Ben Mickle, Matt Edwards, and Kshipra Bhawalkar looked as though they had just emerged from a minor auto wreck. The members of Duke University’s computer programming team had solved only one problem in the world finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest in San Antonio on Apr. 12. The winning team, from Saratov State University in Russia, solved six puzzles over the course of the grueling five-hour contest. Afterward, Duke coach Owen Astrachan tried to cheer up his team by pointing out that they were among "the best of the best" student programmers in the world. Edwards, 20, still distraught, couldn’t resist a self-deprecating dig: "We’re the worst of the best of the best." Duke wasn’t the only U.S. school to be skunked (因得分不够而被淘汰)at the prestigious computing contest. Of the home teams, only Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked among the 12 highest finishers. Most top spots were seized by teams from Eastern Europe and Asia. Until the late 1990s, U. S. teams dominated these contests. But the tide has turned. Last year not one was in the top dozen. The poor showings should serve as a wake-up call for government, Industry, and educators. The output of American computer science programs is plummeting, even while that of Eastern European and Asian schools is rising. China and India, the new global tech powerhouses, are fueled by 900 000 engineering graduates of all types each year, more than triple the number of U.S. grads. Computer science is a key subset of engineering. "If our talent base weakens, our lead in technology, business ,and economics will fade faster than any of us can imagine," warns Richard Florida, a professor at George Mason University. Software programmers are the seed corn of the Information Economy, yet America isn’t producing enough. The Labor Dept. forecasts that "computer/math scientist" jobs, which include programming, will increase by 40%, from 2.5 million in 2002 to 3.5 million in 2012. Colleges aren’t keeping up with demand. A 2005 survey of freshmen showed that just 1.1% planned to major in computer science, down from 3.7% in 2000. For young Americans, a computing career isn’t the draw even a few years ago. Never mind that experienced programmers make upwards of $100000 and that the brainiest of them are the objects of heated bidding wars. Students fear that if they become programmers they’ll lose their jobs to counterparts in India and China. Analysts say those worries are overblown: Programmers with leadership and business skills will do just fine. But the message isn’t getting through. Then there’s the thrill factor, or lack thereof. Given the opportunity to make a mint on Wall Street or land a comfortable academic job, many math and science students are turning away from software. "I couldn’t really get excited about sitting in front of a computer and just writing programs," says Duke junior Brandon Levin, who has taken computer courses but is majoring in math and plans a career in academia. Who will be the objects of the bidding wars for a computing career A: The computer science graduates. B: Students form India and China. C: The most experienced and intelligent programmers. D: Programmers ever worked for Wall Street.