[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 199 (Wednesday, December 6, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9667-H9668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from

[[Page H9668]]

Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as one of the 
senior members on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and 
co-chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus to note that this 
week is Computer Science Education Week.
  Computer science drives job growth and innovation throughout our 
economy and throughout our society. Computing occupations are the 
number one source of all new wages in the U.S. and make up two-thirds 
of all projected new jobs in STEM fields, making computer science one 
of the most in-demand college degrees.
  Computing is used all around us in virtually every field, but fewer 
than half of the United States' schools offer any computer science 
courses, and only 8 percent of STEM graduates study it; 93 percent of 
parents want their child's school to teach computer science, but only 
40 percent of schools teach it; 67 percent of parents and 56 percent of 
teachers believe students should be required to learn computer science; 
50 percent of Americans rank computer science as one of the two most 
important subjects of study after reading and writing.
  In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there are currently 16,976 open 
computing jobs. The average salary for a computing occupation in 
Pennsylvania is $85,654, which is significantly higher than the average 
salary in the State of $47,540. Mr. Speaker, only 169 schools in 
Pennsylvania offered the advanced placement computer science course in 
2015-2016, and there are fewer AP exams taken in computer science than 
in any other STEM subject area.
  But technology connects the world in ways like never before. From 
everyday conveniences at our fingertips to improved communications, 
technology plays an ever-increasing role in our lives. We are becoming 
more dependent on applications or apps, and the students of today will 
become the leaders of tomorrow by developing such technology.
  Proudly, the House of Representatives has encouraged America's 
students to focus on computer science and STEM subjects through the 
annual Congressional App Challenge. This competition allows K-12 
students from across the country to practice their code writing skills 
by developing an app. Winning apps will be displayed in the Capitol 
Building later this year.
  This year's winner from Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District 
is Lachlan Campbell. He redesigned the Hack Club website to make it 
more user friendly. Hack Club is a nonprofit network of coding clubs 
run by high school students around the world. Lachlan started a Hack 
Club this past spring at his very own State College Area High School, 
and taught more than 40 students how to code and create a website.
  His project for the Congressional App Challenge was to redesign 
hackclub.com, and his overhaul has been welcomed by the club.
  I congratulate Lachlan on winning the Congressional App Challenge for 
Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District. He is a two-time winner, 
having come in first place in 2015 as well. He has got a promising 
career ahead of him.
  Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of all of the students who participate in 
the App Challenge. The competition inspires students from every corner 
of the country to explore STEM, coding, and computer science through 
hands-on practice, and that is something we can all support.
  Happy Computer Science Education Week.

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