[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 30, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Tribute to Dr. Jasmine Hunt Dimitriou

  Mr. President, finally, I want to take a special moment to thank a 
member of my staff who is leaving on a new assignment.
  History tells us there have been some extraordinary African-American 
women in the field of science. Dr. Alice Ball was a chemist who 
developed the first successful treatment for leprosy. Dr. Patricia Bath 
was an ophthalmologist who invented something called the laserphaco 
probe, a tool used in cataract surgery. Dr. Shirley Jackson was a 
theoretical physicist and former Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission.
  What did they all have in common? They were African-American women 
who broke barriers and improved the lives of countless others, and they 
didn't get the public recognition they deserved.
  Well, let me add another name to that list. Her name is Dr. Jasmine 
Hunt Dimitriou. Dr. Hunt--known as Jasmine in our office--joined my 
staff in 2010 on an American Association for the Advancement of Science 
fellowship. She was a newly minted Ph.D. in chemistry who had just 
graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
  The fellowship in my office lasted a year, but thank goodness she 
liked it so she stayed. We persuaded her to stay longer and devote more 
than 10 years of her life to public service.
  Over the years, Jasmine climbed the office ranks from fellow to lead 
policy adviser for science, energy, and environment, to legislative 
director.
  Today is her last day in the Senate. She is leaving to take on a new 
challenge as Deputy Chief of Staff to Energy Secretary Jennifer 
Granholm.
  I know I speak for my entire staff when I say that we are thrilled 
for her. This is a well-deserved recognition and opportunity. I hate to 
lose her, but I never want to stand in the path of my staff if they 
have got a chance to promote themselves and to use their talents more 
effectively. We are going to miss her.
  Jasmine grew up in Normal, IL, which is perfect because she is about 
as normal and stable a person as you will ever find. No matter how long 
the hours or how tumultuous the mood, she is always clear-headed and 
calm.
  Her mother loved libraries and passed that love along to Jasmine and 
her brother Joseph. Thankfully, Jasmine remains a voracious reader and 
learner.
  I don't know which is more complicated, understanding how to split an 
atom or how a bill becomes a law, but Jasmine has mastered both. During 
her years in the Senate, Jasmine and her husband Mike became parents to 
two of the cutest little girls. She also has been something of a mother 
figure to countless young members of my staff whose careers she 
nurtured.
  Now she will bring her leadership for the Nation to the Department of 
Energy. I have no doubt that, in little time, she will manage to stop 
climate change with a Thanos snap. She is a remarkable scientist and 
public servant. I want to thank her for devoting so much of her time 
and talent to help me, to help the State of Illinois, and to serve this 
Nation.
  Jasmine, best of luck.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.