There seems to a dichotomy between the STEM crisis and STEM demand in recent years.

Conflicting reports claim that there are more STEM graduates than jobs available, while others claim that a lack of STEM graduates is a major factor in a surge of foreign students and more H1-B visas. Which one is true and which one should we believe?

Perhaps a bit of both, but the underlying fact between the two is that we need a solid and indigenous STEM population. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates form the foundation of innovation — something the U.S. has been known for, yet has lagged behind emerging economies in recent years.

The Great Recession also contributed to the downward trend as STEM graduates suffered from the negative job market or had to make do with lower salaries. Considering that many were saddled with higher student loans, this was naturally a discouraging trend for many young people.

The lack of appropriate jobs led to conflicting reports about more STEM students on the bench than jobs for them. As a result, the number of students applying for STEM fields went down drastically and created a definite gap between supply and demand. In 2012, President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology presented a report that clearly showed more than 1 million STEM graduates will be needed by a cross section of industries in the next decade.

It's a good thing because a 2012 STEM Connector report notes a 20 percent surge of interest in STEM among high school students, which equates to roughly 1 million students for STEM careers right now. The report also states that by 2018 the evolving demand for STEM jobs will be a staggering 8.65 million.

To ensure that this gap is duly filled, educational authorities, both in federal and state levels, are working hand-in-hand to encourage and motivate more students to take up STEM careers. In order to create a robust STEM workforce for the future, it is imperative that the government and educational agencies focus and apply all possible resources to spark more interest in STEM. One way to do this to show students the potential and growth of these careers.

The state that shows the highest potential for STEM jobs in the near future is California, followed closely by Texas. It is therefore, natural to hear of more grants and focused STEM programs in these states than others, further fueling student interest in STEM careers.

In March, California State University received a $4.6 million grant toward STEM programs and for encouraging and implementing STEM practices. The Texas Workforce Commission has also just launched a special program connecting educators, industry experts and students to create a solid platform for STEM jobs in Texas. These initiatives will not only expand the diversity and scope of the STEM workforce pipeline but also develop the global competitiveness for U.S. businesses in the coming years.

Another interesting phenomenon is the surge of female students expressing interest in STEM — though with 14.5 percent of females interested compared to 39.6 percent of their male counterparts, they still have a long way to go. Interest in engineering and technology is definitely on the rise.

More and more states, in collaboration with their school districts, are gearing up to induce more interest for STEM careers in their high school students. A major portion of these efforts is directed toward mathematics as this compulsory subject is also one of the toughest to master. Examples of this can be found on campuses across the country, as a part of the U.S. 2020 initiative announced at the 2013 White House Science Fair to encourage students to go into STEM professions.

Thus, Research Triangle Park in North Carolina just witnessed a group of network engineers helping student robotics teams compete in a program called Aerial Assist. San Jose, Calif., saw a group of women engineers from Cisco demonstrating the impact of cutting-edge technologies to middle school girls. In a similar program, girls from a freshman class in Dallas visited the UT Dallas campus to learn more about STEM careers and their potential.

An increasing number of interactive programs and workshops held in schools are focused on creating an active and somewhat organic interest in a field that is known for its innovative qualities. But students need to be interested — not just influenced — to excel.