Popularity of Energy Studies Spikes With College Students

(MoneyWatch)  Business, computer science, economics, finance -- every field of study tends to have its heyday with the student population at one point or another. Hard science and engineering haven't really had a turn in several decades, so it's encouraging that the Los Angeles Times is reporting anecdotal evidence of those fields getting a flood of student interest, specifically in energy.

That's a change from the status quo, which has seen educators attempting to coax more students into the sciences, without much success. Instead, interest in geekier subject matter subsided after the end of the space race, when scientists were on every TV screen. Studies have tied the lack of interest in science to a change in cultural perception of scientists; another major factor, considering the explosion of attention for climate change, could just be the field's visibility.

But because actual enrollment figures won't be available for some time -- the last available, from 2005, show enrollment dropping for fields like engineering -- there's also no telling how many students are really interested in spending years getting an advanced science degree. From what I've seen, many who show interest in alternative energy are, like myself, business or humanities students. Energy companies need all sorts of employees, it's true; but what they really need are Masters and Ph.D. level technicians.

And even if the perceived stigma and unattractiveness of becoming a scientist is fading, most college students will be pursuing a specific kind of energy -- renewable energy. That's certainly not a bad thing, but even as home-grown solar and wind companies grow, traditional firms, from oil and gas to refining, will still face a future of fighting over foreign employees from China and India.