House Tips Hat To Computer Scientists
The House late Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution introduced by House Science Committee member Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., designating the week of Dec. 7 as National Computer Science Education Week. The resolution also honors the birthday of Grace Murray Hopper, one of the first female computer scientists. Ehlers has spent much of his career on Capitol Hill fighting for improved research and education, particularly education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
"I believe these subjects hold special promise for the future of our nation and its workforce, and it is very critical that all of our nation's students receive a foundation in STEM," Ehlers said in a statement. "This prepares students to become the innovators of tomorrow. Without innovation, our nation and its economy will be on a declining path." Introducing students to computer science at an early age and providing them with learning experiences at all educational levels can help stem the tide of declining enrollments in computer science training, he said.
The Association for Computing Machinery and others from the computing community cheered the resolution's passage. National Computer Science Education Week will help draw attention to the need for an educational system that values computer science as a discipline and provides students with critical thinking skills and career opportunities, said Bobby Schnabel, chair of ACM's Education Policy Committee and dean of Indiana University's School of Informatics.
Increasing energy efficiency, advancing healthcare, and improving communication in the digital age are just a few of the national priorities that depend on computer science, which Congress has recognized Rick Rashid, senior vice president of research for Microsoft, said in a statement. Google Vice President Alfred Spector added that despite the economic downturn, computer science-related jobs are among the fastest-growing and highest paying over the next decade.
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