Whenever you want something that requires the cooperation or agreement of another person, you are engaged in a negotiation. Too often, we are guided by our gut instincts and our experience of negotiation as children in the playground or as tourists in a street market. Too often, we look on negotiation as a competitive sport where the sole objective is to win – an attitude that is reinforced by advertisements we read for negotiation training that promise victory in gladiatorial contests with our opponents.
Such an approach may produce satisfying results some of the time, but defeated opponents may not want to deal with you in the future and you may have missed opportunities that a more cooperative approach could present. There are a few home truths that too many people ignore when they embark on a negotiation.

•    First, we should always put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and try to think about what he or she is looking to get out of the negotiation. This requires us to ask questions and find out as much as possible about our negotiation partner’s interests.

•    Secondly, we should examine more closely precisely what our own interests are and not limit ourselves to the most obvious headline objective. The more issues that can be brought into play that are potential areas for negotiation for both parties, the more opportunity there is for mutually beneficial trading.

•    A third point to remember is that obtaining our share of a “fixed-pie” is not always the limit of what we can achieve. It won’t always be possible but we should always look for opportunities to expand the pie and create value in a negotiation so that both parties have the opportunity to walk away from the table with a sense of satisfaction that they have achieved more from the negotiation than they would have by following a different course of action.

•    Above all, good negotiators have a heightened sense of self-awareness. They recognize the biases that we all possess and that too often trap us into making bad decisions as the negotiation progresses. Greater self-awareness can make us better persuaders and more sensitive to manipulative efforts to influence us employed by those with whom we are negotiating.

Tim Cullen is an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, where he is Director of the Oxford Programme on Negotiation

Note:

Tim Cullen, Director of the Oxford Program on Negotiation, will be holding a two-day training session titled “Negotiation to the Top.” March 23rd thru the 24th at the UCF Downtown Executive Development Center (36 West Pine Street Orlando 32801).

For more information, contact: thughes@bus.ucf.edu

Jim Jardon was able to build a company virtually from scratch. In 1990, he founded JHT Inc., which began as a small business that developed training programs for the Department of Defense and affiliated agencies. Since that time, JHT steadily has expanded services and grown from its Orlando roots to reach 30 states.

The company now offers expertise ranging from training and technical data management to environmental and marine sciences, management and operations support, and construction, with its largest customer being the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Impressive.

Jardon, however, has sometimes come up short in one area: He hasn’t always found the right people at the right time. As a defense contractor, JHT is required to hire only U.S. citizens, people possessing advanced technical backgrounds. Too often, too few qualified candidates emerge.

“I have had really quality students, … but because they’re not U.S. citizens, I can’t let them in the building,” laments Jardon.
In her previous life, Leslie Hielema was managing director of the Indiana office of ProLogic Inc., a computer engineering firm specializing in government contracts. She, too, was restricted to hiring U.S. citizens, essentially eliminating an ample portion of the applicant pool.

She advertised extensively, and with ProLogic’s location at a tech incubator, she had direct access to Purdue University students. Still, at job fairs, she would collect “30 to 40 top-notch” resumes, touting doctoral degrees in math and master’s degrees in engineering, but “99 percent” of them weren’t from U.S. citizens. “That was very frustrating,” says Hielema, currently president of Orlando Inc. (Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce). “We had great [defense] contracts, and it was very hard to meet the needs.”

All tech jobs don’t require U.S. citizenship, of course. The bulk of them, in reality, do not. Yet, the point is this: Flatly, as a country, we produce too few technical specialists such as scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians. (The acronym is STEM — it’s a theme here.) And, like a volcano, while that shortage of talent first bubbles to the surface for the defense industry, volatile danger smolders underneath, awaiting eruption. The question isn’t if but when.

That is true in Indiana, just as it is in Central Florida and across the United States. Not just one segment of industries is affected either. Sure, among the chief areas are aerospace, energy, manufacturing, information technology, homeland security and defense, and life sciences. The lava, though, spills forth.

Generally speaking, the United States is at risk of losing its grip in the battle of global competitiveness. Leading-edge scientific and engineering work is being accomplished in many parts of the world. Workers in virtually every tech sector must now face competitors who live just a mouse click away, in Ireland, Finland, China, India and dozens of other nations. The domestic workforce also finds itself in direct competition for jobs with lower-wage workers abroad. And, even if someone isn’t cut out to be, say, a research scientist, more and more jobs will require at least a basic understanding of scientific and mathematical principles, a working knowledge of computer hardware and software, and problem-solving skills.

Proof: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 of the 20 jobs for which the demand is growing the fastest through 2014 will require substantial math or science preparation.

There’s even more pressure locally.

In Central Florida, the challenge is magnified, given the region’s recent economic hurtle toward technology. In many respects, in that global fight, our region is on the front lines.

This acronym STEM spells the kind of trouble that pervades industry, education and the general public.
Everyone, really? Indeed, that’s what happens when Gross Domestic Product — the market value of all goods and services the country produces — is involved. If the United States had in recent years closed the gap between its educational achievement levels and those of better-performing nation, the 2008 GDP could have been $1.3 trillion to $2.3 trillion higher, an amount that represents up to 16 percent of the total GDP, according to a report by McKinsey & Co. called “The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools.”

Not to get too technical, but this stuff is big.

For industry, obviously much is at stake. Consider that metro Orlando has an estimated $13.4 billion technology industry, employing 53,000 people, according to data supplied by the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. The life sciences, medical technology and biotech industries, in particular, are poised to blossom. Since 2008, the region has made a $2 billion investment in life sciences alone. Also, metro Orlando is a recognized leader in the simulation, laser and information technology industries, widely viewed as the largest cluster of modeling, simulation and training companies in the world, while the nation’s military simulation training centers are based here. eWeek, a tech-dedicated Web site, has recognized Orlando as one of the top 10 U.S. emerging technology hubs. In addition, Orlando has nationally recognized clusters of innovation in digital media, agritechnology, aviation and aerospace, and software.

