In the News

10.21.2005

“Center aims to engineer a better economy”

By Anusha Shrivastava in the Republican American

Staying competitive in the global economy takes vision, planning and money.

Part of that vision is the $150 million Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration in Hartford, whose groundbreaking is set for today.

"This is a critical economic issue for us," said Matt Fleury, executive vice president of the center. "In terms of education and our economic future, our country must do a better job of exciting our students about science."

The percentage of students studying math and science in the country has been declining. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 2.7 million engineering jobs will need to be filled in 2010.

At the current rate of engineers graduating nationwide, less than half of those jobs will be filled by U.S. students.

In Connecticut, out of 32,000 degrees awarded by the state's public and private universities in 2003, only 5,000 were in the science, math and technology fields, or 15.6 percent, according to the Web site of the Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration (www.ctcse.org).

"It is very clear if you do any analysis of the world economy that to maintain a degree of prosperity in the local environment, you have got to be able to contribute significantly in a high-tech world," said Michael J. Werle, president of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, a independent body created by the Legislature to further science and technology interests in the state.

"The world is rapidly accelerating and the citizenry has to understand the importance of science and technology."

A benchmarking study released by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center this week suggests that while Connecticut has a good technology base, employment in the sector has been declining steadily. In 2003, employment in the sector stood at 227,500 -- or 16 percent of total employment -- and the state ranked fourth among all states in the relative size of technology sector employment.

While productivity in the sector is going up, employment is going down and the state lost 45,000 jobs in the sector over the past 15 years.

Connecticut's position as a national economic leader in areas such as scientific research and highly skilled workers is in danger of being overtaken by other states, according to the report.

"We must integrate technology and innovation into our state's economic development policies to remain competitive," said Chandler Howard, president of Connecticut Innovations Inc., the quasi-state agency charged with investing in technology companies here.

The new science center aims to do just that, hoping to get more students interested in math and science from an early stage.

"We are sending an important message," Fleury said. "We are saying that science is exciting and that, as a state, we are willing to spend on something that is beneficial for all of us."

Reprinted with permission by the Republican American
October 21, 2005