During the opening keynote address, former NBA basketball star and U.S. global cultural ambassador Kareem Abdul - Jabbar set the tone for the
summit: In order for the United States to stay economically competitive with emerging markets in China, India, and elsewhere, it will have to overhaul its education system to increase its focus on critical thinking and on applied
science, math, and tech skills.
During the
summit,
Science Careers asked a panel of industry leaders and university administrators about what efforts were being made to increase interest in these jobs on the demand side, and Hay responded that the jobs available are already «extraordinarily high - paying jobs» but that «students just aren't aware of the jobs.»