Big stuff, indeed. Just not guaranteed.

“It’s a national issue,” says Hielema. “and it’s a huge priority for Florida.”

Jardon praises UCF as well as several of the state’s other colleges and universities. Still, he notes: “We’re getting left behind. … We still have a lot of great people. But I’m concerned because that [a STEM career] has not been the chosen path to success for a lot of our young people.”

The concern isn’t new. The past decade has brought increasing discussion and plans. The problem is that activity too frequently has occurred in “silos.” The individual and sometimes effective efforts have not been particularly concerted. Like ants in an anthill, people are dutifully running around with their mission in mind, but without masterful coordination.

Industry’s Initiatives
Lee Barnes is intent on helping usher in change. The corporate lead executive in Orlando for Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Technical Services sector doesn’t see any other choice. “We’re getting down to the point where it’s not necessarily going to self-correct,” he says. “We have to make sure it corrects.”

Northrop Grumman, an international security giant whose customers include the U.S. government, has long engaged in developing educational programs and writing charitable checks. A fortuitous introduction of Barnes to a UCF outreach specialist involved in similar work now has delivered greater clarity and broader scope.

Bruce Furino, UCF’s director of educational partnerships, was running a program called Engineer Future Connection, funded by General Electric. Barnes, meanwhile, was searching for answers with  industry associates. When each learned what the other was doing, collaboration became a no-brainer. “I thought, ‘This just makes too much sense. This is exactly where we need to be,’” Barnes says.

The result is the Central Florida STEM Education Council, formed in January and based at the UCF Business Incubation Program in the Central Florida Research Park. The regional effort hopes to stimulate STEM options for precollege students in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, Lake, Polk and Flagler counties.

Aside from UCF’s College of Engineering & Computer Science and Northrop Grumman, charter members include NASA Kennedy Space Center, Lockheed Martin, Science Applications International Corp., the Boeing Co., Harris Corp., the Walt Disney Co., Florida Virtual School, U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center, U.S. Army PEO-STRI, Manufacturers Association of Central Florida and Cox Marketing Services. All have ongoing STEM education activities, and the council enables them to share relevant information and to leverage resources.

“The fact that we’re addressing this locally speaks to the importance of the problem,” Furino comments. “The fact that we’re doing this together, that we’re sitting down and recognizing this at the same time — it’s just one of those moments when all the pieces come together.”

The council’s stated mission is to “prepare and encourage precollege students to enter technical fields of study and pursue employment in the Central Florida high-tech workforce.” It plans to “encourage and support stronger technology programs in area schools and advocate [the offering of] direct assistance, including mentorships, online resources for parents and students, and resources for educators.”

In other words, the target is children.

An aging workforce needs to be replenished, and the initial aim is to attract the attention of students who are barely into their multiplication tables.

“For us to be successful at all, we’ve got to create a higher level of interest and application at the [elementary] school and [middle] school level,” says Barnes. “Otherwise, you cannot make it to the other end. So, regardless of what our ultimate goal is, our immediate pressing goal is to focus back on the lower levels of school.”

“The opportunity is there for these students to excel,” says Furino. “It’s just getting the message to them for them to realize what’s ahead. … How do we reach those young students to get the point across? Throwing data at them isn’t going to do it. We need to market the message of STEM.

“There’s so much to be done. We’re just getting started.”

The PRISM Project (Promoting Regional Improvement in Science and Math) has a head start, although with the older target group of middle schoolers and up. Established in 2005, the project hopes to elevate the region’s ability to compete economically by strengthening math and science education in area schools. In the past five years, the effort has spread from eight to 10 counties along the high-tech corridor from Orlando to Tampa and encompasses businesses, local governments, community organizations and educational institutions.

PRISM’s growing list of partners are Central Florida School Boards Coalition, Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Orlando Science Center, Workforce Central Florida, Orlando Inc., Lake-Sumter Community College, Lockheed Martin, Electronic Arts, National Retail Properties, Progress Energy, Realty Capital, Regions Bank, Walt Disney World, UCF, Valencia Community College, Seminole State College of Florida, DeVry University, Daytona College and the Florida Department of Education.

PRISM has worked to support and train teachers, inspire students to pursue math and science education, enhance school curricula and expand funding opportunities. As a way to inspire, for example, PRISM promotes participation in math and science competitions. Also, there’s a PRISM student scholar program designed to create interest and participation in math and science by sixth-graders. In the past three years, PRISM has recognized 92 outstanding math and science teachers, who shared best practices with other teachers in their districts, and 170 outstanding and most-improved students.
Progress is being made. Still, more is needed.

That’s the contention of Pam Tedesco, project manager of STEMflorida, who is pushing toward further synergy on the statewide level. “There are some fantastic things that are going on in the state,” she says, “but there is no defined method for collaboration and cooperation, for a single entity to catalog everything that’s going on and pull them together.” Last June, Workforce Florida, which oversees Florida’s workforce system, and Enterprise Florida, a partnership between Florida’s business and government leaders, created STEMflorida to be that entity.

The goal, aside from being that clearinghouse, is to build business–education collaboration, create career awareness among young Floridians about STEM careers and growth opportunities, and provide for teacher externships and student internships in STEM disciplines.

Atop the agenda: educating people on exactly what STEM is. (If you think STEM means stem cell research, you get an F.)
“Once people do learn about it, it’s an easy sell because it touches so many different areas,” says Tedesco, who most recently worked in economic development and workforce innovation in northwest Florida. “There is no career in ‘STEM.’ Instead, STEM skills are required in many different jobs.

“STEM is not a standalone. It is intertwined with everything and anything.”

STEM isn’t only about young students; the initiative carries throughout formal schooling and into the training and retraining of employees, she adds: “It really is the full spectrum across the entire current and future potential workforce.”

