[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 194 (Friday, December 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 FELLOWSHIPS FOR UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING AND USEFUL RESEARCH IN ENERGY-
RELATED SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS FIELDS ACT OF 
                                  2011

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2011

  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the FUTURE STEM Act. This 
legislation will give undergraduate students opportunities to expand 
both the breadth and depth of their education in multidisciplinary 
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in real world 
research settings from National Labs to businesses. An American 
workforce that is highly skilled in STEM fields is necessary for the 
United States' economic competitiveness and job creation in innovative 
industries.
  Industries that drive Washington state and our nation's economy, such 
as health care, biotechnology, information technology, manufacturing, 
aerospace, transportation, construction, and energy efficiency and 
clean technology, all need career-ready STEM-trained graduates to 
remain competitive and cutting-edge. In fact, workforce projections for 
2014 by the U.S. Department of Labor show that 15 of the 20 fastest 
growing occupations require significant science or mathematics training 
to successfully compete for a job. Yet, despite our high unemployment 
rate, the U.S. is falling behind in STEM graduates and many of these 
job openings are not being filled by American workers. The U.S. 
Department of Education reports that America now ranks 20th 
internationally in our share of graduate degrees awarded in 
engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
  We need focused programs to ensure that the next generation of high-
tech workers is prepared to enter the strongest STEM-related industries 
in Washington state and across the nation. The FUTURE STEM Act seeks to 
address these problems by exposing students to STEM fields as 
undergraduates, getting young people early experience in professional 
settings.
  The FUTURE STEM Act establishes a pilot undergraduate student 
fellowship program to award competitive grants to partner institutions 
to provide student work experience that will overall improve education 
and training in support of STEM fields. Under the grants, students will 
engage in a 10-week fellowship and be placed in real research settings 
at community colleges, universities, businesses, National Laboratories, 
and other research settings. The fellowships will pay $4,500 to the 
student for a ten-week project, plus up to $2,000 reimbursement for 
housing and travel expenses. An additional $3,500 per project is 
reserved for equipment, instrumentation, and other educational and 
training materials needed for the project; supporting outreach efforts 
to recruit students; encouraging collaboration between government, 
industry, and academic partners; and assessing the activities funded 
under the Act. These allowances are on par with existing fellowship 
programs.
  Industries such as aerospace, solar power, and advanced biofuels 
would be eligible to compete to host STEM students in the pilot 
program. In Washington state, students could be employed at Boeing, 
Washington State University, Everett Community College, Pacific 
Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), or at countless other locations. 
PNNL's Energy and Environment Division currently employs some 
undergraduate and community college students as interns and I am told 
that they would be eager to employ more under the program created by 
this Act.
  All of America's students deserve the opportunity to pursue a STEM 
career. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM fields 
are expected to add 2.7 million new jobs by 2018, yet women and 
minorities are vastly underrepresented in those fields. In a survey of 
female and minority chemists and chemical engineers, 77 percent said 
significant numbers of women and minorities are missing from the U.S. 
STEM workforce because ``they were not identified, encouraged or 
nurtured to pursue STEM studies early on.'' For that reason, this 
legislation will give preference to students from groups that have been 
historically underrepresented in STEM fields.
  It is crucial that we support, promote, and encourage students to 
pursue pathways toward careers in STEM fields. The FUTURE STEM Act will 
facilitate an overall improvement in STEM education and help prepare 
our nation's students for a high-tech future, while helping to maintain 
and improve our global excellence in science and technology. I urge my 
colleagues to support this legislation, which will help to ensure 
America has the high-skilled STEM workforce that is necessary to 
increase our global competitiveness.

                          ____________________