[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19221]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about Computer 
Science Education Week, which began on December 4, 2011, and continues 
until December 10, 2011. This celebration includes events in my home 
State of Pennsylvania that advance the teaching and learning of 
computer science. These activities help to engage students and build 
their interest in a field that promises good jobs in a rapidly 
expanding sector. The week also draws attention to the critical need 
for strong computer science education in our schools.
  E-mails, text messages, financial transactions, cell phone calls and 
doctor's visits are just a few of the activities that rely on computer 
science. In the last 20 years, we have undergone a technological 
revolution that has transformed industry, created entirely new segments 
of the economy, and transformed our daily lives. Pennsylvania's high-
tech industry has played a crucial role in this growth, and we must 
prepare the next generation to continue innovating. The events of 
Computer Science Education Week help to build momentum for students to 
learn computer science.
  In Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, which boasts one of the 
best computer science and informatics programs in the country, will 
host high school students and expose them to the multitude of academic 
and professional opportunities in computer science. At Emmaus High 
School in Emmaus, young people will demonstrate programmable robots and 
hear from alumni who have successfully pursued careers in computer 
science, all while honoring computing pioneer Grace Hopper with a 
birthday cake. Even the White House is celebrating Computer Science 
Education Week by honoring the week's organizers and representatives of 
the Computer Science Teachers Association as ``Champions of Change.''
  I have introduced S. 1614, the Computer Science Education Act, to 
help students develop the skills to compete for the growing number of 
jobs in computer science. Our Nation's economy and security depend upon 
computing professionals, but the current pipeline of graduates will 
satisfy only 52 percent of the more than 1.4 million computing job 
openings expected by 2018. The other 48 percent of these jobs will 
either go unfilled or move to other countries. America should continue 
to lead in the high-tech sector by preparing students to take these 
well-paying jobs. This legislation would strengthen computer science 
education in elementary and high schools by ensuring that students not 
only use technology but also learn the technical skills needed to work 
in computer science and grow our economy.
  Computer Science Education Week will help to increase the interest of 
students who will invent the next mobile technology or start the next 
technology company. This week was established in 2009 by the Computing 
in the Core Coalition, a group of organizations, companies, and 
scientific societies that strive to advocate for computer science as a 
core academic subject. Computer Science Education Week coincides with 
the birthday of Grace Murray Hopper, a pioneer in computer science, who 
was born on December 9, 1906. She rose to the rank of rear admiral in 
the U.S. Navy, engineered new programming languages and developed 
standards for computer systems that laid the foundation for many 
computer science advances.
  The economy of the future and the jobs that will accompany it demand 
that we prepare our students to remain competitive as leaders in the 
high-tech global marketplace. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to 
join me in recognizing Computer Science Education Week and to cosponsor 
the Computer Science Education Act.

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