STEM Field Support Worldwide

A new, multi-country survey by Lenovo of students around the world revealed that students in emerging countries – India, Mexico and Russia—are prioritizing and pursuing science-related careers over students in developed countries, including Canada, Japan, the U.K. The research presents some differences in how students around the world view science as a career aspiration. Some key findings:

-       While 89 percent of students think science is “cool,” only slightly more than half are considering pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).

-       India ranked highest (82 percent) for those who believe it’s very important for their country to lead the world in science. In contrast, students in the US, UK and Canada and the UK trailed at 73, 60 and 55 percent, respectively.

-        A majority of students (57 percent) would rather travel anywhere on Earth than the Moon if given the chance.

-        The two most common reasons for hesitating to pursue a career in STEM—lack of confidence/ability to do well and too much work.

Lenovo (2011). 2011 Lenovo global student science & technology outlook. Quarry Bay, Hong Kong: Lenovo. http://news.lenovo.com/customer-stories/2011-lenovo-global-student-science-and-technology-outlook.tekdownload

Women and digital divide report

A recent report urges technology companies, policymakers and nongovernmental organizations to do more over the next three years to boost Internet access among women and girls in developing countries. "Women's lack of access is giving rise to a second digital divide, one where women and girls risk being left further and further behind," said Melanne Verveer of the US State Department.

The report points to stubborn gaps in women's access to the Internet in Africa, the Middle East and other developing parts of the world. It found women are nearly 25 percent less likely than men to be online in those regions, and called on policymakers and technology companies to take steps such as making it easier to access the Internet on mobile phones, allowing free mobile content and boosting digital literacy to shrink the gap.

Intel. (2013). Women and the web. Santa Clara, CA: Intel.

 http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/technology-in-education/women-in-the-web.html.html