[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   A TRIBUTE TO IOWA GIRL SCOUT TEAM

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                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 13, 2011

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of Girl 
Scouts from Ames and Gilbert, Iowa, who came together and formed a team 
called the Flying Monkeys. In May, they will be participating in a 
FIRST Lego League competition in Carlsbad, California.
  The FIRST Lego League North American Open is a national contest that 
encourages young girls to become interested in science and engineering. 
The competition is limited to 76 teams from North America with each 
region selecting a team to represent them.
  In January, the Flying Monkeys, under the direction of their Troop 
Leaders Claire Bassett and Melissa Murray, and assisted by Zack Pachol 
won the Iowa FIRST Lego League Innovation Award for the invention of 
their device called the BOB-1. This device is an improved prosthesis 
for a girl who was born with missing fingers on her right hand and will 
help her to write. They have gone on to compete for the Global 
Innovation Award to win a full utility patent for BOB-1 and win a trip 
to Washington D.C.
  I commend the Flying Monkeys for their commitment to leadership in 
science and technology. This group of girls--Courtney Pohlen, Gaby 
Dempsey, Maria Werner Anderson, Zoe Groat, Mackenzie Grewell, and Kate 
Murray--are future leaders of this country of whom Iowans should be 
very proud.
  I know that my colleagues in the United States Congress will join me 
in congratulating these girls on their accomplishments. It is my honor 
to serve as their representative, and I wish them the best of luck in 
the future.

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