IPOD's. Smart phones. Pharmaceuticals. Alternate energy. YouTube. For many Americans, having all of the new advancements in communication, medicine, and technology within easy reach makes the idea of a scientific crisis in this country incomprehensible. The media subtly and continually portrays Americans smarter and more capable than ever. In addition, when it comes to scientific progress and education, countries such as India, China are primarily associated with an poorly educated population or low-wage, outsourced labor for progressing American companies.

On the contrary, the reality is that these low-wage societies are significantly more high-tech than most realize. Worse, the media has failed to accurately project the future results of a dangerous trend in American education whereby we are slipping toward loss of our global economic and technological edge. For example:

• In 2003, American 15-year olds ranked 24th in science education among similarly aged populations in 40 countries in science. America tied with Latvia.

• In 2006, American 15-year olds ranked 27th in science proficiency, and 36th in math, among 58 countries.

• Several key U.S. agencies for scientific research and development will face a retirement crisis within the next ten years.

• Less than 6% of our high school seniors plan to pursue engineering degrees, down 36% from a decade ago.

• In 2000, 56% of China's undergraduate degrees were in the hard sciences; in the United States, the figure was 17%.

The government in recent years has been guilty of shortchanging research in the hard sciences. In the wake of 9/11, Congress pledged to double the budget of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) over five years; in actuality the NSF budget was cut by $105 million in 2005 alone. Such redirections directly remove money from control of an agency whose extensive funding has helped develop technologies in areas that are essential to U.S. competitiveness, from Internet to nanotechnology. In 2006, the Bush administration proposed further cuts to science and research institutions. Meanwhile, countries such as China have set the goal of converting 100 universities turn into world-class centers of science and technology learning.

• In the last year alone, admissions to American university graduate programs dropped 45% from China; and 28% from India.

• Intel now conducts 33% of its operations overseas and is expected to double that figure (67%) within the next ten years.

• Ten years ago, American companies and engineers were granted 10,000 more U.S. patents than foreign companies. That margin is now down to 4,000, and six of the top ten companies are now foreign.

The lack of government commitment to the progression and continual update of scientific and technological educational curricula is resulting in a lower-quality, less educated workforce. Already, a commitment to education in other countries is paying dividends at America's expense. As other countries create the learning centers and jobs for their best and brightest, the U.S. is losing its own dependable pipeline of talent. Moreover, we are doing remarkably little to educate and train a next generation of scientists and engineers. As the advanced educational quality in other countries begins to outpace that of America, the resulting socio-economical impact could well prove devastating.

Enter, BioBridge.