[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 104 (Friday, July 19, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H4731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORTING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

  (Mr. McNERNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring your attention to 
the development of an exciting new fabric that was recently created by 
biomedical engineers at the University of California at Davis--a fabric 
that drives moisture away.
  Two graduate students, Siyuan Xing and Jia Jiang, at the Micro-Nano 
Innovations Laboratory, led by Professor Tingrui Pan, with the 
financial support of the National Science Foundation, developed a 
textile that stays dry by forming moisture into droplets that drain 
away by attaching a network of water-attracting threads to water-
repellent fabric.
  Now, discoveries like these have led to significant advances in a 
variety of applications. This project could be used to develop and 
improve active gear; but, more significantly, it is likely to be 
developed in the materials that will help our firefighters and our 
troops stay cool while in the field or that will help astronauts 
conserve precious liquids while in space.
  I am proud to support Federal funding for scientific research, and I 
urge my colleagues to do the same.

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