posted 07-26-2008 06:52 AM               

[Phil] Mickelson, the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world, came to the capital to tell Congress that America is in trouble; its schools aren't producing enough math and science graduates to keep up with the world. The National Science Foundation estimates that 80% of the jobs in the next decade will require some form of math and science skills.

"Everybody knows Phil as a golfer," Amy said. "But I think there's an astronaut trapped inside his body."

Mickelson loves to talk about space exploration, but he stuck to golf to emphasize to a group of students, all members of local First Tee Chapters, how math and science is used in life...

Tom Luce, CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, noted that the USA was falling behind Asian countries in the production of PhDs in engineering and science, a trend that will limit the country's ability to compete globally.

"We haven't had a Sputnik moment lately," said Luce, a former assistant secretary in the Education Department. "We've had a generation of Sputnik scientists and engineers, but they're growing old."