We Americans have become quite comfortable with our relatively recent designation as the world's only superpower. That's a mistake, since we won't hold the top spot long.
In a generation or so, the Chinese will probably be ranked as a superpower, too. Indeed, if the United States doesn't get a grip on science and math education, the Chinese will be standing alone astride the globe, while we have fallen to a second-tier standing.
It's easy enough to see how that could happen. Chinese officials (and parents) take science and math seriously. High school and college students work hard to master chemistry, physics, biology, engineering. For that matter, so do Indian students. American students, with precious few exceptions, don't.
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What a difference a couple of decades makes. Back in 1957, the United States was startled when the Soviet Union beat us into space with the successful launch of Sputnik. Washington responded with a massive investment in math and science education. (Some problems can be solved by throwing money at them.) The result came just over a decade later: Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969 and established a U.S. hegemony in science that has lasted until now.
But it probably won't last much longer. Just as the Chinese are learning the enormous benefit of pouring money into science education and research, our science infrastructure is under attack from religious extremists. And the rest of us are letting them get away with it.
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