I really enjoyed researching this month's "Automation's Got Talent" cover article on how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs are beginning to produce the rookie engineers, technicians and operators needed to replace their veteran and rapidly retiring counterparts. It was especially refreshing to learn about the headway these programs are making because I've sat through at least a couple dozen presentations in recent years proclaiming the coming brain drain, but offering few suggestions on how solve it. I was beginning to get depressed because they made the problem sound unsolvable. As usual, panicky, doom-and-gloom talk is initially exciting, but 1ultimately it's cheap, empty and unhelpful.