Nelson: Senate Passes Legislation to Promote Research and Science, Engineering & Math Education

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NELSON: SENATE PASSES LEGISLATION TO PROMOTE RESEARCH AND SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & MATH EDUCATION

In 1957, the launch of the Soviet "Sputnik" satellite spurred a wave of federal programs to promote science and math research and education. Today, the Senate launched a similar effort by passing the America COMPETES Act of 2007. Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson joined 87 colleagues in voting for the bill.

"Fifty years ago, our nation recognized that the future of our economic and strategic strength relied on a solid foundation of science and math. With today's vote, the Senate is ensuring that our commitment to innovation and competitiveness will continue into the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs," said Nelson, a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The America COMPETES Act aims to improve America's competitiveness by strengthening existing research programs and improving education in math and sciences from elementary through secondary education. The bill recognizes that a strong basis in math and science is vitally important in grounding students for future work in high-tech fields.

The bill accomplishes these goals by doubling the budget for National Science Foundation; increasing the budgets of the Department of Energy Office of Science, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and increasing funding for math teacher training. Critically, it also provides a dedicated source of funding for research done in rural states such as Nebraska.

"Nebraska students have always excelled at math and science thanks to our strong schools and excellent universities," said Nelson. "This legislation will build off that history of success by better preparing students to succeed in workplaces of the future. And it will promote research at the University of Nebraska and other institutes of higher education in our state."

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