A heated dispute It was recently erupted Two groups of President Donald Trump. Belongs to the dispute H-1B visa systemThe program that allows employers to hire capable foreigners in qualified professional professionals in the technical field.
On the one hand, there are people like a former Strategist Steve Bannon, who called the H-1B program “General and complete scam“On the other hand, there are technological magnons such as thinking elon musk Skilled foreign workers are very important To the US technology sector.
The H-1B visa program is subject to Annual limit on new visas This issue can give this issue sitting in 65,000 in a fiscal year. There is also An additional annual quota of 20,000 H-1B visas For highly qualified international students who have the ability to achieve academically in the United States
H-1B is a program Initial vehicle for international graduate students Stay in the United States after graduation in US universities and work. Horse University of RiceWhere I work, science, technology, engineering and mathematics and mathematics (root) research are carried out by international graduate students. The same goes for the majority of American research-strong universities.
Professor and an immigrant as a computer science Investigates the interaction between calculation and societyI believe that the disputes over the H-1B deprivation of some important questions: Why does the United States have so much for the technology industry so much for foreign workers and why a home technology cannot develop a workforce?
US as a global talent
The United States has been a magnet for global scientific talent before World War II.
Many Scientists who help develop an atomic bomb European refugees were. As US policies after World War II Fulbright Program Extended Opportunities For international exchange of education.
To attract international students to the United States gave positive results.
Among Americans winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Medicine or Physics since 2000 There were 40% immigrants.
Technical industry Giants Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google were all Founded by the first or second generation immigrants. In addition, They set up immigrants More than half of the nation’s billion dollars since 2018.
To stop students receipt
Restriction of external graduate students to US employment They called some outstanding Trump supportersIt can significantly reduce the number of international graduate students in US universities.
About 80% Aspirant students in American computer science and engineering programs (about 18,000 students in 2023) are international students.
International doctoral students ‘loss of students’ research opportunities in the field of science and engineering will be significantly reduced. After all this, doctoral students who control the main researchers, To carry out the main part of the study Science and engineering at US universities.
It is necessary to emphasize that international students are important Contribute to US research speech. For example, scientists born outside the United States, played a key role in the development Pfizer and Modern Covid-19 Vaccination. Thus, to make us less attractive to international graduate students in the US field of Science and Engineering will damage the competitiveness.
Calculate PhD graduates is in high demand. The economy needs them, so it is not an adequate local pipeline.
Where did US students go?
Why is there such a trust to foreign students for US scientific and engineering? And why didn’t the American technician create an adequate pipeline of students calling from the United States?
After the discussions with many colleagues, I saw that doctoral programs do not have enough internal doctoral applicants to meet the needs of doctoral programs.
In 2023, for example, the United States Doctor of Computer Science Programs About 3,400 new students, whose 63% were external.
As if many doctoral career roads are not attractive enough for the students of the US License Computer Science. So why?
The best annual salary in the Silicone Valley Graduates for new computer science can reach $ 115,000. Bachelor’s degree in the University of Rice said to me until those who have been to those who have been to this relatives Economic uncertainty shook the industry-The people began to receive up to $ 150,000 in the Silicon Valley.
During the study universities, doctoral students, on the contrary, do not receive salaries. They receive a scholarship instead. This is changing from school slightly to school, But usually pay less than $ 40,000 each year. The opportunity to pursue the doctoral school for $ 100,000 a year. And It usually takes six years to get a doctoral.
Thus, it is not an economically favorable decision for many Americans. The reality is that it opens new career choices for the owner of a doctoral degree, but most bachelor’s degree owners do not see outside the economy. Still academic computing studies are very important for the success of Silicon Valley.
An 2016 Analysis The information technology sectors have a great economic impact Shows that academic studies play an instrumental role in their development.
Why so little?
Locked in the US Cold War with China mainly focused on technological advantage. Thus, to maintain the R & D edge is in national interest.
However, the United States refused to invest in the field of research. For example, Annual budget of the National Science Foundation $ 1 billion for computer and information sciences and engineering. On the contrary, annual R & D costs for the alphabetGoogle’s company was about $ 50 billion in the last ten years.
Because universities cannot pay more, they pay less to doctoral students.
However, instead of acknowledging the existence of this problem and trying to solve it, he found a way to meet the academic research needs by hiring and receiving international students. The continuous influx of highly qualified international applicants allowed not to see the non-adequacy of the United States in the domestic doctoral pipeline.
The existing argument about the H-1B visa system provides an opportunity for the United States for introspection.
Still News from Washington, DC Mass budget cutting from the National Science Foundation The federal government is about to accept a sharp problem and turn into a crisis.
Moshe y. had is a professor of computer science University of Rice.
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