U.S. Rep. Christina Houlahan recently launched the Women in STEM Caucus. According to news reports, the group of Congress members is dedicated to advancing the role of women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in conducting groundbreaking research that leads to life-changing innovations and furthering the scientific enterprise in America.
Participants at the event included U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., Dr. Kelly Mack, vice president for undergraduate STEM education and executive director of the Project Kaleidoscope Association of American Colleges and Universities, and Lauren Brookmeyer, president of the Science Coalition and director of government relations at Stony Brook University.
Brookmeyer said the four lawmakers should be commended for their advocacy on behalf of women researchers, the nation's scientific enterprise, and partnership between universities and federal research agencies.
“Today is a cause for celebration," Brookmeyer said. "These leaders are establishing the first-ever congressional caucus to support the next generation of women researchers."
Congresswoman Houlahan, the U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district, is an engineer and former Air Force officer.
“I was one of 10 women in my engineering major,” Houlahan said. “Thirty years later, the numbers haven’t really changed. That’s why we launched the Women in STEM Caucus. For too long, the STEM community has felt inaccessible to women and underrepresented minorities. I’m proud to stand alongside my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to give STEM a much-needed makeover. Our mission is clear: show women, girls, and underrepresented minorities that STEM is for everyone.”
Rep. Jackie Walorski said STEM education is a driving force behind America's 21st-century economy.
"That’s especially true in northern Indiana, a manufacturing hub that depends on innovation and skill to build made-in-America products," Walorski said. She also noted how important it was to strengthen the workforce through hands-on learning, technical training, and real-world application of the skills required in cutting-edge jobs. "By expanding access and encouraging girls of all ages to explore STEM fields, we can create more jobs and opportunities in our communities and open doors for them to achieve their full potential," she added.
Congresswoman Lesko said Arizona is home to the largest effort in the country by a university to support the entry and success of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“As a representative of a state that is a leader in the cause to promote women in STEM, I am proud today to celebrate the establishment of the Congressional Women in STEM Caucus, and I am honored to serve as one of its co-chairs," Lesko said. "It is important to encourage the success of women and girls in STEM fields and that is what I hope to do through my participation in this caucus.”
Congresswoman Stevens, who is a member of the House Science Committee and previously worked in a manufacturing research lab, said she has seen and learned about the discrimination and institutional barriers for women in STEM fields.
“Women and girls everywhere need to know that they can succeed in the STEM fields and that our country and our economy won’t succeed without them," Stevens said. "That’s why I am so proud to serve as a co-chair of the new Congressional Women in STEM Caucus. I look forward to working with the other co-chairs to grow this bipartisan caucus into a powerful force for change, and to ensure that women are given equal opportunities to conduct research, innovate, and discover the next great technological breakthrough.”
Also present at the event was Dr. Kelly Mack, executive director of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), the center of STEM higher education reform at the Association of American Colleges & Universities.
PKAL is dedicated to empowering STEM faculty, including those from underrepresented groups, to graduate more students in STEM fields who are competitively trained and liberally educated.
“The sting of microaggressions, invisibility, hypervisibility, and presumptions of incompetence have created very dire conditions for STEM women faculty at U.S. higher education institutions,” said Dr. Mack. “These lived experiences demand that we have women in stem caucus like this. But, it’s the commitment of the caucus to ensuring that the mistake of ignoring or excluding women of color from important policy work will not happen that makes me so proud to be a part of this work.”
