Senate launches STEM Education Caucus

Senators Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Richard Durbin, D-Ill., have established a bipartisan Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Caucus in the U. S. Senate.

They have thus far been joined by colleagues Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.; Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.; Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.; James Jeffords, I-Vt.; Hilary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V.

The Senate Caucus follows in the footsteps of the House STEM Education Caucus created late last year by Reps. Vern Ehlers, R-Mich., and Mark Udall, D-Colo.

These caucuses are very important to K–12 STEM education because they help to bring valuable visibility to STEM education, provide much needed information to members of Congress, and help to secure much needed funding for science and math education.

In a letter to their colleagues, Coleman and Durbin said that "with increasing demands on our economy, workforce, and national security, STEM education is more important than ever."

They added, "America's economic strength is rooted in its ability to innovate," noting that strong "science, technology, engineering, and math skills equip our students not just to hold their own, but to advance the frontiers in fields important to our economy and security."

For the past several years, ASME has been at the forefront of public policy initiatives in this area, and several times in the ASME Public Policy Agenda members have named STEM education as one of the five most important public policy issues to the Society.

Bush nominates scientist as EPA administrator

It might seem to be a logical thing to do — name a scientist to head the federal agency that oversees environmental protection — but President Bush's recent decision to name Stephen Johnson as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency marks the first time a professional scientist has been tapped to head the agency since it was formed during the Nixon administration.

Johnson is a career EPA scientist with 24 years of experience at the agency. He has served as acting administrator since the January 2005 departure of former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, whom Bush named to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

Johnson's nomination garnered rare bipartisan praise, and his confirmation was likely at press time.

Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers, R-Mich., chairman of the Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, said in a statement that he was "delighted to see a scientist selected to head the EPA."

Meanwhile, Sen. James M. Jeffords, I-Vt., the ranking minority member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, also praised the choice, stating that Johnson's "experience and temperament make him a solid choice to lead the agency at this time."

In White House remarks on the nomination, President Bush said that Johnson "will ... bring valuable experience that will help us improve our homeland security. As an expert on pesticides, he helped design new regulations to improve food safety. In his new role, Steve will lead federal efforts to ensure the security of our drinking water supply. My budget includes a new program to better monitor urban water systems, so we can detect contamination as quickly as possible."

Johnson holds a B.A. in biology from Taylor University in Indiana and an M.S. in pathology from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

— Francis Dietz
ASME Government Relations

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