[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 118 (Thursday, August 5, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S6894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Kaufman, 
        Mr. Begich, Mr. Bingaman, and Mr. Kerry):
  S. 3732. A bill to establish within the Department of Education the 
Innovation Inspiration school grant program, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I introduce a bill, the Innovation 
Inspiration school grant program. This legislation will give high 
school students in New Hampshire and across the country access to non-
traditional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs 
as well as the opportunity to be mentored by professionals in those 
fields.
  I am proud to be joined in introducing this bill today with Senators 
Reid, Dorgan, Kaufman, Begich, Bingaman and Kerry and thank them for 
their support.
  We hear so often about the importance of STEM fields and our future 
economy. These fields--commonly defined as the science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics--are central to U.S. economic 
competitiveness and growth. In fact, projections by the U.S. Labor 
Department show that STEM-related fields are expected to be the fastest 
growing occupations of the next decade.
  What is worrisome, though, is that too few students in the United 
States are pursuing education in these STEM fields to keep up with the 
increased demand in the workforce. For those students that do embark in 
STEM education, too often they are being outperformed by international 
competitors.
  Simply put, I believe that in today's global economy American 
students must have access to better STEM training, have the opportunity 
to be mentored by professionals in the field and be engaged in the 
study of these critical fields at deeper, more meaningful levels.
  This legislation, the Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program, 
does that. It will bolster our student's access to quality non-
traditional STEM programs. It will grow the STEM pipeline and broaden 
access to careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
  We all recognize that community partnerships and especially mentors 
for our young people are essential to their success. The Innovation 
Inspiration School Grant Program will provide states and schools 
critical resources to engage community members and professional mentors 
who are working in the STEM fields. I believe that by connecting 
students with well-trained teachers and community mentors, we can 
foster innovation at the high school level and inspire young people to 
graduate high school, enter the workforce, or go onto college to major 
in science and engineering and pursue careers in these fields.
  Students in New Hampshire have been participating in non-traditional 
STEM opportunities, such as those provided by FIRST Robotics, for over 
20 years. And for these students, the experience has been life-
changing.
  Take, for example, Aletha Evangelou, from Nashua, NH. As a result of 
her experience in the Nashua High School FIRST Robotics team, a love of 
engineering grew. She went on to major in mechanical engineering at the 
University of New Hampshire and is now employed at a defense and 
aerospace company in our state. She says ``I have been a full time 
mechanical engineer at BAE Systems for two and a half years now, and I 
can honestly say that I would not be here if I hadn't joined the FIRST 
Robotics program. It completely changed my life.''
  Aletha is just one example of many students who have benefitted from 
the type of programs that are supported by this legislation. Every 
student in every school across the country should have the opportunity 
to have these sorts of experiences. This legislation does that.
  I urge my colleagues to join me to ensure that high school graduates 
have the skills and knowledge in the STEM fields necessary to succeed 
in postsecondary education and develop the workforce of the 21st 
century.
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