To foster synergy, STEMflorida has implemented a Declaration of Interdependence, defining roles and responsibilities of committed partners. A series of business roundtables has begun, to eventually complete a strategic plan for STEM education. (At press time, Orlando’s roundtable, hosted by Lockheed Martin, was scheduled for Feb. 18.) An annual education conference, held in conjunction with the Florida Association of School Administrators, is scheduled for July 25-28 in Orlando. There, STEM stakeholders can gather to share best practices, leverage collective resources and increase coordination. Also, a Web portal with helpful resources and tools is available at www.stemflorida.net. Hielema of Orlando Inc., by the way, has been particularly active in the council’s launch activities.

“Everybody needs to be arm in arm in addressing this situation,” Tedesco emphasizes, noting that the callout extends far beyond this sampling of STEM groups.

Education’s Efforts
For their part, educators have seen the writing on the chalkboard for some time. As a result, a new attitude, along with a new curriculum, is taking hold.

“We have to change our mental model of who we are as a teacher,” says Yvonne Fonnett, a secondary science specialist at Orange County Public Schools. “What is our education philosophy, and what are we trying to do with our students?”

At central issue is what OCPS labels 21st-century skills: thinking critically; working in teams; leading by influence; being adaptable; taking initiative and being entrepreneurial; communicating clearly and concisely; accessing and analyzing information effectively; and being curious and imaginative.

Curriculum changes are encouraging inquiry, exploration, problem solving and creative thinking, not necessarily the regurgitation of facts. School district officials use the terms rigor, relevance and relationships to describe the academic approach.
The recently approved Next Generation Sunshine State Standards are helping to drive change. Beginning in the next school year, the Next Generation will eclipse the circa-1997 Sunshine State Standards testing yardstick.

Optimism is high. “As an educator, you never feel it’s too challenging,” comments Molly Malloy, an OCPS resource teacher who specializes in middle school science. “It’s actually kind of exciting with the new things happening right now. I think it’s very doable.”

Margaret Walker, an OCPS secondary mathematics specialist, cites joint efforts such as the I-4 Corridor for Mathematics Group, composed of nine school districts that meet quarterly to discuss classroom challenges and opportunities for improvement. “We’re going to have to work harder,” she says. “So we might as well work smarter as we work harder. … And the smarter part is working together.” Another example, among numerous, is the Science Leadership Academy, started in 2008, where leaders from each county public school meet regularly as part of mentoring and coaching for teachers.

Despite the headway that’s been made, the task for educators is daunting, leaving little room for error.
Pop quiz: How early do youngsters make up their mind about school work? Published research indicates that by third grade, students typically decide whether they are going to pursue rigorous math or science training. And if by fifth grade they’re out of that equation, they won’t factor back in it.

Making matters worse are subpar standardized test scores. In the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, used to measure how well students are meeting the Sunshine State Standards, fewer than half of students statewide score at or above grade level in science. Florida’s students score higher in mathematics than in science, but still many students struggle.

Of added concern is that mathematics performance declines from elementary to middle and high school. While 78 percent of third-grade students are performing at grade level, student achievement begins to decline in the fourth grade and continues to decline through the sixth, when only 55 percent of students are performing at grade level.

The precise validity of test scores is debatable. The trends, though, are difficult to deny.

Educators, clearly, shouldn’t shoulder all the blame, perhaps not even most of it. Limited school funding and low teacher wages are well-documented hurdles to higher student achievement, as are myriad other obstacles that make the road from K-start to 12-success seem trickier to navigate than Interstate 4 during rush hour.

To their credit, all Florida schools aren’t doing a poor job either. Florida public schools rank eighth in the nation, a leap from 31st just three years ago, in Education Week magazine’s recent “Quality Counts” report. Each year, Education Week compiles a state-by-state report card, rating public education systems in such areas as student achievement, academic standards, teachers and financing. The report uses available national data as recent as 2009 and as far back as 2000. Overall, Florida earned a B-minus.

CliffsNotes
Back to STEM.

Jardon points to the region’s planned high-speed rail and the technical expertise required to make it go. Rhetorically, he asks,  “Do we have the people who can do the work?” He also sees the irony of young people’s seemingly unquenchable thirst for cell phones, iPods, notebook computers and other gadgets yet their lack of interest in the techno magic that brings them to life. “Kids,” he comments, “see way easier ways to make a lot of money.”

Barnes contends that money, in actuality, should be a motivator, given the $64,000 in average salary of engineers in his Northrop Grumman business arena. He vows patience and promises a vigilant eye: “We’re not going to fix this tomorrow. This is a five- to 10-year plan to even make the turn. … The change to the dynamic is what we have to do today.”

Hielema, who holds a master’s in electrical engineering, has a daughter in elementary school. Hielema is hopeful, but wonders whether the STEM path will be wide enough for her daughter to follow. “This is scary,” she says.

Fonnet has a different feeling: “We’re in this flux of change, and it’s exciting to really look at our profession and what it is that we want our kids to be able to do when they leave our classroom at the end of the day.”

Tedesco is confident. “Certainly,” she asserts, “if there had been more [attention] earlier, we’d be in a better position. But the ship hasn’t left the dock yet.”

Furino offers this ominous conclusion: “There is no ‘If we don’t.’ We must.”

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of continuing editorial coverage on the topic of STEM. Also, see Page 22 for additional perspectives from STEM stakeholders.

Spring finds Orlando in seasonal transition — not quite tropical but with plenty of warm temperatures and sunny skies, especially as compared to the rest of the country.

Beautiful weather aside, a pair of recent industry professional studies suggests business and leisure travel to the destination is beginning to recover. Both the meeting planner and travel trade groups that were polled in separate surveys ranked Orlando as the top location to book travel to this year.

