[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6547]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             SCIENCE CHICKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, the Science Chicks, a new club in Mount 
Prospect, Illinois, represents the future of our country.
  These 24 middle school girls built their remote operating vehicle and 
equipped it with motors and an underwater camera. They did all the 
electrical wiring themselves from scratch. At a competition at the 
University of Illinois, their submersible vehicle picked up items from 
the bottom of the pool's floor.
  These girls represent millions around the country that have the 
ability to achieve greatness in the STEM fields. It is now our job to 
support them.
  When I was in flight school learning to become a helicopter pilot, 
all the flight instructors asked me to please try to find more women to 
join the Army flight school. They said that women made excellent 
natural pilots, but that they were less likely to even come forward and 
apply to the flight training program than their male peers.
  I wonder how many girls around the country could achieve great things 
in math, science, or even flight school, but are simply unaware of the 
opportunities that are out there for them. We need to make sure that 
our public schools have the resources to invest in STEM education and 
that girls are encouraged to reach their full potential.
  This is not only about empowering our daughters, but building the 
future of our economy and strengthening American competitiveness 
abroad. STEM education is crucial to providing good jobs for future 
generations and allowing our businesses to succeed.
  Mr. Speaker, let's follow the example of the Science Chicks and 
support STEM education throughout this country.

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