Is there another side to the story of immigrant dominance in STEM grad programs?

A number of recently published articles have explored the large impact foreign nationals have on our economy and the number of start-ups in high tech industries they foster. Many of these articles seize upon the disproportionate representation of foreign nationals in the engineering and science programs at the graduate level at US colleges and universities. In light of current economic depths these arguments have been used to emphasize the importance of expanding immigrant H1-B working visas and streamlining US immigration procedures so that the US can "retain" these gifted scientists, engineers and scholars.

I do think that we need to reassess our legal immigration policies to address the short comings. If a student has done exceptionally well at our universities and upon graduation wants to remain in the US and contribute to our economy then we should encourage it by all means. I don't necessarily subscribe to the idea that the "knowledge" gap between American students and their foreign national counterparts is as wide as it has been made out to be. If it is then Reid Hoffman's suggestion of adding a 10% payroll tax to H1-B visa holders with that money funneled to subsidize continued education of American talent would certainly go toward addressing this gap.

My experience in engineering graduate school and as the spouse of a current engineering PHD student is that the story is more complicated than these discussions let on.

While it is true our high school math and science education are [as evidenced by standard testing] not comparing well on an international basis on average, placement in graduate studies especially at the most prestigious universities is not for the average student from the US or abroad. I think there are some other factors at play that need to be considered:

1) Is it possible that many of our best and brightest students are choosing other fields [finance?] in place of science and engineering? If so recent events may have an impact on that and we may see more American students pursuing post graduate work in Science and Engineering.

2) One observation I have is that many of the professors, often US educated, are foreign nationals and many still retain substantial links to their home countries. Students that come from their home regions or countries may be driven to perform not only because the professor holds their immigration status in their hands but also because of some personal connection. In these cases the deck is stacked against the American student.

3) In many cases it seems easier for a foreign national to get funded research or teaching assistanceships than it is for American students. I am currently still paying for 1 semester of graduate school completed at MIT 12 years ago and am well aware of the difficulty in finding a professor with funding willing to cover the expenses of your tuition. If funding is unavailable except for international students then how can we expect more representation of American students in these areas even if they are academically qualified?

I say lift the H1B cap and look at ways to devote more funding to Science and Engineering. We have always been an inclusive society and present an incredible infrastructure to promote start-ups and hi tech industries. However, please don't believe that American's are too uneducated,too unqualified or simply too unable to perform at the highest levels with foreign counterparts. There are other factors at play.


Reid Hoffman - Let Start-Ups Bail Us Out - washingtonpost.com
Reid Hoffman - Let Start-Ups Bail Us Out - washingtonpost.com

Vivek Wadhwa - They're Taking Their Brains and Going Home
Vivek Wadhwa - They're Taking Their Brains and Going Home

Vivek Wadhwa - Education, Entrepreneurship and Immigration: America's New Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Part II
Vivek Wadhwa - Education, Entrepreneurship and Immigration: America's New Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Part II