For decades, the United States has attracted students and employees from all over the world to make a career in engineering and other STEM subjects. Foreign-born individuals are an important part of the American workforce. In recent years, many policy makers and researchers have also sought to understand and improve the racial and gender diversity of STEM workforce.,But these efforts have largely focused on domestic students.
Bayongadan (Don) Oh, An assistant professor in sociology and director of the Suny Polytechnic Institute hopes to achieve the status of immigration with efforts to promote a more diverse and inclusive stem workforce at diversity, equity, inclusion and related (DEIB) Research Center. In a recent study, oh Data examined from a national survey College graduates on race, gender and immigration status in the US STEM workforce. They found that many immigrants chase the stem-almost one-third American stem graduates are foreign-born-but there are inequalities by breed and gender More Higher education was pronounced among these students compared to persons of our origin.
IEEE spectrum Talked about STEM immigration trends, racial inequalities and factors running the future of stem immigration. The following is edited for length and clarity.
Byeongdon oh:
Byeongdon oh: Stem immigration refers to the increasing influx of foreign-birth individuals seeking a stem degree or career in the United States. This growth is definitely affected by personal choice, as individuals with STEM skills have a good career and a good chance in income in the United States. But it is not only about personal choice. So many other social forces shape stem immigration.
Higher education institutions have attracted talented, students of foreign origin to support institutional development and generate tuition revenue. Both international students studying in STEM and high ranked American universities benefit each other. There is also a mutually favorable relationship between people of foreign origin seeking stem career and American employers. Policy makers and employers have expressed a continuous requirement for more STEM workers To support economic development.
The government also knows that, and the US immigration law has evolved to attract more students and workers with high-level STEM skills. For example, international students cannot work off-campus during their studies. But after graduation, they are allowed to work for one year through alternative practical training programs. Stem Graduates are eligible for two years of expansion of this period. Many graduates apply for H -1B and permanent residence during that time. Stem immigration is not just a personal option; It is extended by many social and structural factors.
What did you get in your research?
Oh: My study found that about 30 percent of STEM degree holders living in the United States are immigrants. Many discussions have talked about how immigration affects the American economy and how the growing stem immigration is affecting the salary rate of indigenous generation workers. This is the first study that focuses on how STEM immigration affects the diversity profile of the US Stem workforce.
OH’s research divided the college into three groups educated: first generation, 1.25 generations and 1.5 generations.Bayongadan oh; National survey of college graduate
Compared to the US-born white graduates, despite the immigrants-as a probability, if not more, to keep a stem degree. However, there are breed and gender inequalities More clear In immigrants compared to graduates born by us. The gap is already important among the individuals of our birth, but it is also widespread among the immigrants.
I divided college-educated immigrants into the first generation, 1.25 generations and 1.5 generations. The first generation refers to migrants who complete all their education outside the United States. The second generation is born in the United States. In my study, 1.5 generations refer to migrants who received a high school diploma in the United States. 1.25 generations completed a high school diploma abroad but attended college in the United States. The race and gender intervals in STEM representation are actually widespread among 1.25 generations.
What do you think is causing these inequalities?
Oh: This has not yet come from my data, but I suspect there are three major reasons. First origin in the original country: Like the United States, racial and gender inequalities may exist within the original country. And this is not only inequality in education or STEM skills. The racial majority and men may also have a better chance of migrating to the United States.
The second factor stems from inequalities between the country. Many white and Asian immigrants come from global north countries, where strong economies and more investment in R&D are generally associated with high quality STEM education.
The third factor is related to the American immigration process. The immigration process is long, and racial minority and women can especially weaken for socio -economic conflicts during this long waiting time. In addition, employers can bias that some racial groups are better for STEMs, or that men are more qualified. Such stereotypes or discrimination may have an effect. So these may be the three major reasons, but honestly, we do not know who plays the biggest role.
Previously, we focused a lot of focus on K-12 stem education and especially native birth students (diversity). But as I said, there is the most widespread difference in 1.25 generations, and sufficient volume. So without considering those immigrants, Social intervention for the purpose of diversifying the US STEM workforce will be limited under their influence.
How can we better support international persons?
Oh: We need collective social intervention and policy changes. You can think of a short -term and long -term strategy.
The short -term strategy is to involve more migrants in our policy discussion and debate. Many STEM students and workers are not coming here only as tourists and are going back after a year or two. There is a high chance that they will live. If we really want to improve diversity and inclusion in the US STEM workforce, we should include them and learn from their experiences to improve immigration policy.
And for a long time, we need better data collection. Many government datasets on the immigration process are inaccessible. Immigration researchers actually want that data, but the government has not access it. Additionally, the federal government requires all higher education institutions, which use the same categories of categories used in the census to report annual racial and ethnic profiles. But the higher ad list in a separate category federal guidelines for international students. If they are international students, they do not count the race or ethnicity. Many institutions collect that information, but when they report, they place all international students in a category. This is an example of how we have ignored breed and diversity issues among immigrants.
With the recent federal immigration policy changes, we are seeing the initial signs that international students can away from getting higher education in the United States. How is this possible trend related to your conclusions?
Oh: Recent policy changes may have short -term negative effects on stem immigration. When potential immigrants do not believe that they can successfully settle in the United States, they can hesitate to start the process. If they see tension between their country and the United States, it may be Discourage them by chasing education or employment hereIn this way we will lose stem talent.
In the long term, I think the stem immigration will continue. They are factors attracting them like economy and education. Structural demand for high-skilled STEM students and workers is unlikely to disappear soon.
During the first Trump Presidency, many STEM migrants, especially with a bachelor’s degree, continued to use national interest exemption (exemption from the requirements offering jobs to advanced degree workers applying for some visas). If you have a stem graduate degree, it provides a quick passage for permanent residence. I remember that it was not lacking. Although Immigration is often depicted as a threat to jobs or public safety in political discourseBeing a high efficient immigrants helps in economic development. If we lose all the stem immigrants, domestic employers will have a problem.
What’s next for your research?
Oh: I am following two directions. A stem is focused on the possibility of entering degree holders and stem businesses. Not all STEM degree holders have STEM jobs, and breed and gender inequalities can contribute to this education-business mismatch. I want to see if this inequality is different from the state of immigration.
The second direction is qualitative interview. In my institution, there are many international students and immigrant faculty members. I plan to hold a qualitative interview with him. I am also a visiting research professor at the University of California, Berkeley, so I want to compare UC Berkeley and my organization. Ultimately, I hope that this line of research can help overcome how we think about diversity – not only in terms of breed or gender within the United States, but also between borders and generations.
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