For the first time, almost anyone or anything can be digitally connected at a low cost. We see it all around us. This year, two billion people will be linked to the Internet. There are four billion mobile phone subscribers, and they can access information easier than ever before.

But it’s more than that. In the future, the world will have a trillion connected and intelligent entities - cars, airports, roadways, pipelines, manufacturers.  

Momentum is building to make the nation’s electrical grid “smart” – equipped with sophisticated systems that sense and accommodate consumer demand. A smart grid empowers people to monitor their electrical consumption – and what it costs – in real time.  It’s more than convenience.  This smart grid will make it easier for customers to reduce their electricity bills. Plus, an intelligent electrical grid makes it much easier to bring renewable energy sources on line.  

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That represents a major opportunity for Arizona. Smart grids could provide a big boost to the many alternative energy companies in our area working in disciplines as diverse as wind energy and fuel cells to bio-fuels and solar technology.  This combined with our state’s abundance of solar energy and businesses equipped to help our citizens harness the sun’s power puts Arizona at the forefront to lead in this effort.

Another example is healthcare, with organizations like the University of Arizona’s Bio5 Institute leading the way in vital research disciplines to treat disease, feed the hungry and preserve our environment.  Bio5 is ranked No. 13 in the nation among public research institutions and plays a vital role in Arizona’s bioscience, economic and workforce development agenda, establishing our state as a global leader in advancing healthcare.  There’s an important national conversation going on right now about healthcare in this country, and smart technology will play a big role in solving the challenges we face in this crucial area.  

Patients can already avoid visits to the doctor’s office by using powerful in-home devices to monitor blood pressure and other vital functions. In the future, the capability of these “telemedicine” systems will increase exponentially to dramatically expand the range of treatments performed in the home.  The result could be significantly lower healthcare costs.

Moreover, supercomputers far more powerful than those in existence today will be able to assist doctors by analyzing massive volumes of patient data in real time and making sophisticated treatment recommendations.

So what’s our obstacle? Our number one challenge is inadequate education. We must do a better job preparing our kids to thrive in this new world, where math skills are vital. According to the Arizona Community Foundation, 30 percent of Arizona students fail to graduate from high school.  Only four out of every 10 students of those continue on to college. This disruption to the pipeline of potential future scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians challenges our state’s and our nation’s ability to lead in these fields.  These statistics reinforce that a huge segment of kids enter adulthood unprepared to thrive in a world that spins on an axis of innovation.

We must take action. Our schools need to immediately refocus on core subjects like mathematics, giving special attention to the basics – from arithmetic, fractions, and decimals through geometry and algebra.  We must place emphasis on attracting minorities to the math and science tracks. Minorities are underrepresented in technical fields and represent a pool of potential superstars waiting to be tapped.

And there’s a role for corporate citizens to play as well. My company, IBM, sponsors a “Transition to Teaching” program that provides employees interested in a second career as math and science teachers with company-paid tuition, leaves of absence and other support.  There are many ways to make a difference, and time is of the essence.

We all must pull together to gain traction in a globalized world that becomes more competitive by the day.  Smarter systems represent a powerful way we can tilt the playing field in our direction.

Contact Cindy Grossman, vice president of IBM Tape and Archive Systems and senior location executive in Tucson, at cindyg@us.ibm.com or (520) 799-4446.