Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I introduce a bill, the Innovation Inspiration school grant program. This legislation will give high school students in New Hampshire and across the country access to non-traditional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs as well as the opportunity to be mentored by professionals in those fields.

I am proud to be joined in introducing this bill today with Senators REID, DORGAN, KAUFMAN, BEGICH, BINGAMAN and KERRY and thank them for their support.

We hear so often about the importance of STEM fields and our future economy. These fields--commonly defined as the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--are central to U.S. economic competitiveness and growth. In fact, projections by the U.S. Labor Department show that STEM-related fields are expected to be the fastest growing occupations of the next decade.

What is worrisome, though, is that too few students in the United States are pursuing education in these STEM fields to keep up with the increased demand in the workforce. For those students that do embark in STEM education, too often they are being outperformed by international competitors.

Simply put, I believe that in today's global economy American students must have access to better STEM training, have the opportunity to be mentored by professionals in the field and be engaged in the study of these critical fields at deeper, more meaningful levels.

This legislation, the Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program, does that. It will bolster our student's access to quality non-traditional STEM programs. It will grow the STEM pipeline and broaden access to careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

We all recognize that community partnerships and especially mentors for our young people are essential to their success. The Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program will provide states and schools critical resources to engage community members and professional mentors who are working in the STEM fields. I believe that by connecting students with well-trained teachers and community mentors, we can foster innovation at the high school level and inspire young people to graduate high school, enter the workforce, or go onto college to major in science and engineering and pursue careers in these fields.

Students in New Hampshire have been participating in non-traditional STEM opportunities, such as those provided by FIRST Robotics, for over 20 years. And for these students, the experience has been life-changing.

Take, for example, Aletha Evangelou, from Nashua, NH. As a result of her experience in the Nashua High School FIRST Robotics team, a love of engineering grew. She went on to major in mechanical engineering at the University of New Hampshire and is now employed at a defense and aerospace company in our state. She says ``I have been a full time mechanical engineer at BAE Systems for two and a half years now, and I can honestly say that I would not be here if I hadn't joined the FIRST Robotics program. It completely changed my life.''

Aletha is just one example of many students who have benefitted from the type of programs that are supported by this legislation. Every student in every school across the country should have the opportunity to have these sorts of experiences. This legislation does that.

I urge my colleagues to join me to ensure that high school graduates have the skills and knowledge in the STEM fields necessary to succeed in postsecondary education and develop the workforce of the 21st century.

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