Supporting the goals and ideals of National Chemistry Week.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 793, supporting the goals and ideals of National Chemistry Week.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of National Chemistry Week. It is a concept that was first introduced in 1987 by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society and one of the premier scientific societies in our Nation. Over the past 20 years, this annual event has proven to be a great success, and it will continue this week with various events, celebrating the impact chemistry has made on our society from the very beginning.

Designed to reach out to the public, especially elementary and secondary schoolchildren, the National Chemistry Week program will emphasize the importance of chemistry in everyday life with this year's theme, ``Chemistry--It's Elemental,'' which will celebrate the Periodic Table of Elements. Created 140 years ago this year by Dmitri Mendeleev, the Periodic Table of Elements articulates the very basis of the universe, and it consists of common elements used in our everyday lives as well as some fairly exotic elements which are rarely used in our everyday lives.

Activities for the week will highlight the history of elements, the roles elements play in everyday life, the common and not-so-common uses of elements, and the history of the periodic table. This week is a wonderful opportunity for the public to engage in various events designed to increase the knowledge and awareness of chemistry's everyday effects.

More than 10,000 volunteers from local areas, businesses and schools will unite this week to educate millions of children across the country. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring all those who are volunteering their time and who are promoting these various activities through National Chemistry Week.

I would just like to add a few personal observations of things that I've encountered during my lifetime as a

scientist. I'm a physicist, not a chemist; but I have learned some chemistry. I remember speaking to a group about environmental issues sometime back, and a lady came up to me afterwards, and was very concerned--actually, I would say distressed.

She said, I'm terribly concerned about all these chemicals today and what's happening to us and what it's doing to us and our bodies.

I said, Well, that's certainly something to be concerned about. Do you have any chemicals specifically that you're worried about?

She said, No, no. All of them.

So I asked her if she liked to eat oranges. She said, Oh, yes, I love oranges.

I said, In spite of the fact that they're filled with chemicals?

She said she didn't know they were filled with chemicals.

I said, Well, yes, things like vitamin C and lots of other foods and chemicals that are very useful to your body.

The point that I made to her is that the question is not so much the chemicals; it's which chemicals. We have to recognize which are bad chemicals for individuals to ingest or to breathe and which ones are very good for us and are, in fact, very healthy. That's the point of what the Chemical Society is trying to develop here, that chemistry is an integral part of life. It is not bad in and of itself. In fact, it can be good in and of itself, but we should be aware as legislators and as scientists of the many great things that we have developed using chemistry which have improved living for people in this Nation and in other nations throughout the world.

So let's all join in this particular effort. Let's recognize the tremendous strides we have taken forward thanks to chemistry and, for that matter, physics and other sciences. Let's recognize that these are, by and large, good for the people and good for the Nation. Let's all join in this great event which recognizes what the American Chemical Society and chemists in general have done for the past few years.

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

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

First of all I want to commend the previous speaker, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa). We work together on the Education Committee, and I have always admired his deep interest in science and his desire to make science available to and comprehensible to everyone in this Nation, including those who have not had the opportunity to study it in elementary or high school.

I commend him for his deep interest. Whenever I have needed help on this issue of science and science education, Mr. Hinojosa has jumped into the fray with me, so I want to take a minute to commend him on that.

I also want to commend the Chair of the Science Committee, who has also been very helpful in these efforts. As most Members know, I was a professor for many years, a professor of physics. I taught every course at the college level, from the simplest to the most complicated. I have never lost my love for teaching, and particularly my effort to improve science education in the elementary and secondary schools.

Mr. Hinojosa pointed out that if we do not produce a generation of scientists out of those students who are currently in elementary and secondary school, our Nation in the future will suffer because of that. On the next topic which will be coming to the floor, I will say more about that.

It's absolutely essential that we recognize how important it is for our students to learn these subjects. Parents must realize that. I always tell the students, if you really want to make certain you have a job after you get out of college, study science. You may end up in medicine, as the Speaker pro tempore has, or you may end up in other fields. But it's quite likely you are not going to get as good a job if you don't bother to learn science. This is just the nature of the world today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you, Chairman Bart Gordon from Tennessee, for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H. Res. 793, a resolution recognizing the week of October 18 as National Chemistry Week.

I want to thank Congressman Silvestre Reyes, co-Chair of the Diversity and Innovation Caucus, for sponsoring this resolution.