According to the METROPOLL XIII survey, corporate and association meeting planners across the United States named Orlando as the overall convention site of choice for a host of compelling reasons. The survey also found that more planners intend to hold a meeting in Orlando than any other North American location during the next three years. The biannual study, conducted by Gerard Murphy & Associates since 1983, polls a large sample of industry professionals to determine the way major meeting destinations are selected, as well as the perceptions or reputations of each. The survey covered 40 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Among the additional rankings for Orlando: first overall as a convention destination; the No. 1 destination among corporate meeting planners; in the top 10 on 15 out of 25 travel destination attributes; first for 15 of the 21 convention center attributes.

“It’s rewarding and quite an honor to be recognized by nationwide meeting professionals with such high marks and praise,” comments Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our entire meetings community has come together and worked tirelessly for many years to earn the respect and trust as a top meetings destination. This recognition of our efforts, along with [those of] our incredible hotel partners, the Orange County Convention Center team and the rest of the destination service providers, in delivering the highest-quality meetings experience at a good value, is validation that we are making a positive, discernible difference in the meetings industry.”

Of the more than 60 total attributes covered in the METROPOLL survey, Orlando received the most top rankings regarding the Orange County Convention Center and its related services. These included convention center reputation, easy-to-work-with labor crews, Internet and audiovisual facilities, banquet and food service, access to nearby hotels, sufficient exhibit space, reasonable exhibit setup and service costs, and adequate seating for large sessions.

Plus, industry perceptions of leisure travel — what made Orlando famous to begin with — hasn’t gone unnoticed. After seven years at the No. 2 slot, Orlando was ranked as the top domestic destination being booked, according to the annual Travel Leaders Survey. More than 500 leaders, owners, managers and industry experts were polled throughout the United States during the final weeks of 2009 regarding travel trends for the upcoming year. Las Vegas previously held the top ranking from 2003 though 2009.

“[Orlando’s] landing at number one shows the remarkable resiliency [and] strength in family-oriented destinations,” says Roger E. Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group. “Overall bookings are starting to trend higher, optimism is definitely on the rise and a significant number of leisure travelers are taking advantage of current hotel prices and ‘trading up’ to more luxurious accommodations, which are all good signs.”
While forecasts for visitation during 2010 vary, these industry research insights bode well for Orlando. At the very least, travel professionals are thinking about, and discussing, Orlando’s positive qualities with colleagues and, more importantly, clients. And that’s always a good thing.

Editor’s note: To learn more about the way Orlando markets the destination to global meeting, convention and trade show groups, go to www.VisitOrlando.com/cvb.

You’ve probably already heard of Google Voice, but you might not be aware of what it is.

First, don’t confuse it with Google Talk. They’re both services of the ubiquitous Google. They serve different needs, though. Google Talk is an instant messenger–like product that allows you to communicate using your computer. Google Voice is, at its purest, a personal permanent phone number that you can take anywhere — from cell phone provider to cell phone provider to Internet phone service to landline. Or, at least it holds that promise for the future.

For now, Google Voice, a relaunch of GrandCentral, which Google bought in 2007, is a feature-rich telephone service based on Internet technology that you can link to your current phone service.

To start, it’s a phone number that you can give out that forwards your calls to some other number, allowing you to pick it up wherever you want. That makes it an excellent way for you to have a continuing phone number without staying with the same phone service provider. Yet, with phone number portability now mandated by the Federal Communications Commission, that part of the product is useful only in certain circumstances. It’s really the “extra” features that make Google Voice so enticing.

If working properly, Google Voice lets you prescreen your voice-mail messages in a way that most voice mails don’t allow. So you can have your Google Voicemail automatically pick up your calls, hear what the caller is saying and then interrupt the outgoing message to talk with the caller, just as your now-obsolete answering machine used to allow. You can go even further by requiring callers to announce themselves and decide from there whether to pick up or send to voice mail. And you can decide whether to do this for all callers or just for those who have blocked their caller IDs. Google Voice is smart enough, too, to remember who they are the next time they call, so they don’t have to keep announcing themselves. You can set Google Voice to do it for them. Unfortunately, however, I haven’t been able to figure out how to remove the system’s memory of who is calling, in case the first recognition is a mistake.

Also, you can record the calls that reach you through Google Voice, and Google Voice can transcribe (albeit poorly) the voice messages that you receive, making it possible to forward them to you via e-mail or SMS text message.

In short, with these and other features, Google Voice changes the way you can use your telephone.

I only wish it worked most of the time. Officially, Google Voice is still available by invitation only. And I can tell why: It doesn’t work consistently.

I managed to get five invitations — one for each member of my family. Yet, all complain consistently about various problems they have encountered with Google Voice and have begged to stop using it. The last time I looked, there were 1.5 million registered Google Voice accounts, but only 580,000 active users. The majority of registered users aren’t using it.

I suppose it’s easy to be attracted by the promise of tomorrow but doing so means dealing with the problems of today. Most people should stay away until it becomes more stable. To me, that means at least connecting a higher percentage of calls, reliably sending the e-mail or SMS alerts about voice messages, and allowing more flexibility when setting it up.

Google Voice isn’t horrible; it’s just not ready for prime time. So for a while, it’s mostly a product for tech enthusiasts or those who absolutely need one of its unique capabilities.

Still, keep your eyes peeled because some day it just might help change the world.

Editor’s note: David Radin is a national radio show host and business consultant. You can reach him at www.megabyteminute.com.

TAKING ACTION

When it comes to improving and expanding the STEM talent pipelines, educators and industry leaders are conducting their own research and development.

Last fall, the Obama Administration announced plans to strengthen America’s economic competitiveness by improving education and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In a speech, President Obama stated: “Lifting American students from the middle to the top of the pack in STEM achievement over the next decade will not be attained by government alone. I applaud the substantial commitments made … by the leaders of companies, universities, foundations, nonprofits and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers and teachers from across the country.”

The President could well have been talking directly to leaders in Central Florida.

Indeed, as noted in the cover story on the preceding pages, STEM has the attention of those who teach, those who employ and those who assist. What is being done to better prepare tomorrow’s workforce for the battle in global competitiveness and the challenge of innovation? Consider the following passionate and proactive local efforts.

ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CTE is the Key to the STEM

By Janet Addair
Associate Superintendent
Career and Technical Education

Our nation’s economy needs more workers proficient in science, technology, engineering and math, and there is a lot of discussion about how to achieve that goal. Studies suggest educational challenges include student reluctance to take these types of courses and a shortage of qualified teachers.

Demand for STEM professionals with education past high school but below a bachelor’s degree is increasing. Healthcare workers, veterinary assistants, pharmacy technicians, forensic-science technicians and dental hygienists are some of the fastest-growing occupations.

STEM skills and knowledge are integral parts of our nation’s economy. In the next decade, retirement of scientists and engineers will significantly affect the STEM labor pool. Too few students are preparing to fill those jobs or gaining foundational skills to be successful in STEM careers even if they choose that path. We are falling behind India and China in producing STEM professionals.

Career and Technical Education (CTE), a leader in combining academic rigor and technology helps students prepare and pursue STEM careers. Agriscience and health occupation courses contain strong science components and, in some Florida schools, students may earn science credits. Engaging lessons and projects help students understand why they need to learn certain material. Students can learn how abstract math is used in real-world engineering situations. Job shadowing, mentoring experiences, school-based enterprises, apprenticeships and student organizations provide a way to create a relevant education, exposing students to career fields. Research proves that rigorous CTE engages and motivates students, lowers dropout rates, plus increases student achievement and graduation rates. CTE can expose students to curricula and careers they may have never even imagined.

More must be done to ensure a fully developed, skilled STEM workforce and secure America’s economic future. Most students have a strong potential for learning, but learning styles vary significantly. Many students fail to grasp mathematical concepts and scientific theories without a relevant application. CTE delivers academics far differently than a regular math or science course.   
Expanding and strengthening CTE programs are the solutions to the STEM challenge.

WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA

Developing the Region’s Innovators and Problem Solvers

As Central Florida diversifies its industries through sectors such as digital media, optics and photonics and simulation, technology companies are anticipated to grow through entrepreneurship, relocation and expansion. With this projected increase, the region must be prepared to provide the science, technology, engineering, math — and green — workforce needed to staff these companies.

“We have several challenges in the region that we must address as we diversify our industries,” says Gary Earl, president and CEO of WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA. “First, we need increase our local youth’s interest in STEM and green careers and inspire them to pursue education in these subjects. To motivate our students, we must educate the region’s teachers, who by attrition and downsizing are often under-qualified to teach STEM. Lastly, once we’ve encouraged students to study a STEM or green subject, we must retain them in these college majors.”

WCF addresses these challenges through a three-pronged approach: K-12 student recruitment into STEM majors and careers; teacher preparedness and readiness to teach STEM subjects; and retention in STEM majors/training.

Inspiring K-12 Students

WCF’s first goal, to inspire youth to pursue STEM careers, begins at the elementary level and continues through high school. For example, a WCF STEM College Shadow Day allows 500 fifth graders to participate in a Junior Achievement Our County curriculum about STEM careers in Central Florida. At the end of this five-week curriculum, students visit the University of Central Florida to tour laboratories and the university and to receive insider knowledge from industry professionals.

WCF Industry Days, a program also in partnership with Junior Achievement, takes 180 students and 20 teachers to visit a STEM organization for a half-day tour. Recent visits include Electronic Arts, Lockheed Martin and AT&T.

Another program, the STEM Summer Camp, offers six two-day camps for 150 fifth through eighth graders, where they learn about STEM careers from industry veterans, UCF grad students and student athletes with a STEM major, and visit a STEM-related company to work on projects with industry experts.

In addition, WCF awarded $15,000 grants to low-income schools, including Evans High, Lockhart Middle and Leesburg Elementary schools, to purchase materials that foster inquiry into math and science learning. WCF also provided $1,000 sponsorship grants to 45 schools to introduce clubs or curriculum-enhancing enrichment programs such as Science Olympiad. In an effort to support post-secondary education, WCF will award $2,500 college scholarships to 10 high school seniors who are pursuing STEM-related degrees.

To overcome the stigma that STEM careers are male dominated, WCF also sponsored five Girl Scout troops where participants compete in FIRST Robotics challenges.

Educating STEM Teachers

Because of shrinking budgets and layoffs, many area educators are teaching classes out of their subject area and, therefore, are unprepared to teach STEM classes. To address this challenge, WCF created the Leader Academies in Math and Science program, which provides 160 middle school teachers with 15 hours of in-depth content on chemistry, life and earth space sciences.
Also, the Teach Me Workshop series assists 25 math and science middle school teachers with content delivery and classroom management. Each teacher learns techniques using UCF’s Teach Me simulated classroom and is coached during follow-up face-to-face and technology-enhanced sessions by UCF faculty and doctoral students.

Retaining College STEM Majors

At the college level, the goal is to retain students who have selected a STEM course of study. UCF’s EXCEL (see Page 30) is one example. Another is the STEM-in-School Work Experience program, which provides paid work experience in STEM research for students during their first two years of college study, an experience that typically only occurs at the graduate level.

WCF also focuses on creating college-level programs to support local employers’ workforce needs. For example, WCF provided $300,000 for curriculum development, tuition support and hiring of staff for a digital media program at Seminole State College, a patient simulation technician program at Orlando Tech and a photonics technician program at UCF.

Through these efforts, WCF’s goal is to align strategies with the region’s expected economic growth.
“STEM and green jobs are not a just a trend,” says Earl. “These careers are the future of our region, and unless we act with an all-around approach to train our future innovators and problem solvers, we chance losing high-paying jobs to other areas.”

VALENCIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Securing Futures Through Security Training

In terms of STEM and preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce, Valencia Community College has several initiatives that feature a laser focus on that mission. One such effort is the new Digital Forensics & Cyber Security program, which will enable students to pursue high-tech specialization as they obtain an Associate in Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology.

Think: world-class education in global protection.

