[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 136 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING DR. GEORGE R. CARRUTHERS

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 14, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Dr. George R. Carruthers, a 
world-renowned scientist, an innovative leader in astronomy and 
engineering, and a resident of the District of Columbia.
  Through the guidance and encouragement of his father, Dr. Carruthers 
discovered his interest in engineering. After graduating from Englewood 
High School in Chicago, Dr. Carruthers earned a bachelor's of science 
degree in aeronautical engineering, a master's degree in nuclear 
engineering, and a doctorate degree in aeronautical and astronomical 
engineering at the University of Illinois.
  Though born in Ohio and raised in Illinois, Dr. Carruthers has spent 
most of his distinguished career as a resident of the nation's capital. 
Since joining the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in 1964, Dr. 
Carruthers has co-invented the far-ultra violet electrographic camera, 
which was first used in sounding rockets in 1966 and was used during 
the Apollo 16 mission to the moon in 1972, giving scientists fresh, 
revealing images of Earth and space. He was also the first to detect 
molecular hydrogen in deep space in 1970. Dr. Carruthers has been a 
driving force in the use of ultraviolet astronomy. Not only was he 
involved in the review of the early design of the Hubble Space 
Telescope, which was carried into orbit in 1990, where it remains and 
continues to operate, he has refurbished the telescope in the 
Observatory on the campus of Howard University, enabling students, 
educators, families, and the general public to use the telescope to 
view special astronomical events.
  Dr. Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame 
in 2003, and has received numerous awards, including the Black Engineer 
of the Year in 1987, the Arthur S. Fleming Award in 1971, the 
Exceptional Achievement Scientific Award from the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration in 1972 and the Warner Prize from the American 
Astronomical Society in 1973.
  The District of Columbia and its residents are particularly grateful 
for Dr. Carruthers' work in helping to develop the next generation of 
engineers by creating the Science and Engineering Apprentice Program, a 
summer program in which D.C. Public Schools high school students work 
side-by-side with professional scientists. Dr. Carruthers has also 
edited and co-authored several publications and co-produced a series of 
instructional videos on Earth and space science for high school 
students.
  For more than two decades, Dr. Carruthers has been an active member 
of Science, Mathematics, Aerospace, Research, and Technology 
(S.M.A.R.T.), Inc., where he has shared his knowledge through 
presentations and hands-on activities with students, educators, 
families, and the general public. Dr. Carruthers spent six years 
coordinating workshops in aerospace, science and technology for 
African-American students in the D.C. metropolitan area for S.M.A.R.T. 
and the National Air and Space Museum.
  Dr. Carruthers is the editor of the National Technical Association 
(NTA) Journal and newsletter, is the President of the D.C. Chapter of 
NTA, and was a secretary of the Development Fund for Black Students in 
Science and Technology for more than two decades.
  For a lifetime of achievements and for continuing contributions to 
science, engineering, and astronomy, as recognized throughout the 
nation and the world, I ask the House to join me in celebrating the 
uniquely distinctive place of Dr. George R. Carruthers in science.

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