PHILADELPHIA - May 18, 2006 - While the U.S. still gets top grades for educating the current generation of scientists, America is steadily losing its competitive edge - with India, China, and Japan considered not too far behind, according to a survey by Pepper Hamilton LLP (www.pepperlaw.com), a multi-practice law firm.
In the results of the Pepper Hamilton survey on issues and trends in biotech and related sciences,American schools receive low marks for preparing the next generation of students to become scientists, with more than half of respondents saying the U.S. is doing either a poor or very poor job.
Responding to the survey, which was conducted at the recent 2006 BIO conference in Chicago, were worldwide experts in industrial and environmental biotech, health care, and agriculture.
"While the U.S. is still considered the world leader in educating the next generation of scientists, India, China, and Japan are viewed as closing in rapidly," said
Jeffrey P. Libson, head of Pepper Hamilton´s Life Sciences Practice.
Just25% of survey respondents rated the U.S. at number one, while India finished in second place with 18% of responses, followed by China and Japan at 15% each, and Germany at 9%.
51% of survey respondents believe the U.S. is doing a poor job preparing the next generation of students to become scientists, while 25% give America just an average grade, and 24% grade the U.S. readiness as above-average.
"India and China, especially, have been pushing their students to study science and mathematics, almost to the exclusion of all other subjects, while American students continue to major in other disciplines as well, including law, medicine, and the liberal arts. Foreign students are also increasingly choosing to study at home, rather than in the U.S., and are more often choosing to work in their native countries. The trend has the potential to create significant industry workforce issues in the near future," said Libson.
About Pepper Hamilton
Pepper Hamilton LLP is a multi-practice law firm with 400 lawyers in six states and the District of Columbia. The firm provides corporate, litigation and regulatory legal services to leading businesses, governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and individuals throughout the nation and the world. The firm was founded in 1890.
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