The ACS report on graduate and postdoc training goes where NIH's workforce working group didn't, recommending limiting Ph.D. production among other bold measures.
The House Judiciary Committee invited experts to discuss the effects of high-skill immigration on the U.S. workforce, but there was little talk about what employers actually need.
The Rand report concludes that, although adequate data and accurate assessments of labor market conditions are important for many different parties, early career and prospective scientists are especially vulnerable.
"Something quite unique about computer science: We don't have a postdoc tradition. That's because we have historically had so many positions available in Ph.D.-granting departments and available for fresh Ph.D.s. Traditionally, when you get your Ph.D. [in computer science], you've got some place to go. There was always more demand than there was supply, and industry was soaking up half."
At a session at the AAAS Annual Meeting, featured members of the ACS presidential committee on fixing graduate chemistry education, expounded on the report's recommendations.
A recent NSF report finds that efforts to improve the representation of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in science and engineering are slow going.