The proportion of United States citizens who are qualified to fill science and engineering jobs is stagnating, while competition for foreigners to fill those positions is increasing, says the National Science Foundation (NSF) report which covers national and international science and engineering trends in education, the labor force and the global marketplace.

Part of the reason for the leveling-off in the United States is that fewer high school and college students are seeking natural sciences and engineering degrees. In 1975, the United States ranked third in the world in the percentage of students pursuing such degrees. Now it is 17th , according to the NSF report. An increasing number of reports and surveys are saying the same thing.

Sarah Woode Foundation (SWF) is proud to have had the vision and foresight to be part of the solution to this incredibly profound national problem. Since its inception twelve years ago, SWF has mentored and awarded scholarships to over 400 students from elementary school to college, initiated workshops for elementary and junior high school science teachers, and given grants to schools to purchase equipment and supplies.

To successfully realize the dreams and aspiration of SWF will require the help of many of you. Will you join us in this laudable endeavor?