U.S. Army Research Laboratory Outreach Program Office

At the U.S. Army Research Laboratory ( ARL), we understand that science and technology have been and will remain the engines of economic growth and national security in the United States. In addition, we understand that excellence in discovery and innovation in science and engineering are the direct result of a well educated workforce. It is a workforce that is being challenged by two trends: the global competition for science and engineering talent that impacts the pool of available scientists and engineers (S&Es) available in the U.S.; and the declining number of native-born S&E graduates entering the workforce. ARL is poised to intervene and improve the success in educating S&E students from all demographic groups, especially those that have been historically underrepresented in S&E careers.

In order to effectively address the science, mathematics, and engineering (SME) challenges facing our nation, the United States Army, ARL and others in the technical and academic arena have identified several prevailing national SME issues and concerns:

• There is a lack of interest by students nationwide in SME at all grade levels.
• Many teachers have poor qualifications and little interest in teaching science and math subjects.
• There is a high dropout rate from students in S&E disciplines during their freshman year of college.
• The future workforce and military are unprepared for a world filled with science, math, engineering, and technology.
• Finally, a technical edge is required for our nation to remain globally competitive in the future.

In addition to the issues and concerns above, the Department of Defense (DoD) faces significant recruiting challenges:

• DoD needs to hire more than 14,000 scientists and engineers over the next few years.
• The pool of qualified candidates for DoD science and technology positions is shrinking.
• More than half of science and engineering graduates from American universities are foreign nationals and are largely ineligible for employment by federal agencies.
• Fewer American students are entering science and technology fields than in previous years.
• DoD must compete with the private sector and other agencies for eligible talent.

With these national concerns and challenges in mind, ARL has made a corporate commitment to help develop the next generation of Army scientists and engineers by establishing an Outreach Program (OP) Office. The OP was expressly designed to address the projected shortfall of scientists and engineers among diverse populations of the 21st Century, to leverage technical capabilities of academia (including HBCU/MIs) to fulfill ARL requirements, and to expand the involvement of HBCU/MIs in ongoing research at ARL. The objective of ARL's OP Office is to develop and execute programs that provide learning and teaching aids, incentives, and rewards for students and teachers while ensuring opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged students.

ARL recognizes that the pool of available talent is diverse. To accomplish our mission, we take pride in attracting the finest from all corners of the world. The ARL OP Office provides cutting edge education and research opportunities to highly accomplished U.S. ethnic minorities (e.g., African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American) in science and engineering academic programs. The ARL OP is a cohesive and comprehensive group of initiatives expressly designed to introduce the nation's youth to science, mathematics, and engineering through Army led technical activities, engagement of students and faculty in ARL research through a lab based research experience, and expose students to technical career opportunities within Army laboratories.