John Marburger’s address was titled “The American Competitive Initiative: Leading the World in Innovation.”

About half of the nation’s graduates in the fields of science and math are foreign-born, Marburger said.

“We know that to remain the leader in the international marketplace, the United States must spark a renewed interest in science, technology, engineering and math among our youngest students,” said Alan Rebar, executive director of Discovery Park at Purdue.

“More of the students from outside the United States have had better preparation for the sciences and as a result will be taking what they learn back to their country. This will provide their country with an eventual advantage,” said Gordon J. Black, department chair of Computer Science and Engineering.

The United States needs to keep up with other countries that are raising their standard of living and educating the masses, Marburger said.

“In computer science and in engineering at BYU-Idaho there has actually been an increase in the number of students,” Black said.

The number of computer science majors has increased from 139 in 2003 to 216 in 2006. Electrical and computer engineering student enrollment has increased to 143 students, a figure more than double that of 2003.

The Geology Department has a steady stream of students entering their program as well, with about 50 in the geology program and 30 in earth science education, said Mark Lovell, chair of the Geology department.

“This compares will with the numbers of undergraduate majors at many larger universities,” Lovell said.

The steady stream is still not enough to meet the needs of our changing world.

“As environmental issues continue to be an area of concern and the need for resource geologists has increased, the need for geoscientist is outpacing the ability of the educational systems to produce them,” Lovell said. “A retiring workforce and increasing demands are generating a strong market for science graduates.”

Why a career in science?

“Look at the fields that are providing the most income right out of school. Most of those are in the sciences,” Black said.