[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4918-H4919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H4918]]
RECOGNIZING OUTSTANDING WOMEN SCIENTISTS, TECHNOLOGISTS, ENGINEERS, AND 
                  MATHEMATICIANS ON MOTHER'S DAY, 2008

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1180) recognizing the 
efforts and contributions of outstanding women scientists, 
technologists, engineers, and mathematicians in the United States and 
around the world on Mother's Day, 2008, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1180

       Whereas women have been vitally important to the fields of 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and have 
     transformed the world and enhanced and improved the quality 
     of life around the globe;
       Whereas the contributions of women are central to progress 
     and to the development of knowledge in many areas, including 
     chemistry, physics, biology, geology, engineering, 
     mathematics, and astronomy, and these contributions boost 
     economic growth, create new jobs, and improve our knowledge 
     and standard of living;
       Whereas there is a need to congratulate these women, 
     educate the public about the important role of women in 
     society, and recognize the contributions of women to the 
     scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical 
     communities;
       Whereas it is important to emphasize the extensive variety 
     of careers available in the world of science, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics and to honor the tremendous 
     women that have contributed and will contribute to the 
     advancement of knowledge in these disciplines;
       Whereas in order to ensure our Nation's global 
     competitiveness, our schools must continue to cultivate 
     female scientists, technologists, engineers, and 
     mathematicians from every background and neighborhood in our 
     society to create the innovations of tomorrow that will keep 
     our Nation strong;
       Whereas a disproportionately low number of female students 
     are pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics, and it is crucial that we focus attention on 
     increasing the participation of women; and
       Whereas there is a need to encourage industry, government, 
     and academia to reach and educate millions of children on the 
     important contributions women have made to science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the important contributions of women to 
     science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the health 
     of many industries that have created new jobs, boosted 
     economic growth, and improved the Nation's competitiveness 
     and standard of living;
       (2) recognizes the need to increase the number of women 
     participating in science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics;
       (3) supports the role of women in science, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics; and
       (4) encourages the people of the United States to give 
     appropriate recognition to women scientists, technologists, 
     engineers, and mathematicians who have made important 
     contributions to our everyday lives.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hall) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and 
extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on House 
Resolution 1180, the resolution now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of House Resolution 1180, recognizing the efforts 
and contributions of outstanding women scientists, technologists, 
engineers, and mathematicians in the United States and around the 
world.
  In its 2007 Beyond Bias and Barriers report, the National Academy 
stated that in order to maintain its scientific and engineering 
leadership and increasing economic and educational globalization the 
United States must aggressively pursue the innovative capacity of all 
of its people, men and women.
  While women have made substantial progress in some fields, such as 
the life sciences, they continue to be significantly underrepresented 
in other STEM fields such as engineering and computer science. The 
attrition rate remains higher for women than for men at all steps along 
the STEM pipeline. In fact, studies have shown that girls as young as 
middle school age are being turned away from many STEM fields.
  There is no evidence that the gender gap is caused by a lack of 
female talent or potential. In fact, the top three winners in the 
highly prestigious 2007 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and 
Technology and the first prize in the 2008 Intel Talent Search all went 
to young high school women.
  We are failing our young girls and women, and neither our colleges 
and universities nor our industries can afford such a loss of precious 
human capital in science and engineering. We can't make it with just 50 
percent of the Nation's brain power.
  I applaud the gentleman from Washington for introducing this 
resolution. It is fitting to recognize the efforts and contributions of 
outstanding women scientists and engineers and mathematicians in the 
United States and around the world, and I ask my colleagues to support 
House Resolution 1180.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  According to the National Science Foundation, a recent study of 
fourth graders showed that 66 percent of the girls and 68 percent of 
boys reported that they liked science. But something else starts 
happening in the elementary school. NSF found that by the eighth grade, 
boys are twice as interested in STEM careers as girls are. The female 
attrition continues through high school, college, and even the 
workforce.
  Women with STEM higher education degrees are twice as likely to leave 
a scientific or engineering job as men with comparable STEM degrees. 
Despite the fact that women earn half of the bachelors degrees in 
science and engineering, they continue to be significantly 
underrepresented at the faculty level in almost all the S&E fields, 
constituting 28 percent in 2003 of doctoral science and engineering 
faculty in 4-year colleges and universities and only 18 percent of full 
professors.
  The Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, 
Engineering and Technology Development was established by Congress on 
October 14, 1988 through legislation developed and sponsored by 
Congresswoman Connie Morella, Republican from Maryland. The mandate of 
the Commission is to research and recommend ways to improve the 
recruitment, the retention, and the representation of women, 
underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities in science, 
engineering, and technology education and employment.
  In addition to the Commission, the NSF Research on Gender in Science 
and Engineering program has worked since 1993 to broaden the 
participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering 
and mathematics (STEM) education fields.
  One of the things research has discovered is that the more positive 
images you present of women in these fields in school, the more likely 
girls will want to enter into these fields later on in life.
  So the resolution before us today honors the contribution of women in 
the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, both in 
the United States and around the world. It also allows us to thank 
women for the contribution that they have made to these fields, women 
such as Madelaine Barnothey, the first woman in Hungary to receive a 
Ph.D. specializing in physics; or Rosalind Franklin, who received her 
degree in chemistry in 1951 from Cambridge University and was 
instrumental in putting together a detailed description of DNA; or 
Sophia Germain, an outstanding mathematician who developed the modern 
theory of elasticity, without which modern construction would be 
absolutely impossible.
  Women have been pioneers in the field of science, technology, 
engineering and mathematics for centuries.

