Nevada ranks near the bottom on Milken’s Science and Technology index

By Anjeanette Damon

Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 | 4:44 p.m.

Another day, another list on which Nevada ranks near last.

This time the Milken Institute’s State Science and Technology Index proves Nevada is not well positioned to make good on Gov. Brian Sandoval’s vow to drive economic development in technology and bioscience.

Overall, Nevada ranks 46th on the index that measures the states’ “science and technology capabilities, and whether they have the ecosystems for converting those capabilities into companies and high-paying jobs.”

Only Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas and Mississippi rank lower. Massachusetts tops the list.

Nevada has steadily slipped on the index since 2002, when it ranked 42nd. Last year, it ranked 45th.

Drilling further into the data, Nevada ranks dead last in the human capital category given our poor ability to turn out college graduates with advanced degrees, particularly in math and science degrees. We also rank dead last in the technology and science workforce category.