Drivers needed for tech train

For a couple of decades now we've been riding a bullet train of technological advances.

Computers, digital televisions, iPods and cellphones didn't pop out of nowhere. People made them possible, people who used to be called geeks, but who now are cool. But we're not minting enough of them to keep up with rapid technological change.

Bill Gates, one of the people who elevated the status of number crunching and code writing, has talked recently about the need to encourage more students to go into science and technology. Schools in the United States aren't keeping up with the demand.

The shortfall is particularly noticeable with regard to women and minorities, who've long been underrepresented in the sciences. A number of professional organizations are trying improve that part of the equation.

Kelly Griswold and Linda Thomas are both Boeing engineers and members of the Society of Women Engineers.

Thomas, governor of the group's Northwest region, told me about what SWE calls the leaky pipeline. "We have trouble retaining [women], from middle school all the way up to professionals," Thomas said.

SWE did a study of women engineers who've left the field. They were much more likely than men to say they left for more interesting work.

The report suggested employers be more creative in matching skills and interests.

Griswold, who grew up in a tiny Illinois town, got hooked on science playing with a chemistry set in fourth grade. She has worked in a variety of engineering jobs and now is a customer engineer, making sure Boeing's technology meets customer needs.

Griswold said her job isn't just numbers.

Both women agreed that math is important, but so are negotiation skills, people skills and a sense of humor.

Thomas grew up in Washington, D.C., and earned her first degree from Howard University. She said she's been interested in the sciences since she was 5 or 6 years old.

Thomas has been with Boeing more than 24 years, and does systems-safety analysis for the section of the company that modifies commercial planes for the U.S. government, a job that makes use of her problem-solving and communications skills.

Lots of engineers are talking up their jobs this month.

On Saturday, the University of Washington is hosting the annual Women in Science and Engineering Conference.

The Puget Sound Engineering Council is hosting an engineering fair Feb. 16 at the Museum of Flight aimed at attracting K-12 students, and National Engineers Week begins Feb. 17.

According to the National Science Foundation, in 2003, 25 percent of college-educated workers in science and engineering were foreign-born. Of those with doctorates, 40 percent were foreign-born.

It's good that we are attracting bright immigrants, but we can do better at getting the minds we have here onboard.

Griswold said that when she told friends she was going to be an engineer, they thought she wanted to drive a train.

Yeah, the high-tech train.

Jerry Large's column appears Monday and Thursday. Reach him at 206-464-3346 or jlarge@seattletimes.com.