FAYETTEVILLE — Vic Dreier has a surefire way to recruit pupils to his pre-engineering classes at Ramay Junior High School in Fayetteville.

He drives a robot down the hallways as an example of the kinds of projects his students tackle, generating interest in as many as 100 students at a time, he said. Eighth- and ninth-graders in his pre-engineering classes competedFriday at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in a technology competition aimed at generating more interest in careers related to math, engineering, science and technology.

“The kids wanting to participate in these competitions is a major motivator in the classroom,” Dreier said. “You actually have to learn the math and science to be more competitive.”

Statistics released this week by the U.S. CensusBureau estimate that 3.1 percent of Arkansas workers are employed in computer, engineering and science occupations, putting the state in the bottom quarter of all states for the percentage of workers employed in those high-demand jobs.

The District of Columbia has the highest percentage, 9.2 percent, of workers employed in computer, engineering and science occupations, followed by Maryland, estimated at 8.5 percent.

Nationwide, an estimated 5.2 percent of workers nationwide are employed in computer, engineering and science occupations, which includes computer systems analysts, statisticians, mechanical engineers and petroleum technicians.

The estimates were compiled from the 2007 to 2011 American Community Survey, an ongoing survey by the U.S. Census Bureau of several million households each year.Responses to the survey are compiled to provide detailed demographic, economic, social and housing information for cities, counties, states and the nation.

Among the 75 Arkansas counties, 5.3 percent of Benton County residents work in those types of occupations, the highest percentage of any county, according to the American Community Survey estimates. The survey estimates show at least 4 percent of the working population in Baxter, Drew, Faulkner, Ouachita, Pulaski, Saline and Washington counties earn a living in computer, engineering and science occupations.

The annual Razorback Technology Challenge attracted more than 500 students from middle, junior high and high schools in Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma to UA-Fayetteville, said Vinson Carter, clinical instructor of technology education for the College of Education and Health Professions. Students challenged each other in contests involving robots and dragsters and tested the strength of support beams made of balsa wood.

“The end goal would be to foster a love for technology and engineering and why math and science are important for solving problems,” Carter said.

A report from the Alliance for Science and Technology Research in America estimates that the United States will need 8.65 million workers in science and engineering occupations by 2018, up from an estimated 7.4 million workerscurrently in those fields. The report estimates that Arkansas will need 52,000 workers in those fields by 2018.

One of the most in-demand jobs in Arkansas is engineering, said Joe Holmes, spokesman for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Companies recruit engineers not only from the United States, but also from around the world when searching for a specialized skill set.

“The companies we work with need a work force that is trained to higher levels than ever before, particularly in the area of technology,” Holmes said. “Gone are the days of needing a huge work force to stand before a blast furnace and move dangerous elements to make steel. Today it’s people highly trained and wellpaid in computer technology, sitting at consoles controlling the process.”

Too few adults in Arkansas earn four-year degrees, andthat’s especially true in engineering and architecture, occupations that provide some of the highest median wages in the state, said Manuel Rossetti, professor of industrial engineering and associate department head for industrial engineering at UA-Fayetteville.

He received a $600,000 grant over five years from the National Science Foundation to award scholarships to engineering students selected for a program that combines an internship at a company with a research project.

The hope is that the job experience and close interaction with a faculty member will help more students succeed in earning an engineering degree, Rossetti said. The scholarship award helps remove cost as a barrier to finishing a degree.

“We need to produce more Arkansans that have engineering degrees and that stay in Arkansas and work,” he said.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 12/08/2012