Vienna, Va.

Two years ago, the Committee on Science and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing to examine the relationship between federal science and engineering research, education and economic competitiveness. The committee, then headed by Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert, R-N.Y., acknowledged that the sustained investments in research and education over the last 50 years spawned an abundance of technological breakthroughs that transformed American society and fueled a robust economy.

“We must continue to make those types of investments,” said a group of scholars during a symposium hosted by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.

Policymakers, business leaders and educators gathered in Northern Virginia for a three-day symposium to discuss how to best retain this country’s scientific and technological edge, a task NACME has coined the “New American Dilemma.”

While other nations such as China and India have recognized the connection between innovation and economic growth — and are pouring resources into their scientific and technological infrastructure — the United States has failed to prepare a new generation of scientists and engineers, particularly in communities of color, NACME asserts.

“The ‘New American Dilemma’ comes from this nation’s failure to educate and develop a growing proportion of its potential talent base — African-Americans, Latinos and American Indians — while its needs for people with skills in science and engineering are escalating,” said Dr. John Brooks Slaughter, president and CEO of NACME, noting that the term “American Dilemma” was first used by Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal in reference to race relations 60 years ago.

In 2007, the Bush administration passed the America Competes Act, authorizing new spending in math, science and technology for the remainder of the decade. Included in the legislation were initiatives to attract women and minorities to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through, for example, summer and after-school programs. The act also enables teachers from high-poverty schools to access college research seminars and instructional activities to assist them in the classroom.