The American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, established National Chemistry Week in 1987 to help educate the public, particularly school-aged children, about the important role of the chemical sciences and their significant contributions to our quality of life.

This year, more than 10,000 National Chemistry Week volunteers, from both the public and private sectors, will help educate millions of children about the practical applications of chemistry by engaging them through stimulating hands-on science activities in local schools, in libraries and museums around the whole country.

During this year's observance of National Chemistry Week, students and chemistry professionals will celebrate the theme ``Chemistry--It's Elemental.'' This theme recognizes the 140th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev's creation of the periodic table of the elements. The elements are the basis of the universe and of life on Earth, composing the graphite in pencils, the tungsten in light bulbs and in neon lights, the copper for cooling applications and the sodium in table salt, almost everything we encounter in our day-to-day activities.

The promotion of STEM education and the advancement of minorities in the STEM areas have become increasingly important in my congressional district and across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, just last month, the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, held its eighth annual Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology Conference to promote the importance of science literacy to thousands of students, parents and teachers. It was a big success.

HESTEC was created to address the shortage of scientists and engineers in our country. This year, the event drew more than 400,000 participants in deep south Texas. Since its inception in 2002, the university has created an exceptional pipeline of Hispanic scientists and engineers.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness, I am proud to say that in the past 2 years, Congress has expanded educational opportunities in STEM education, particularly for women and minority students, and authorized programs to recruit highly qualified teachers to high-need school districts in the STEM areas with the passage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act in 2007, as well as the passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act in 2008.

This legislation made historic investments in higher education to strengthen STEM education and create a new generation of minority workers in STEM fields. As you know, the House passed H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, last month to increase affordability and accessibility in higher education.

If the House-passed bill is signed into law, this legislation will provide $2.5 billion over a 10-year period to strengthen minority- serving institutions in STEM areas and ensure that the students they serve graduate and become the engineers and scientists our country desperately needs.

National Chemistry Week highlights the importance of chemistry and the natural sciences to our students. It's critical that our schools continue to cultivate exceptional scientists, engineers and technicians from every background to help strengthen our Nation's competitiveness and to promote scientific discovery and innovation in the 21st century.

I want to thank Chairman Reyes from El Paso for introducing this resolution, H. Res. 793, and I thank Chairman Gordon for bringing it to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, National Chemistry Week is critically important in promoting STEM issues in our schools and in preparing our students to pursue careers in STEM. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 793, a resolution I introduced to recognize the week of October 18th as National Chemistry Week.

The American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, established National Chemistry Week in 1987 to educate the public, particularly school age children, about the important role of the chemical sciences and their significant contributions to our quality of life.

This year, more than 10,000 National Chemistry Week volunteers from both the public and private sectors will help educate millions of children about the practical applications of chemistry by engaging them through stimulating hands-on science activities in local schools, libraries, and museums around the country.

During this year's observance of National Chemistry Week, students and chemistry professionals will celebrate the theme ``Chemistry--It's Elemental!'' This theme was chosen to emphasize the 140th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev's creation of the Periodic Table of the Elements. The elements are the basis of the universe and of life on Earth, composing graphite in pencils; tungsten in light bulbs and neon lights; copper for cooling applications; and sodium in table salt--almost everything we encounter in our day-to-day activities.

Local El Paso college students are doing their part to promote chemistry in our community by coordinating the Chemistry Circus. Sponsored by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at El Paso and performed by the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates, the Chemistry Circus incorporates short vignettes that explore many fundamental concepts of chemical science. The performances are presented throughout the school year to K-12 audiences--and adults--emphasizing Texas science academic standards.

The promotion of student advancement and success in the STEM fields is one of my highest priorities. In 2008, I founded the Diversity and Innovation Caucus with five of my colleagues in the House of Representatives in order to generate policy ideas for increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, articulate the importance of pro-STEM and pro-innovation policies for underrepresented groups in STEM fields, and communicate the importance of promoting diversity in STEM for the achievement of America's innovation and competitiveness goals.

