What's Our Sputnik?

Reading the article by Thomas Friedman (2010) entitled "What's Our Sputnik?" left me feeling somewhat conflicted. In this article Friedman asserted that we, citizens of the U.S., should be spending more time looking inside ourselves to define our project rather than on waging war on terrorists. I agree with some of his points, as America is falling behind many other countries in preparing our youth for STEM futures and the global economic playing field is being leveled because of technology and the internet (Friedman, 2008).

However, I feel it is important to point out that much of our prosperity and many of the technological advancements we enjoy today can be attributed to our involvement in war throughout history. According to Strickland (2010) "wars tend to accelerate technological development to adapt tools for the purpose of solving specific military needs." These tools are then modified and evolved for non-military uses. Some specific examples Strickland (2010) cited in his article was the invention of radar. Then, when more and more countries had developed radar detection tools, we worked to find ways to avoid radar, engineering stealth aircraft technology. Through experimentation with radar we have microwave ovens, which many of us would not be able to survive without. The internet, itself, was created as a military project to keep people connected because of the threat of future conflicts. Sputnik, which is given so much credit for our previous scientific advancement, was also a symbolic project of our ongoing competition with the Soviet Union in the 1950's.

While not every technological advancement can be attributed to war and/or the military, many can. However, I do agree with Friedman's assertion that we should look within ourselves for our next big project. Every time I pay my energy bill or fill up my gas tank I am reminded that we need to decrease our dependence on the Middle East for oil and be a more self-sustaining nation. Perhaps what we need to focus on is just that. Finding and developing more cost-effective and clean means for providing renewable, alternative energy options, including solar, wind, hydropower and ocean energy would require advanced STEM development. When the government decides we can no longer continue to pay higher and higher prices to foreign countries for our energy needs, perhaps they will discover the importance of increased funding for the education or our youth, and especially funding for STEM education.

References:
Friedman, T. L. (2008). The conception of “The World is Flat.” [Video webcast]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwhlzlCsw_E
Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.
Strickland, Jonathan. "Do wars drive technological advancement?" 30 August 2010. HowStuffWorks.com. 11 March 2012.