[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 60 (Wednesday, April 25, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   H.R. 4483, THE ``BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM EDUCATION ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2012

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I am 
introducing H.R. 4483, the ``Broadening Participation in STEM Education 
Act.'' This bill aims to increase the number of students from 
underrepresented minority groups who receive undergraduate degrees in 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, 
disciplines. It also seeks to increase the number of STEM faculty 
members from underrepresented minority groups at institutions of higher 
education.
  The U.S. faces a severe shortfall in students graduating with degrees 
in STEM fields. With approximately 20 percent of our undergraduate 
degrees awarded in science and engineering disciplines, we rank 27th 
among developed nations in producing graduates qualified for 21st 
Century STEM careers. Statistics become even more alarming when you 
look at the number of students from underrepresented minority groups 
who receive degrees in STEM disciplines. As of 2011, only about 8 
percent of 24 years-olds from these groups had obtained a bachelor's 
degree in a science or engineering discipline.
  This is more than just a question of equity. We have a vast, untapped 
pool of talent in America, and this pool is continuing to grow. It is 
estimated that, by 2050, 52 percent of the U.S. population will be from 
underrepresented minority groups. We have to drastically increase the 
number of students from these groups receiving degrees in STEM 
disciplines or we will undoubtedly relinquish our global leadership in 
innovation and job creation.
  There are many reasons why the number of underrepresented minority 
students receiving degrees in STEM fields is so appallingly low. It 
starts at the K 12 level, where too many of our teachers are not well 
prepared to teach math and science and too many of our schools lack 
even basic science laboratory equipment. But even those minority 
students who enter college intending to major in a STEM discipline 
abandon science and engineering for other fields at a much higher rate 
than their peers. These young people are smart and motivated and small 
steps such as improved mentorship and increased access to research 
experiences have proven to keep students from all backgrounds on track 
to complete their STEM degrees.
  Statistics are equally troubling when it comes to underrepresented 
minorities and their pursuit of academic careers in STEM disciplines. 
Underrepresented minorities currently make up about 29 percent of the 
U.S. population, but only about 8 percent of tenure-track science and 
engineering faculty members at universities and four-year colleges. 
Less than one percent of tenure-track science and engineering faculty 
members at the nation's top 100 research universities are from 
underrepresented groups. One consequence of having such a low number of 
minority faculty, among other things, is that they are called on much 
more frequently than their peers to serve on commissions, committees, 
and the like as a way of showing that a college or university is 
committed to diversity in their administrative procedures. As a result, 
minority faculty have less time to conduct research, publish papers, 
mentor students, and do other work that is required for them achieve 
tenure status and otherwise thrive in their research careers. More 
fundamentally, the low number of minority faculty is another indicator 
of the untapped potential that we have in the STEM disciplines.
  Passing the ``Broadening Participation in STEM Education Act'' will 
help address both of these issues. By authorizing the Director of NSF 
to award grants to colleges and universities that want to implement or 
expand innovative, research-based approaches to recruit and retain 
students from underrepresented minority groups, we will take a 
necessary step toward increasing the number of students from these 
groups who successfully complete undergraduate degrees in STEM fields. 
Similarly, by making grants available to colleges and universities to 
allow them to make an effort to increase the number of faculty members 
from underrepresented minority groups, we will take a necessary step 
toward achieving equality at our institutions of higher education. 
These are admittedly small steps toward maintaining American leadership 
in innovation, but they are necessary and achievable steps and we need 
to act now. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting H.R. 4483.

                          ____________________