high-technology business have become global enterprises that rely heavily on the international talent pool of scientists and engineers, and an increasing number of countries are stepping up their efforts to attract these people. For many years the United States was the obvious first choice for these talented individuals, and the country has benefited enormously. According to Teich, roughly 40% of Fortune 500 firms—Google, Intel, Yahoo, eBay, and Apple, among them—were started by immigrants or their children. He outlines a number of reforms that the United States should make to immigration policy to ensure that the country remains a welcoming destination for this invaluable human resource.

Also in this issue, Harvard economist Roland Fryer burrows down to uncover the root causes of the disappointing academic performance of low-income and minority students. He then identifies successful reforms developed in charter schools and shows how these practices can also be effective in all public schools. Carl Mitcham of the Colorado School of Mines argues that because of the powerful effect that engineering has on many aspects of modern life, engineering education should include more courses in the humanities to help engineers better understand the implications of their work.

Several articles explore aspects of energy policy. John D. Graham, a former Office of Management and Budget official in the George W. Bush administration, and his current colleagues at Indiana University applaud the federal government effort to promote the development of electric vehicles and recommend that the initiative be continued for several more years. A group of experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists draw attention to the need for better information on the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing techniques used to extract oil and natural gas. Some renewable energy advocates have suggested that the Department of Defense could be a leader in developing this technology, but Eugene Gholz of the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas explains why this strategy is unlikely to be effective.

ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY is the award-winning journal of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, the University of Texas at Dallas and Arizona State University. www.issues.org.

Contact: Kevin Finneran, 202-641-1415, [email protected]

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SOURCE Issues in Science and Technology