WASHINGTON – House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Energy Subcommittee Vice Chairman Steve Knight (R-Calif.) praised passage of Knight’s bill today that strengthens aerospace education workforce opportunities for women.
The bipartisan HR. 4254, the Women in Aerospace Education Act, authored by Vice Chairman Knight, is now headed to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
The legislation directs NASA and the National Science Foundation to use their fellowships and internships to encourage more women to get aerospace experience while they’re training to be science and mathematics teachers.
Women represent only about one-quarter of all STEM workers and 15 percent of aerospace engineers. H.R. 4254 encourages more women to get aerospace experience through the government’s best teacher training programs. It increases the number of women who will experience, work on, and educate students on the nation’s leading aerospace programs.
Chairman Smith:
“By creating opportunities for female teachers to gain experience in aerospace, this bill not only promotes diversity and inclusiveness in STEM fields, but also strengthens the critical STEM education pipeline. These teachers are then better equipped to educate and inspire students to pursue studies and careers in aerospace. I thank Steve Knight for his hard work on this bipartisan piece of legislation and I look forward to the President signing it into law.”
Vice Chairman Knight:
“Women represent half of our total workforce, yet still only represent a minority of workers in the aeronautics and space sectors. This bill will help engage girls and young women early in their education to promote careers in these cutting edge and promising industries. I am very happy this important bill has passed the final Congressional hurdle and is a signature away from being law.”
The full text of the bill is available here.
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