Children of Immigrants Are America's Science Superstars

Adding fuel to the fiery debate over immigration policy, a study released Tuesday shows that top science achievers in the U.S. are overwhelmingly the children of immigrants.

The study, conducted by the National Foundation for American Policy, found that 70 percent of the finalists in the 2011 Intel Science Talent Search competition -- also known as the "Junior Nobel Prize" -- were the children of immigrants even though only 12 percent of the U.S. population is foreign-born.

According to the report, children of immigrant parents have been increasingly dominant in the fields of math and science. In 2004, for example, researchers found that 60 percent of the top science students in the U.S. and 65 percent of the top math students were born to immigrant families. Findings were based upon data from the Intel Science Talent Search and the 2004 U.S. Math Olympiad.

Based on these findings, the study concluded that "Liberalizing our nation's immigration laws will likely yield even greater rewards for America in the future."

Yet providing a path to residency for immigrants -- both legal and illegal -- has proven politically difficult, and some advocates are pessimistic about any significant reform in the near future. Tamar Jacoby, President of ImmigrationWorks USA, a business-focused immigration advocacy group, told HuffPost, "We're in a totally different climate than we were in 2006 and 2007. Immigration has become such an impacted, partisan issue. Never say never -- I hope something can happen -- but it's hard for me to see [reform] happening any time before the 2012 election."

In particular, debate continues over reforming H1-B visa -- a temporary 3- to 6-year visa for skilled foreign workers. According to the NFAP study, 24 of the 28 immigrant parents of 2011 Intel Science Talent Search winners started working in the United States on H-1B visas and later received an employer-sponsored green card.

Proponents of H1B visa reform, including both the White House and technology companies, say skilled workers should be incentivized to stay in the U.S. and not forced to leave after a certain time period, thereby encouraged to set up rival operations overseas.

While there is some interest on both sides of the immigration debate in keeping skilled workers in the country, Jacoby posits that advocates pushing for comprehensive immigration reform are unlikely to take up the H1-B visa issue independent of their broader reform goals. Said Jacoby: "They want to keep that steam bottled up. It's an 'All or nothing' regime."

"In my view," Jacoby added, "if it was ever a useful strategy, I think it's outlived its usefulness. There haven't been any fixes. We're just not gonna get the whole package anymore."

Comments

[assumetheopposite]

12:36 AM on 06/08/2011

THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND OFFSHORING: In '08, I ruefully noted that every single contestant in the finals of a national spelling bee was an immigrant. They were from around the world and not from any particular country or region. After seeing this spelling bee, I endured substitute teaching for 2 years. Essentially, the only students who were teachable were the immigrants. Virtually all of the natives, regardless of race, were unteachable and were bouncing off the walls. The only natives who were normal were kids whose parents were vegetarians, low-carb activists, anti-caffeine activists, or other radical health activists. I attributed this pandemic dysfunction to the natives all having had tubes put in their ears in infancy under general anesthesia. Finally this March, the FDA (what a pathetic travesty of a gov't agency) held hearings stemming from rodent & primate models clearly demonstrating apoptosis in the brain caused by anesthesia before age 3 (extrapolated to human development). They are scraping the bottom of the barrel to evade having to face the music of this national iatrogenic catastrophe. I think that all persons who have ever been anesthetized should be automatically put on disability & SSI so that the few normal people left can have jobs. Clearly, all they are good for are playing games with hedge funds, health insurance, derivatives, office politics, ad infinitum, while only unanesthetized persons are capable of real employment that sustains life; hence all the immigration & offshoring.

[Josiah Darby]

04:51 PM on 06/06/2011

So in other words, native-born Americans are becoming disadvantaged in science here? Great to hear, the more pain the better.

[Kurfco]

12:12 AM on 06/03/2011

Legal immigrants, ie. those whose parents were specifically chosen to enter the country by the front door. The only reason this story is reported as "immigrants" is because the data can't be parsed. However, you can be sure this story isn't about Hispanic immigrants, half of whose kids aren't making it out of high school.

[dirtytrickz]

07:40 PM on 06/01/2011

Think of it the other way around. We woill likely not have a Hannah Montana, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, or even the Palin daughter from immigrant children.

[allisonisa39e]

05:56 PM on 05/28/2011

The arguments in this article are about the children of immigrants-so what ???

The problem is with ILLEGAL people in the country.

[ShowMeC6]

11:32 PM on 05/26/2011

Funny how the article does not differentiate between LEGAL and ILLEGAL immigrants. Not to mention of what country these immigrants come from, I would guess they probably come from Asia. If they are illegal alien children imagine all the good they could have done in their own third world countries....imagine....

[herenow12]

04:50 PM on 05/26/2011

Foxbots are impervious to the truth.

Their hatred will be the downfall of our nation.

[Erewhon7]

01:54 AM on 05/26/2011

Those who support illegal immigration should be required to send their children to some inner city Los Angeles or Phoenix school.

[MSROADKILL612]

01:31 AM on 05/26/2011

Well, I can tell u how it works.

