[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E490-E491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             GIRLS OF STEEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Mr. DOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the 
Girls of Steel robotics team on winning the Chairman's Award at the 
2015 Buckeye Regional FIRST Robotics Competition in 
Cleveland, Ohio.
  This is the most prestigious award at FIRST and it honors the team 
that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best 
embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. The Chairman's Award is 
presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable 
impact of its partnerships among its participants and community over a 
sustained period, not just a single build season. The winner is able to 
demonstrate progress towards FIRST's mission of transforming our 
culture. I think that winning this award is a remarkable accomplishment 
that speaks volumes about the dedication these young women have in 
pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math or ``STEM'' 
careers, along with the hundreds of hours they have spent conducting 
outreach in the community. They even served to inspire the two female 
tech characters in the recently released Pixar film, ``Big Hero 6''.
  FIRST, which stands for ``For Inspiration and Recognition of Science 
and Technology,'' is an organization dedicated to engaging students in 
STEM fields. Hundreds of thousands of students gain practical, team-
based engineering experiences through FIRST every year.
  As a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Robotics Caucus, I 
believe competitions like these are valuable tools for helping our 
young people explore potential careers in STEM. I've witnessed 
firsthand the incredible economic growth and development that these 
fields can produce in my district, and I strongly believe that these 
fields are crucial to our nation's future prosperity. I want to commend 
organizations like FIRST for their important work in encouraging young 
people in these pursuits. The FIRST Robotics Competition allows 
students to apply creativity and critical thinking in the demanding and 
competitive field of robotics, all while instilling a strong sense of 
pride in participants.
  Fifty young women from 8th through 12th grades associated with 
schools located in and around the Pittsburgh area are members of this 
year's Girls of Steel, and in recognition of their hard work, 
intelligence, and teamwork, I would like to mention each of these 
aspiring STEM professionals by name. They are Vishi Agrawal, Sonia 
Appasamy, Isabella Arnone, Arushi Bandi, Emilia Bianchini, Madeline 
Butch, Tristan Close-Abuyen, Samantha Eppinger, Adelle Fernando, 
Mackenzie Ferris, Payton Ferris, Marie Gerges, Kyra Halbert-Elliott, 
Corinne Hartman, Kristina Hilko, Sydney Hnat, Anna Jablonowski, Alaina 
Kotchey, Greta Lazzara, Jisue Lee, Sophia Lee, Sylvie Lee, Gayathri 
Manchella, Clara McCormick, Sree Mekala, Cheyenne Meyers, AJ Molder, 
Hera Mukhtar, Gigi Nieson, Anne Kailin Northam, Maddie Oppelt, Sanam 
Parwani, Helen Paulini, Sofia Porter Bacon, Priya Ray, Rachel Sadeh, 
Isabella Salvi, Lauren Scheller-Wolf, Sarah Seay, Alexa Selwood, Kriti 
Shah, Makayla Shreve, Annika Urban, Molly Urbina, Becca Volk, Mhairi 
Webster, Ziya Xu, Alayna Yates, Julia Young, and Natalie Young.
  In addition, I want to commend the staff of Carnegie Mellon 
University's Field Robotics Center, who have mentored the Girls of 
Steel since 2010. As a result of their efforts, more young women can 
experience real-world technological challenges and learn from some of 
the nation's best at solving these problems. These experiences will 
certainly benefit these young women in the future.
  I look forward to hearing about their progress as they advance to the 
FIRST Championship in St. Louis--the final and largest competition of 
its kind. This will be their fifth consecutive trip in five years and 
they will be competing against top teams from all over

[[Page E491]]

the world. I congratulate the Girls of Steel and wish them all 
continued success in their academic and professional endeavors.

                          ____________________