As part of the curriculum, for example, students will gain practical knowledge in conducting digital investigations and preserving evidence that stands up in court or corporate inquiries. Advanced coursework provides training in the “defense-in-depth” strategy for defending critical information systems.

With that curriculum now being finalized, Valencia hopes to begin offering the cyber security specialization in August 2010.

Additionally, students enrolled in the Cyber Security specialization are able to participate in the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition both at the regional and national levels. It’s the largest college-level cyber defense competition in the world. There, students are put to the test by defending their networks against attacks from opposing teams. Also, they can show off their skills to representatives from government agencies and the private sector, who attend to recruit students.

Valencia will offer the program courtesy of a three-year, $547,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. At present, Valencia is awaiting word about certification from the National Security Agency. The curriculum was designed to meet objectives of the NSA for Information Security Professionals and Information Security Systems Administrators. The NSA certification, which comes in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, designates a college as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. If Valencia receives that certification, it will become only the third college (two- or four-year) in Florida to obtain their seal of approval, joining Nova Southeastern and Florida State universities.

Essentially, the certification would allow Valencia to train employees of government agencies, banks, insurance companies and others who need training in information security. Also, it would enable Valencia graduates to find jobs more easily.

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

STEM-ing the Loss of Academic Interest

Science and technology experts have been saying for years that the United States is falling behind in teaching students the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering and math in the classroom. At the same time, STEM education, from K-12 through post-college, is essential in training a reliable workforce that can compete in a global economy.

Enter Michael Georgiopoulos, a UCF professor in the School of Electrical Engineering.

For the past five years, Georgiopoulos and more than 25 colleagues at UCF have focused on feeding the appetites of approximately 800 freshman and sophomore students with a steady diet of calculus, physics and personalized attention through a program, called EXCEL.

EXCEL has, through a combination of scholarship support, residential learning communities, a customized curriculum focused on applications of calculus, and aggressive mentoring and tutoring, attracted hundreds of students. While EXCEL’s primary goal is to increase success rates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, it also has had the secondary benefit of increasing the success rates of underrepresented groups (women and minorities) in those fields.

His methodology has proven so successful that the National Science Foundation funded a $600,000 extension of an initial $1.8 million program to carry on into the students’ junior and senior years. And now, Georgiopoulos and his colleagues are talking to supporters in industry to sustain the effort.

From the moment EXCEL students arrive for orientation at UCF, they feel like they are part of a community. Admission is competitive, but students, once accepted, can expect priority course selections in calculus, chemistry and physics, specialized classes, uniquely organized advising days, mentoring by graduate students and faculty, study sessions, a tutoring center and a variety of social activities. Plus, there is a sense of a learning community, enhanced by the fact that EXCEL students are housed in the same block, so they can get to know each other socially, thus establishing the bonds that help them in their academics.

Georgiopoulos said the problem hit home with him as he was trying to find qualified students to work in his lab. As he and colleagues began researching about STEM, they focused on the large percentage of STEM majors who left the science fields in the first year (estimated at 31 percent by the six-year University of Oklahoma STEM retention survey supported by NSF) and the corresponding list of reasons they leave. EXCEL addresses each one of the reasons students cite for leaving the field in a fundamental way.

By introducing students to the real-world applications of STEM disciplines early in their academic life, many of those who had expressed little or no interest in STEM subjects discovered newfound curiosity.

Another unique aspect of the program includes the research component. During their sophomore year, EXCEL students have the opportunity to participate in optional, paid undergraduate research experiences. Students are paired with UCF STEM professors and get to participate in research firsthand. In the four years of its existence, the EXCEL program has involved more than 140 students in sophomore undergraduate research experiences.

Notably, the success rate of STEM students in the EXCEL program is roughly 20 percent higher than STEM students who are not involved with it.

Further expansion is in the works. Already, UCF partners with Seminole State College and three other Central Florida community colleges to improve access to higher education through its DirectConnect to UCF program, which guarantees graduates of those community colleges admission to a state university. Now, university officials say expanding an EXCEL-modeled program to Seminole State will ease students’ transition from a two-year to a four-year institution.

Moreover, in 2008, NSF approved a companion project, called the Young Entrepreneur and Scholar (YES) Scholarship, to enable juniors and seniors who have completed the EXCEL program to continue their research experiences with a UCF STEM professor or be involved in entrepreneurship experiences with a local company.

All of these efforts are directed at trying to address a growing national problem. The decline in graduation rates from U.S. high schools and colleges, along with the acute shortage of Americans graduating college with science, mathematics and engineering degrees, has become a federal priority.

Suzanne Bonham

Founder

Urban Flats

As a young girl, Suzanne Bonham dreamed of a career that would fulfill her passion for food, fun and hospitality. A stint at the Walt Disney Co. from 1993 to 2002, when she traveled the globe teaching others the magic of a memorable guest experience, further whetted that appetite. In 2004, she founded Urban Flats as a “refined casual restaurant and wine bar, where the centuries-old flatbread is given a modern new twist.” Last month, Bonham, also the chief executive officer, opened her 12th location, in Jacksonville, with plans to open nine others in 2010.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

“The most important thing I learned was not to grow too fast. I think you’re always gung-ho as an entrepreneur to grow very fast and do great things. One thing I learned is that growing slower, and really making the right choices, helps you in the long run be successful.”

Has there been one “big” mistake?

“Yes. We were really excited about the concept at the very beginning. And I picked a site location that probably was not the best and didn’t do my research. So the one big mistake is funding a restaurant in my [company’s] infancy that didn’t make it.”

Is there a secret of success?

“Humility. You have to surround yourself with talent and people who really care. And take care of them.”

While tough economic times linger, companies large and small are still investing in something that’s critical to their business: information technology. Whether it’s to protect data or plan for disaster recovery, streamline processes or better integrate systems, enhance remote access or mobile computing, company leaders are focusing on information technology to ensure that their operations and their people are ultraefficient today and in the future — no matter what the economic conditions.

For many Central Florida companies, from newly established to fully grown, thoughts of IT can mean information overload. To heighten the challenge, the people responsible for the behind-the-scenes technology systems may have a hard time planning for, or deciding on, a tech plan that’s right and affordable for the company.

What to do? No matter the size, companies looking at their tech systems should avoid getting caught up in these seven deadly technology sins:

1. A technology strategy that’s MIA. Companies that think they’re not big enough to need a tech strategy need to think again. Every company needs to have chief information officer–like direction and to understand that a technology plan should be aligned with its business, not the other way around. An expert assessment of your systems and a long-term plan will improve your business processes and your bottom line, and it will provide a foundation for your company’s growth. Remember, too, that proper implementation is more important than the technology itself.




2. Technology on the cheap. The lowest price option isn’t always the best option. Buying cheap software, hardware or services could end up costing you money on a recurring basis, not to mention its effect on performance and overall efficiencies.




3. No method for systems management. You can’t manage what you don’t know you have. Reactive management, in the majority of cases, is the norm, where a great deal of time is spent “putting out fires,” waiting for tech support to come and just diagnose the problem, and productivity is interrupted. Proactive management is the goal — where you have network inventories and documentation, and are able to automate as much as possible plus implement a proactive monitoring system.




4. Poor security practices. An unprotected computer can be completely infected within 20 minutes of being connected to the Internet. Among the “best of the best” practices are these: a business-class firewall, monitored virus protection, spam filtering, laptop encryption, cell phone passwords and, of course, regular internal and external security reviews.




5. No functional disaster recovery plan. Think about what it would cost if your systems were down for a day or a week. Disaster recovery is much more than a tape backup; it’s a full backup with a restore plan. Experienced outsource companies can establish disaster recovery sites, where all production systems and data are replicated on a daily basis.




6. No secure remote access to business-critical information. While there are many remote access options, the best applications and practices include Web access that can be locked down with encryption, cell phone passwords and remote “wipes” that can deactivate a stolen phone.




7. Living with poor tech support. Now more than ever, companies need a support team that really understands the business and its needs. Efficient technology implementations provide the foundation for efficient support systems. Know when to outsource, and if you do, conduct an annual review to ensure the team is meeting your current business objectives.

Information technology is a significant investment for a company — an investment that requires protection for the existence and growth of a business. Companies that avoid the all-too-common tech system mistakes will be positioned for long-term efficiencies in their operations and productivity with their people.

Editor’s note: Brian Killian is the president of NorthPoint Technology Group, a growing, locally based IT firm that provides comprehensive, full-service information technology consulting, implementation and support for small and medium professional services and financial industries. For more information, visit www.teamnorthpoint.com.

You’ve likely heard the buzz around solar energy. There’s talk about “renewable energy,” the “green economy” and ways to reduce your “carbon footprint.”

This might all sound very good to you. Or, you might be the skeptical type who cares only about the “green” in dollar bills. Regardless, given the slowdown in commercial real estate, being green can also mean making green. That’s because commercial property owners will find that solar systems provide an opportunity for both clean energy and increased profits.

Commercial property owners can take advantage of price drops and hefty government stimulus to cut their power bills by installing a solar electric system. Solar energy (specifically, solar photovoltaic, or PV, systems) can provide a stable, secure investment by converting the roof of your existing commercial building into another paying tenant.

When examining the financial case for solar, there are four main factors to consider: affordability of the system; return on investment; positive effect on the value of the property; and the hedge the system provides against the rising cost of conventional power.

Rising Cost of Power

Let’s illustrate the cost of a typical solar installation on a commercial roof. Assume that your commercial building meets one of the following criteria: It is owner occupied or the owner pays the utility bill. This is a prime property for a PV system. Let’s also assume that your property uses an average of 200,000 kilowatts of AC power per year and you pay the utility company 15 cents per watt. This means your utility costs would be $30,000 for the current year. Ignoring the fact that in Florida there were rate increases of as much as 30 percent in 2009 alone, the conservative estimate is that rates will increase on average 3 percent to 5 percent annually into the foreseeable future.

What will that mean for your utility cost this year and the next and the next? In 10 years, your business can expect to be paying $39,100, an additional $9,100 annually for electricity. In 20 years, you’ll pay $52,600, an additional $22,600 annually. Your total utility cost over 20 years is a whopping $806,100!

Now, let’s assume that you install a 100kW system on the roof of your building. A system that size will generate $23,000 of averted power costs in its first year. By year 20, those averted costs will have gone to $40,400 in annual savings for a total saving of $619,000 from the original $806,100 in operating expenses.

Installing a solar system now, and fixing your electrical costs by doing so, protects you from the inflation of electricity prices. Also, by producing energy during the daytime, when power is the most expensive for many rate payers, a solar system helps shave the amount of electricity consumed during peak hours, significantly reducing power bills.

In effect, you are locking down your future operating expenses. Any expense you are able to avert is a savingsthat will go right to your bottom line and be recognized as an increase in the building’s operating margin.

Affordability of Solar

The current technology used to generate electricity from the sun has been around for decades, and the technological advances of recent years have greatly decreased the cost of solar energy. These days, a typical commercial installation can cost between $4.50 and $7.50 per installed watt, depending on the size of the system, the type of mounting hardware used (roof or ground), the type of solar panels selected and the features added to the system.

Using a sample cost of $4.75 per installed watt, the total cost of a 100kW system is about $475,000. There are a number of incentives currently offered to encourage the development of renewable energy sources like PV systems. For example, you can immediately subtract a federal tax credit (FTC) of 30 percent off the cost of the system. This drops its cost by $142,500 to $332,500. You are also allowed to depreciate the cost of your system at an accelerated rate. Depending on your location, you may also have other government or utility incentives available to you.

