ManiIt’s hard to say when in our lives each of us became aware of this thing called “Science”. And when did science become a synonym of “Technology”, even more so when did Technology become Tech gone amuck.
Having said that, we are producing new technology and even science itself at an astonishing fast rate, leaving vast majority of the population stranded to find ways on how to interpret all of the new discoveries.
In a sense this a very good thing, as Science is the engine that drives our economy and the more you produce the better your output would be. Unfortunately, the fast pace of tech evolution is also one of the reasons why the legislators and lawmakers were left in the dark, grappling and struggling to make sense of it all.
Now Latest News from Science Magazine is reporting a story titled Rookies lead the way on House science panel, stating that the latest elections brought in a cohort of congressmen and congresswomen that are more in tuned with science and technology.
A major perk of being the majority party in the U.S. Congress is getting to fill the leadership slots on every committee. For several new Democratic legislators, however, having their party regain control of the House of Representatives also creates an unprecedented opportunity to shape U.S. science policy.
In this month of march, the newly configured House science committee will convene for the first time to adopt its rules and structure. To no one’s surprise, the 39-member committee will choose Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D–TX) as its chairwoman.
A 14-term legislator and former nurse administrator, Johnson has spent the past 6 years aggressively leading the Democratic charge against any number of Republican proposals seen as threats to the U.S. research enterprise. Now, her party will be setting the agenda. But her new lieutenants—the chairs of the panel’s five subcommittees—are rookies unschooled in the ways of Congress and, for the most part, in the challenges facing the community.
Four of the five—all women—were elected to Congress in November 2018 as part of the 40-seat blue wave. None has a scientific background, nor did any receive the endorsement of a pro-science organization, 314 Action, which backed more than a dozen House Democratic candidates.
At the same time, only one of the eight new members of the House who made science a pillar of their campaigns and gained 314 Action’s backing has landed on the science committee. That is Representative Sean Casten (D–IL), a clean energy entrepreneur who defeated a longtime Republican incumbent. But Casten, a biochemical engineer who co-founded a company that helps firms become more energy efficient, will start out as a backbencher.
Johnson’s leadership team consists of representatives Haley Stevens (D–MI), as chair of the research subcommittee; Kendra Horn (D–OK) atop the space subcommittee, Mikie Sherrill (D–NJ), who will lead investigations and oversight; and Lizzie Fletcher (D–TX), who will chair the environment subcommittee. The energy subcommittee will be led by Representative Conor Lamb (D–PA), who won a special election in March 2018 and earned a full 2-year term in November 2018. Horn, Sherrill, Fletcher, and Lamb are lawyers, and Stevens is a party activist who served briefly in former President Barack Obama’s administration.
Strong educational foundation in STEM is very important for the economic growth of the country and the planet as a whole.
Especially if technologies such as this becomes more and more common, it will fuel the innovation of the next generation.
I like to collect stories like [post_keyword] on my website, one for referencing back when you are writing something, and two to share with everyone.
If you like this story you should check out some of the other stories in the Space
To check the original story Click here
Mani Masood