My boy and girl attend/ed the elite govt selective school here in sydney oz. 90% asian. They have no life outside coaching, school & homework (set by the extended family too), minding shop.

My kids got there on ability, not coaching & rote learning. They have a huge social & sporting life.

Friends have employed these stars & found them useless outside the prescribed box.

Its just a gimmick. An old asian tradition (read on getting into imperial bureaucracy - exams). The whole desperate family throws its resources behind advancing the smartest among them, to gain influence and pull the family up.

The dux of her school was a neurotic (emotional breakdown over only 97% in math - what to tell the parents (cleaners)(get over it says my daughter)) with ambitions of being a doctor, which sadly she will surely achieve.

As my son says, u dont end up doing what u want or like or have an affinity for, u do the classiest & most lucrative degree u qualify for, whether suited or not.

Am not being racist or elitist. I question that societies education $ could be better spent. Healthy democracy.

[Erewhon7]

01:47 AM on 05/26/2011

Typical uninformed blather opposing meritocracy in favor of indolence and "ability."
Rejected as nonsense.

[MSROADKILL612]

12:25 PM on 05/26/2011

Fine, so tell us your informed view of your kids experience at the top school in your state of 7 million with way better schools than most US states. Do share?

I tried to get the indolence and mediocrity message across to the kids, but they went ahead and defied me. Bummer. You seem to know your alphabet, but I doubt you interpret meaning very well.

If it is such a meritocracy, why do they need to be coached to within an inch of their lives, much of it on loopholes in the marking system - trust me - they exist.

There is no sport, literature, history, socialising, humor.

Go ahead

[poster1122]

05:10 AM on 05/26/2011

You're certainly free to claim that the Asian kids at your daughter's school are "neurotic". However, you do realize that statistically speaking, those kids tend to have lower suicide rates, right? Just because it may work in *your* case doesn't mean that it works in the general case.

In the case of Australia in particular:
http://www.mindframe-media.info/site/index.cfm?display=105561#CALD

In the US, these "neurotic" kids that you speak of tend to go to and complete college at significantly higher rates (69% go and 48% complete with a Bachelors or above, compared to the general population has rates of 55% attendance and just 27% completion), grow up to have higher incomes (median income for an Indian household, for example, is $97K), have lower rates of drug and alcohol abuse, and take care of their elders.

Yep, those kids are really screwed up compared to the general populace...

[CrestedSparrow]

01:03 AM on 05/26/2011

Time to move to the next illegal immigrant bashing thread folks.

[Erewhon7]

01:48 AM on 05/26/2011

Time to move to another illegal immigrant apologist thread, amigo.

[CrestedSparrow]

02:00 AM on 05/26/2011

Yeah, like the apologies/excuses/lies that will be coming out of AZ for the murder of an ex-marine in his own home. I don't apologize or ask permission to exist especially from the likes of you.

[tksensei]

02:35 AM on 05/26/2011

Do you get upset over "bashing" bank robbers or drunk drivers?

[bfjdilbert]

09:32 PM on 05/25/2011

Misleading H-1b Propaganda - Conveniently Overlooks the FACTS - Americans WON the Competition - misleading media coverage singing the praises of temporary visa workers outsourcing USA jobs while disparaging American talent - neglects to mention the FACTs - the winners of this event are, - AMERICANS!!!!

Tell the H-1b propaganda machine to keep up the FUD cranking... Misleading and dismissive media helps build a case against H-1b and alphabet soup visa fraud and abuse in the court of public opinion and with the DOJ... And, powerful proof points proof points that show the depth of how far these invaders will go to displace Americans, parents and, now, our children.

Keep it up guys, efforts like these make it a lot easier for Americans to prove that the USA has ample home grown talent..

Best and brightest is not a brand limited to foreign visa workers and employers that have an agenda.

Bravo to the American children and their parents for winning this competition
http://www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=309

LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2011 – Matthew Feddersen and Blake Marggraff from Lafayette,
Calif. were awarded the top prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public. They received $75,000 and the Gordon E. Moore Award, in honor of the Intel co-founder and retired chairman and CEO, for developing a potentially more effective and less expensive cancer treatment that places tin metal near a tumor before radiation therapy.

[Reticent2]

09:03 PM on 05/25/2011

This is a deceptive article. Break it down into WHAT immigrants, please. Then explain the numbers. I think you'll find a disproportionate number of Asian and Indian immigrants in the "roll out the model achievers" group, then compare those numbers to the numbers of Asian, Indian, etc. immigrants for percentages. Clarity is a great tool when writing.

[AZ Stang]

09:09 PM on 05/25/2011

Fav'd! Not even a very good attempt at deceiving the public, was it?

[herenow12]

09:04 PM on 05/26/2011

I think you'll find a disproportionate number of Asian and Indian immigrants in the "roll out the model achievers" group,

Please, tell us again, you are not a white super-amacist? Because we are all ears, you know?

