Supporting the goals and ideals of Engineers Week.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 130 Supporting the goals and ideals of Engineers Week. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 13, 2019 Mr. LIPINSKI (for himself, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. KILMER, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. TONKO, Mr. RUSH, Mr. RYAN, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. REED, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. KEVIN HERN of Oklahoma, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Mr. GALLEGO, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mrs. LURIA, Mr. SIRES, and Ms. HOULAHAN) sub- mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of Engineers Week. Whereas engineers employ their scientific knowledge and ana- lytical skills for the betterment of the United States, and for the protection of the public health, safety, and wel- fare; Whereas the mission of the National Engineers Week Foun- dation (doing business as DiscoverE) is to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession through outreach, education, celebration, and volunteerism as needed to VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:45 Feb 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR130.IH HR130 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 130 IH keep the United States a global leader in engineering and engineering education; Whereas the sponsors of Engineers Week are working to- gether to transform the engineering workforce through greater inclusion of women and underrepresented minori- ties; Whereas by engaging young students, parents, and educators in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities, engineers help them discover how they can make a meaningful difference in the world; Whereas the partnership between engineers and teachers in- spires future generations of engineering and technology talent; Whereas tens of thousands of engineers and engineering stu- dents will serve their communities not only through their work but, at this time of year, by reaching into hundreds of local communities; Whereas engineers have helped meet the major global chal- lenges of our time, including providing state-of-the-art transportation and information technology infrastruc- tures, enhancing national security, and developing the clean energy technologies needed to power the people of the United States into the future; Whereas ‘‘science creates more opportunity for the next gen- eration’’, according to the National Science Board’s ‘‘Science and Engineering Indicators 2018’’; Whereas engineers are a crucial link in research, develop- ment, and the transformation of scientific discoveries into useful products and jobs, as the people of the United States look more than ever to engineers and their imagi- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:45 Feb 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR130.IH HR130 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 130 IH nation, knowledge, and analytical skills to meet the chal- lenges of the future; Whereas the National Science Board’s ‘‘Science and Engi- neering Indicators 2018’’ shows that the number of stu- dents obtaining engineering bachelor’s degrees in the United States has increased steadily for the last 15 years for which data are available, yet the rates for women do not reflect our national demographics, with only 20 per- cent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering being earned by women; Whereas the National Science Board’s ‘‘Science and Engi- neering Indicators 2018’’ shows that historically under- represented racial and ethnic groups, particularly Blacks and Hispanics, continue to display lower participation rates in science and engineering (S&E) occupations rel- ative to their presence in the United States population, comprising about 11 percent of the S&E workforce; Whereas the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics report on ‘‘Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering 2017’’ shows that women are closing the gap with men in S&E educational attainment but are still underrepresented in S&E occupations; Whereas only around 4 percent of the Nation’s workforce is comprised of scientists and engineers, yet this group dis- proportionately creates jobs for the other 96 percent; Whereas DiscoverE has grown into a formal coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations, and government agencies that serves as a hub of engineering outreach dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-edu- cated engineering workforce, promoting literacy in VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:45 Feb 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR130.IH HR130 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 130 IH science, technology, engineering, and math, and raising public awareness and appreciation of the contributions of engineers to society; Whereas the United States Congress has recognized National Engineers Week every year since 1951; and Whereas February 17, 2019, to February 23, 2019, has been designated as Engineers Week by DiscoverE and the theme is ‘‘Engineers: Invent Amazing’’, spotlighting the important contributions of the engineering community to our quality of life now and in the future, including awe- inspiring wonders like cloud-busting skyscrapers and human travel to Mars and daily marvels like clean drink- ing water, computers, and cars: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Engineers 2 Week to increase understanding of and interest in 3 engineering and technology careers and to promote 4 technological literacy and engineering education; 5 (2) recognizes that engineering education is a 6 critical component of STEM (science, technology, 7 engineering, and mathematics) education and essen- 8 tial to improving the United States educational sys- 9 tem and economic prosperity; and 10 (3) ensures that technological solutions de- 11 signed by the engineering community can be ad- 12 vanced through research, development, standardiza- 13 tion, and innovation. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:45 Feb 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR130.IH HR130 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS