Recognizing the need to improve the participation and performance of America's students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, supporting the ideals of National Lab Day, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support House Resolution 1213, a resolution expressing support for National Lab Day and the need to improve science and math education.

National Lab Day, to be held on May 12th, will give middle and high school students access to hands-on, discovery-based laboratory opportunities. Additionally, National Lab Day will provide schools with an opportunity to assess and upgrade their current lab facilities. I am pleased that nearly 200 organizations representing science and math professionals and educators are supporting National Lab Day.

National Lab Day is a terrific initiative that comes at a time when we need an ``all-hands-on-deck'' mentality to provide our children with a first-rate math and science education. We still don't know how to cure cancer or AIDS, or completely ease the suffering of those with mental illnesses. We still have tremendous challenges regarding energy consumption. And we still don't know all we should about our planet and the people who live on it. The answers to these important questions are beginning to be formed in our classrooms with young students who one day may go on to investigate these issues and make advances that will benefit all of us.

Scientists and teachers long have been concerned about the quality of science and math education. Yet, scientists and educators should not be the only ones troubled by our students' mediocre performance in these subjects. Every citizen concerned about the long-term health of our Nation's economy should be worried by our current educational performance. Parents who want their children to succeed in a new global economy should be interested. Patients in need of new medical advances and citizens who want to see technological progress should care about our Nation's performance in this area.

It is clear that our Nation must improve mathematics and science education in our elementary and secondary schools. American students do not perform as satisfactorily in these subjects as compared with their peers in other nations, which threatens the long-term health of our Nation's economy and our competitiveness. China, India, and Germany, to name three, are putting more emphasis on science and math education. These nations recognize that the jobs of the future will require a basic understanding of these subjects. In fact, the Department of Labor recently found that three-quarters of the 20 fastest-growing future occupations will need workers with significant mathematics or science preparation.

A decade ago, I had the honor to serve on the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which became known as the John Glenn Commission. In a report entitled ``Before It's Too Late'', we made clear that our Nation must increase the number of teachers in those fields significantly and provide more opportunities for teachers to enhance their math and science teaching skills. Ten years later, I still believe policymakers must do more to support the teachers that play a critical role in science and math education. The Commission recommended that teachers receive the greatest attention, even ahead of curriculum or other areas.

As a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, I have been focused on ways to do just that. I have worked to boost resources for the underfunded Mathematics and Science Partnerships, which provides professional development opportunities to a wide range of teachers and helps them continue improving their skills. I have worked on a bipartisan basis with my colleague Rep. Vern Ehlers to ensure that reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act places the same importance on science as it does for other subjects, such as English.

In today's tight budget environment, I applaud the Obama Administration for proposing historic increases in the federal government's commitment to science education in their Fiscal Year 2011 Budget. I was pleased to see $300 million in the Department of Education budget for improving teaching and learning in science and math. When considering any replacement to the Mathematics and Science Partnerships program, we must recognize that great teachers are made, not born. I feel strongly that any new program must continue to support professional development activities for science and math teachers as they seek to improve their craft. In addition, any new program must ensure that professional development programs are widely available across the country, not just to a few schools that compete successfully because they are already top notch.

Improving our children's abilities in science and math is critical for our economy, our national security, and our democracy. Everyone, from scientist to teacher to parent to businessperson, should be concerned with how well we educate our children in this area. I look forward to working with my colleagues to fulfill the goals of the Glenn Commission and regain our Nation's leadership in science and math education.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution that recognizes the importance of science and math education and highlights the good work done at National Lab Day.

Mr. Speaker, as a former member of the Science Committee and a strong supporter of education, I rise in strong support of this resolution Recognizing the need to improve the participation and performance of America's students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

This legislation recognizes the importance of equipping young minds with the technological and scientific knowledge necessary to compete in a globalized economy. Further, within the context of globalization, I strongly believe that this country's ability to achieve and maintain a high standard of living is dependent on the extent to which it can harness science and technology. Thus, in order to enhance the international competitiveness of the country, it is critical for us to promote and support students pursuing careers in meteorology, climatology and atmospheric research.

From Ben Franklin to NASA to Silicon Valley, America has a great history of scientific innovation. In recent years, however, we have diverged from this path and have endangered our reputation as a nation at the forefront of science and technology. In 2006 only 4.5 percent of college graduates in the United States received a diploma in engineering, compared with 25.4 percent in South Korea, 33.3 percent in China, and 39.1 percent in Singapore. Today, American students rank 21st out of 30 in scientific literacy among students from developed countries, and 25th out of 30 in math literacy.

If this trend continues, there are dire consequences for our children and our economy. As this bill notes, ``In 2005 the National Academy of Sciences published a report entitled `Rising Above the Gathering Storm', which estimated that in the United States innovations generated by the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields account for nearly half of the growth in gross domestic product.''

Mr. Speaker, it is essential that we invest in a workforce ready for global competition by creating a new generation of innovators and make a sustained commitment to federal research and development. We need to spur and expand affordable access to broadband, achieve energy independence, and provide small business with tools to encourage entrepreneurial innovation.

The establishment and maintenance of a capable science and technological workforce remains an important facet of U.S. efforts to maintain economic competitiveness. Pre-college instruction in mathematics and scientific fields is crucial to the development of U.S. science and technological personnel, as well as our overall scientific literacy as a nation. The value of education in science and mathematics is not limited to those students pursuing a degree in one of these fields, and even students pursuing nonscientific and nonmathematical fields are likely to require basic knowledge in these subjects.

In particular, there is a need to extend access to mathematics and scientific education to a number of specific groups. Even as certain minorities, including African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, comprise an increasingly large proportion of the U.S. population, they continue to be underrepresented in science and engineering disciplines. Together, these three groups comprise over 25 percent of the population, but earn only 16.2 percent of the bachelor degrees, 10.7 percent of the masters degrees, and 5.4 percent of the doctorate degrees in these fields.

Mr. Speaker, as we develop the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), we must fully integrate and fund STEM education programs. Such programs are vital to the future of our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1213) recognizing the need to improve the participation and performance of America's students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, supporting the ideals of National Lab Day, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 1213.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 1213 recognizes the need to improve the performance of American students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. This resolution support the ideals of National Lab Day, a nationwide effort to connect students, STEM educators, and volunteers in order to build the STEM community.

All children have an innate curiosity about the world around them. Research shows students begin to lose this inquisitiveness as early as middle school. During National Lab Day, students in all grades participate in hands-on scientific educational projects to demonstrate real-life applications of the STEM fields. For example, a teacher in my district posted a project requesting a scientist to illustrate how chemistry is used in real-world applications and careers. The National Lab Day Web site will connect this teacher with a professional scientist to perform experiments and talk to students about careers in chemistry. These activities keep students interested and engaged in math and science throughout primary and secondary school. We hope that by keeping children interested early in life more American students will enter STEM fields.

America has a rich history as a leader in technology and information. However, we are at serious risk of losing our world status if we don't train and encourage and engage our youth. Research shows that the United States is graduating significantly lower percentages of students in STEM fields than other nations. In 2006, for example, a little over 4 percent of American students received undergraduate degrees in engineering compared to 33 percent in China. We can change this trend.

Last week, I was visited by a constituent named Sheari Rice. Sheari is a full-time engineer working toward a Ph.D. at Cleveland State University in my district. She is a strong, powerful role model for female minority students and said she would be thrilled to volunteer for National Lab Day. People like Sheari will make this initiative successful and teach our children that careers such as hers are within their reach.

There are Shearis in every district, and I hope my colleagues will join me in reaching out to these role models. Tell them they can visit www.nationallabday.org to sign up for projects in their communities. I look forward to seeing successful lab days all around the Nation and eventually a more technologically competitive America.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would ask that my colleagues support H. Res. 1213.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1213, a resolution supporting the ideals of National Lab Day.

I would also like to commend the two principal sponsors of this legislation, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), for their continued leadership on the promotion of STEM education.

And I want to join my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), and I too am a former member of the Science Committee, and I agree completely with her remarks on this issue.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, better known as STEM, education is instrumental to our ability to stay on the cutting edge of the global economy. Yet the United States is indeed falling behind the rest of the world in the number of students that are graduating from STEM fields.

Mr. Speaker, according to a 2006 Association of American Universities study that is noted in the findings of H. Res. 1213, 33.3 percent of students in China receive their undergraduate degrees in engineering; in Singapore, that number is 39.1 percent; and 25.4 percent of South Korea's graduates fall into these fields. Unfortunately, the United States is lagging so far behind with a staggering 4.5 percent of graduates in engineering. In order for us to remain competitive in a global marketplace, it is imperative that we find ways to increase the number of students coming out of college with a degree in a STEM- related field. That means that we need to build the interest level within STEM education for students at all levels.

Mr. Speaker, as a graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in chemistry, STEM education is an issue that is near and dear to me, and I am very happy to see that this body consider in a bipartisan way a resolution that supports National Lab Day. This is a nationwide initiative that provides a forum for scientists to work directly with students in a hands-on learning experience. By allowing students the opportunity to collaborate with scientists in this way, National Lab Day can provide them with the tools to keep them engaged in STEM fields, with the hope that those students will pursue higher education opportunities and careers in these cutting-edge fields.

During the 110th Congress, I believe our Nation took a very crucial step, due in large part to the leadership of Chairman Bart Gordon and Ranking Member Ralph Hall of the Science Committee, to address this issue in the America COMPETES Act, and that was passed in a bipartisan way in 2007 and signed into law by former President Bush.

As the former ranking member of the Science Committee's Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, I was so proud to support that important legislation, which will make STEM education a priority both now and in the future.

As we likely consider the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act next week, I hope this body will approach this legislation in the same manner.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this great resolution, H. Res. 1213.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1213, which recognizes the need to increase student participation in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). H. Res. 1213 also supports the ideals of National Lab Day, a national initiative designed to bring together educators, scientists and community members in the interest of providing students from kindergarten through 12th grade with hands-on scientific learning experiences. On National Lab Day, which is celebrated every year during the first week of May, scientists and other STEM professionals can give back to the community by volunteering their time to work with educators and students on lab projects.

Women and minorities have long been underrepresented in STEM careers. We need to reverse this trend so that STEM professionals better reflect the diverse character of our nation. Several initiatives in my district and the surrounding region have taken steps to make this happen. Great Minds in STEM is a nonprofit organization that operates an afterschool program in the Compton Unified School District in Compton, California that educates students from underrepresented demographic groups in STEM subject areas. STEM UP is another initiative that is working to establish a STEM education program in Southern California that focuses on increasing diversity.

The skills taught through STEM education are essential to an increasing number of jobs in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that science and engineering occupations will grow by 21.4 percent from 2004 to 2014, while non-STEM occupations will only grow by 13 percent. Additionally, equipping more Americans with advanced skills in STEM is essential to ensuring America's competitiveness in the global marketplace. In 2006, only 4.5 percent of college graduates in the United States majored in a STEM field compared with 25.4 percent of graduates in South Korea, 33.3 percent of graduates in China, and 39.1 percent of graduates in Singapore. We must graduate more students with the technical knowledge needed to succeed in an increasingly globalized and hi-tech economy.

I consider increasing educational and employment opportunities in the STEM fields to be so important that I recently introduced the America RISING Act of 2010. This bill will pay the salaries for two years of recent college graduates who are hired by small businesses or larger companies with operations in areas of low employment. It also establishes a higher education opportunity program which will provide funding to recent college graduates to help them obtain two years of additional education and training in the STEM fields.

I salute the hard work and dedication of the volunteers, teachers, and students involved in National Lab Day and the organizations committed to increasing participation in STEM disciplines and careers.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1213.