Over the past year, I am proud to say that the caucus has produced key legislative initiatives that promote the recruitment of highly- qualified teachers to high-need school districts, the development of laboratory facilities at less privileged schools, and the recruitment of minority students to the STEM fields through the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Emphasizing the importance of chemistry and the natural sciences to our students is essential to ensure that our schools continue to cultivate the finest scientists, engineers, and technicians from every background. Educating our children about the importance of chemistry and the natural sciences will help strengthen our nation's economic competitiveness and foster American ingenuity and innovation in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, National Chemistry Week is a vital component in the effort to promote STEM issues in our schools. I therefore urge my colleagues to support this effort through the passage of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res 793, ``Supporting the goals and ideals of National Chemistry Week.'' I support this resolution because success in science is of the utmost importance for the future of our youth and our nation.

In order to keep America as a leader in science we need to focus on the success of our youth by emphasizing achievement in all academic endeavors. Letting our students fall behind those of the rest of the world is a mistake we cannot afford.

Chemistry is a field of science and technology that has transformed the world and will vastly improve the quality of life around the globe. Chemical sciences create an infrastructure that delivers the foods, fuels, medicines, and materials that are the hallmark of modern life. Chemical scientists and engineers are essential to technological progress and to the health of many industries, including the chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics, agricultural, automotive, and aerospace industries. The contributions of chemists boost economic growth, create new jobs, and improve health and standards of living. My home district, Texas' 18th District and other parts of Houston are the hub for many of these industries, namely NASA, the Medical Center, and the Port of Houston.

In order to foster the innovation that America needs to ensure global competitiveness, our schools must cultivate the finest scientists, engineers, and technicians from every background and neighborhood. We must strive to focus on increasing access to science, technology, engineering, and math education for Latinos, African-Americans, women, and other underrepresented students in these fields.

National Chemistry Week was established in 1987 by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, to enhance the publics' appreciation of the chemical sciences and also to educate the public. 2009 also marks the 140th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev's creation of the Periodic Table of the Elements, one of the greatest achievements in scientific history. The theme of National Chemistry Week this year is, ``Chemistry--It's Elemental'', which was chosen to raise public awareness about the importance of chemistry and the chemical sciences by emphasizing that the elements, forming the basis of the universe, play an integral role in daily life. There are many common elements, such as copper in electrical wires, neon in lights, sodium in table salt, and aluminum in soda cans, that are tangibly present in everyday life.

This year, it is anticipated that more than 10,000 volunteers from industry, government, and academia will observe National Chemistry Week during the week of October 18, 2009, by conducting hands-on science activities with millions of children in local schools, libraries, and museums. National Chemistry Week encourages volunteers to provide resources to science educators across the country, promote community events for recycling common elemental items such as aluminum cans, encourage students to explore creative representations of the elements in the Periodic Table, and generally act as ``chemistry ambassadors'' who emphasize the importance and contributions of chemistry to daily life.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 793) supporting the goals and ideals of National Chemistry Week.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 793, the resolution now under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 793, a resolution recognizing the importance of chemistry and honoring National Chemistry Week.

I want to commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for introducing this resolution.

The importance of chemistry and chemical engineering in our lives cannot be overstated. These disciplines contribute to public health by helping to keep our water clean and our food pure. They contribute to advances in medicine through new biomaterials, drug design and drug delivery techniques. They help make cleaner and more efficient energy technologies possible, and they help keep toxins out of our homes and out of our natural environment through the development of green chemicals and materials.

In short, chemistry and chemical engineering contribute in immeasurable ways to the economic strength, security, and well-being of our Nation and all its citizens. For this reason, it is important to get young people excited about chemistry and interested in pursuing careers in chemistry and in the sciences in general. National Chemistry Week plays a great role in this effort.

National Chemistry Week activities are carried out by local sections of the American Chemical Society located in all parts of our Nation. It is estimated that over 10,000 volunteers from industry, government, and academia will participate in National Chemistry Week activities this year.

They will be working to design hands-on activities, to provide demonstrations and to develop exhibits. Through these activities, they will help stimulate the interest of young people in chemistry and in pursuing careers in science and technology.

So, Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the American Chemical Society for its efforts to establish and to sustain National Chemistry Week.

Once again, I thank Mr. Reyes and his cosponsors for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the importance of chemistry in our daily lives and the positive impact of National Chemistry Week by supporting H. Res. 793.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa).

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, let me thank Dr. Ehlers for bringing both his real-world experience to the Science Committee, as well as his passion for the work that we do there. He makes us a better committee.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.