HIGH DEMAND FOR SCIENTISTS
Many industries, government agencies, public schools, and universities in the United States are experiencing shortages of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and teachers trained in these areas. Scientific advisory groups have warned that the United States may soon lose its competitive edge in science and engineering.
Certainly this is not good news. But for high school students, college students searching for a major, or those hoping to change careers, there is a potential silver lining. It’s a great time to major in science, math, or teaching in either area. Demand for employees in these fields is unlikely to fall for years. Financial aid programs for students majoring in science, math, and engineering have begun to appear (e.g., National SMART Grant). Now Congress has begun to increase funding for scientific research and the Obama administration has promised to base energy and environmental policy on science that is free from political interference. See our scholarships page to learn more about financial aid for science and science teaching majors.
WHY STUDY EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE?
Earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and floods happen somewhere on Earth every day – they have for billions of years and will for a few billion more. But as human population increases in areas prone to these hazards, the toll on life and property is rising. Global climate change is real and may be accelerating as we continue to release green house gases into the atmosphere. Glaciers are melting faster, returning their water to the ocean and adding to an ongoing global sea level rise. Melting permafrost is releasing methane, a highly effective green house gas, worse in fact than the carbon dioxide we release from burning fossil fuels. And decreased sea ice production near the poles combined with warmer sea surface temperatures may disrupt the oceanic “conveyor belt,” the circuit of deep and shallow currents that churns the ocean. As ocean currents shift and the tropics and subtropics warm, hurricanes may get stronger, and storm tracks may change.
Such earth system problems are too overwhelming to be solved by one type of scientist; therefore, earth system scientists specialize in areas such as ecology, geology, geophysics, hydrology, meteorology, and oceanography. Yet even these subjects are so broad that they are divided into dozens of still more specialized areas of study. To understand large-scale and complex problems like global climate change, each specialist assumes responsibility for a smaller, more manageable piece of the scientific puzzle. Eventually, a clearer picture emerges when the results of their efforts are recombined.
Of course not all earth system scientists devote their careers to questions related to climate change and natural hazards. Those employed in the search for energy resources and raw materials (oil, gas, coal, metals, etc.) include geologists, geophysicists, and oceanographers. The work of hydrologists, geologists, and meteorologists is used to manage the aquifers, springs, rivers and lakes that supply water to all of us. They measure the quantity of water on and below the surface, test for chemical and biological contamination, and clean up polluted sites once they are identified. See our career page to learn more about the various jobs performed by geologists and other earth system scientists.