While this is just an overview of the cost of solar (and considerations such as the cost of financing should be included), other auxiliary benefits apply. For a complete financial analysis, all customers should contact a qualified solar system integrator to discuss their specific situation. A qualified integrator will determine what size and type of system will work best for you and will handle much of the paperwork involved in taking advantage of the subsidies.

Return on Investment

The annual return on investment of a solar electric system is similar to those typically seen by commercial property investors. This ROI is the income (annual net after depreciation) divided by the cost of the system (after the FTC). In our example, the investor will see a 9.2 percent ROI plus, more importantly, an immediate cash flow and property valuation increase.

If you believe the cost of energy will continue to rise, this model presents you a stable, safe investment strategy. Many knowledgeable investors would agree that this is an attractive ROI when compared to the rest of the market at this time.

Property Value Increase

The annual saving in your building’s power bill translates into an increase in the building’s value. Since the property costs less to operate, you see an immediate increase in your operating margins. Also, any increase in the operating margin, divided by the capitalization rate (ratio between the net operating income produced by an asset and its capital cost), equals an increase in the resale value of the building.

In our example, the solar system has increased your operating margin and the value of your commercial building. If we look at the increased after-tax cash flow ($43,200) and use a 10 percent cap rate, the resale value of your building just went up by an additional $432,300 in the first year. The end result is an immediate saving in your operating expenses plus an immediate increase in the value of your property. And you will never get a complaint from this new “tenant.” By the way, Florida law now provides an exemption from property taxes for the cost of an installed solar system (Section 196.175, Florida Statutes).

Reducing your carbon footprint or decreasing dependence on foreign oil might be important to you. Or, it might not. Yet, the bottom line is that installing a solar electric system likely makes financial sense for your property right now.

If you are a commercial property investor who feels uneasy about the current market, investing in a PV system may offer the long-term stability you are seeking at a reasonable rate of return.

Editor’s note: Lynnette Acosta is vice president of marketing at QuickBeam Energy LLC in Winter Haven. She can be reached at lynnette.acosta@quickbeamenergy.com. The numbers in this article have been rounded to the nearest hundredth for ease of reading.

In the past, the area stretching from Tampa Bay through Orlando and Central Florida has been called such interesting names as Orlampa or Tamplando. Yet, regardless of the moniker, the potential for economic firepower across the entire area is just beginning to be addressed.

Currently, the Tampa Bay Region has the 19th largest gross domestic product in the United States. The Central Florida Region is right behind, ranking 20th. Combined, the 13-county “super region” has the 10^th-largest economy in the United States, with the potential to be a major global economic competitor. Many forecasts, in fact, suggest that by the year 2050 Tampa Bay and Central Florida will become a single economic region and Florida’s dominant economic driver.

In his first State of the Union address, President Barack Obama made the announcement that high-speed rail is coming to Florida, connecting Tampa and Orlando and providing better connectivity for workers, visitors and freight. But the future success of the super region also requires better connectivity to markets worldwide, building on the success of the super region’s seven commercial service airports, three deepwater seaports and two major intermodal freight terminals, as well as the world-leading spaceport at Cape Canaveral.

Looking toward the future, how will this critical transportation system accommodate additional population and economic growth, plus continue to advance global competitiveness and quality of life?

To gain an understanding of how the 13-county super region could work together and what value that would provide, the Tampa Bay Partnership and the Central Florida Partnership have engaged Professor Jonathan Barnett and his team of graduate students at the PennDesign Studio as consultants for Connecting for Global Competitiveness: Tampa Bay-Central Florida Super Region, an 18-month project managed by myregion.org. Connecting for Global Competitiveness is designed to demonstrate the potential advantages of coast-to-coast connectivity to develop a Super Regional Strategy for transportation and land use, economic and workforce development, environmental sustainability and quality of life issues.

In addition to the Tampa Bay Partnership and Central Florida Partnership, which are the lead partners, other project partners include the Central Florida Development Council; Florida Department of Transportation Districts 1, 5 and 7; Florida High Tech Corridor Council; Progress Energy; University of Central Florida Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies and WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA.

In January, Stuart Rogel, president of the Tampa Bay Partnership; Jacob Stuart, president of the Central Florida Partnership; and Shelley Lauten, president of myregion.org, traveled to Pennsylvania to meet with Professor Barnett and the PennDesign graduate students. Classes had just begun, and the students were already compiling massive volumes of data about the super region.

Members of the “Florida Faculty” — technical experts in transportation, environmental protection and economic development — have also traveled to the University of Pennsylvania to share their expertise.

During the week of March 6-13, Barnett and the PennDesign consultants will meet with Central Florida community leaders to discuss the progress that has been made in analyzing the research data and support materials. While in Central Florida, the consultants also will be looking at the existing transportation systems and proposals for the Central Florida and Tampa Bay metropolitan regions, as well as visiting both current and projected high-speed rail stations sites across the super region, including (but not limited to) St. Petersburg, Sarasota, downtown Tampa, Orlando International Airport, Melbourne and Port Canaveral.

Using computer-aided techniques, PennDesign graduate students will illustrate how these proposals can be joined together to guide population growth and create new economic opportunities across the super region while also helping to safeguard the environment and preserve agriculture.

Between now and May, the PennDesign Studio will:

* Examine the regional visions created through OneBay (a regional development program for the Tampa Bay area) and How Shall We Grow?, as well as the work of the Florida Chamber Foundation, to identify common themes and create a consistent language that can be used when discussing “super regional” issues

* Identify best practices across the globe where regions built public consensus around key super regional actions

* Define the competitive benefits of operating at a super regional scale and show what will be needed to sustain and grow current population and job centers in the super region

* Illustrate the value of a super region on economic prosperity, transportation, education, workforce and quality of life by portraying alternative futures and making illustrative plans of key locations.

Following completion of the PennDesign Studio, phase two of the initiative includes a presentation of the findings at the Super Regional Conference, scheduled for May 26-27.

Editor’s note: To learn more about Connecting for Global Competitiveness: Tampa Bay-Central Florida Super Region, visit www.myregion.org.