                              {time}  1400

  We owe it to girls growing up today to recognize these 
accomplishments,

[[Page H4919]]

accomplishments such as those of Maria Telkes, who was a physicist and 
pioneer in solar energy and designed and built a solar house in the 
1930s; or those of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, who was buried at 
Arlington Cemetery in January, 1992, and was one of the very first 
software engineers who helped both the military, private sector, and 
academia develop the foundations of modern digital computing.
  We just can't discuss important women in history without recognizing 
the outstanding contributions of Marie Curie, a physicist and chemist, 
who is one of the only people to ever receive two Nobel prizes in 
different fields and the only woman to have won two Nobel prizes. Her 
Nobel prizes were awarded for her work on radioactivity and the 
discovery of the elements of polonium and radium.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in support of the resolution before 
us today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Let me thank Mr. Hall for 
supporting this legislation and thank the gentleman who sponsored it. 
And I'm very pleased, Mr. Speaker, that he mentioned Ms. Connie 
Morella, whom I worked with from the time I arrived until she left on 
this very subject. And I hope that we are gaining more and more support 
to encourage our young women to stay involved in these STEM programs 
and recognize our achievers so that they can know that they are great 
examples.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I am the proud sponsor of House Resolution 
1180, which recognizes the important contributions of women to science, 
technology, engineering, mathematics, and the health of many industries 
that have created new jobs, boosted economic growth, and improved our 
Nation's competitiveness.
  Congress must continue to educate the public about the important role 
of women in society and recognize the key accomplishments of women in 
scientific fields. Furthermore, we must encourage more young women to 
pursue careers in science and technology fields by adequately funding 
STEM education in our schools.
  Much is being done in the Pacific Northwest to achieve these goals. 
Seattle's Pacific Science Center remains an educational force in our 
region and continues to inspire students' interest in science. 
Similarly, the Museum of Flight recognizes the success of female 
aviation pioneers and helps young women discover career possibilities 
in the world of aerospace.
  I am pleased that the Science and Technology Committee quickly 
brought this measure to the floor in a bipartisan manner, and I urge 
all of my colleagues to support it.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1180, as 
amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title was amended so as to read:
  ``Resolution recognizing the efforts and contributions of outstanding 
women scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians in the 
United States and around the world.''
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________