[Reticent2]

04:51 PM on 06/01/2011

As I have typed before- and it has been deleted- the real insult is in taking in such a facile article and wanting to prop it up to make oneself feel good, without questioning the definition of the implicit "good" immigrant. What about the HUGE numbers of Latin people working in the restaurant industry, many of whom become excellent chefs? Shouldn't we be discussing them too? Not just "science superstars"? Divide and Conquer has been a popular policy since the ancient Greeks. It still operates today- class is the boogie man no one wants to discuss if it eclipses race. Poor people of color (immigrant or not) have more in common with poor "whites" than you realize. If they actually had dialogues about what they share, they would be an amazing force. But the losers would be the rich. So no amount of inane chatter superficially praising a stereotype will ever help address the real issue. And expecting clear, concise, well argued and well informed writing from any point of view is not a race issue.

[Carlariz]

03:40 PM on 05/25/2011

I read through these posts and most are very negative and it is simply because they are not cultured, they have yet to travel abroad or grasp the idea that there are other countries and cultures in this world. T baggers, please make it an effort or goal in life to travel the world, you might learn something and noooooo going to another state doesn’t count!!! ha..ha..

[AZ Stang]

09:05 PM on 05/25/2011

Most of the posts I've read are negative because of the the writer's feeble attempt to blur the lines between legal and illegal immigration. Legal immigrants are welcomed here. Illegal immigration robs all of us.

[CrestedSparrow]

09:43 PM on 05/25/2011

"Legal immigrants are welcomed here." Sure they are as long as they are not from south of the border. Those immigrants we toss around for political posturing to garner votes when we--those of us running for office-- have nothing else of substance to offer the American people. You see we robbed them blind and will continue to do so, so we need a sure-win distraction to stir up our ultra conservative base while we strip them clean to pay for more wars and make the rich richer.

[Carlariz]

02:47 PM on 05/26/2011

Dont blame the writer for people's lack of education or lack of cultural education... but i see your point....

[tksensei]

10:34 PM on 05/25/2011

That post was arrogant, presumptuous BS.

[Carlariz]

02:46 PM on 05/26/2011

The shoe fit....???? It is not presumptous when it is true.... You should try it.

[Roy Lawson]

02:27 PM on 05/25/2011

The problem with this study is that it really has nothing to do with immigration rights, labor rights, children, or education.

NFAP is an industry group that is concerned about continuing the flow of H-1b (indentured) workers. It's all about profit, and nothing else. This visa has allowed corporations to abuse immigrants and displace American workers for decades.

The vast majority of H-1b workers are single young men fresh out of college or with a few years experience post-college. They are junior level. This study takes an exception to the rule and attempts to sway your opinion.

Immigrants on the H-1b visa who have school age children are likely to be more advanced in their careers, more experienced, more educated, and more likely to immigrate permanently to the United States (or desire as much). That is great - but they aren't the majority and certainly not the "typical H-1b holder".

You shouldn't let corporate propaganda sway your view of the H-1b visa. This "study" is simply a counter-strike to all the news as of late involving fraud and abuse by corporations to circumvent H-1b labor laws.

Before you republish bogus studies, why not ask NFAP who their donors are? They aren't some independent think tank above the fray, like they want you to believe. Their agenda is quite transparent and quite greedy.

[doublehappi]

02:47 PM on 05/27/2011

very well written, but you only wrote about the symptom and not the problem.
The current legal immigration laws make it very difficult for a H1 of the middle age group to come here, The reason is that there is no stability in the life of a H1b in the US, you never know when you might lose the job(IT industry is famous for it) and within 10 days you have to pack your pbags and leave, on the other hand your wife needs to apply for work permit seperately , typically these cost a lot of money to the employer making them prefer US citizens over anyone else ( i am fine with it but the result of the decision is wife and husband being seperate in different cities).

Most probably these people who have kids have been waiting for more than 8 years for their Green card which is why they are still on H1, which means most of these people came to the US as young H1b holders.
Before we talk about illegal immigration i think it is important to talk about how we dont split amilies for legal immigrants - please note that i am not talking about more immigration of any kind.

[The Commish]

10:45 AM on 05/25/2011

What a horrible "report". Are the children who excel in math and science here by the way of legal or illegal immigrant parents? What is the original nationality of these children's parents? I think it is safe to assume that they are mostly Asian immigrants and not the ones coming in illegally from our southern borders.

[carmenalex]

11:23 AM on 05/25/2011

Wow, you really are a huge unashamed stereotyping bigot.

[The Commish]

11:35 AM on 05/25/2011

No, I am a person who likes clarity in "reporting" instead of seeing a blatant agenda being pushed. Sorry that facts hurt your feelings, but that doesn't make them any less true.

[Vampyre Dog]

11:36 AM on 05/25/2011

If you disagree with someone prove them wrong. Calling people names loses the argument.

[paulabflat]

12:03 PM on 05/25/2011

last year, on honor's day at my grandchildren's school, fully two thirds of the honorees were children of immigrants, none of which were asians. there were nigerians, latinos and bosnians and almost all of them had two proud parents there cheering for their little scholars.

it will probably be the same at next tuesday's ceremonies.