WASHINGTON (8 May 2008) -- Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, was honored last week for his leadership and commitment toward the United States remaining a global leader in science and innovation.
Obey received the George E. Brown Jr. Science, Engineering and Technology Leadership Award in a ceremony on Capitol Hill. IEEE-USA President Gordon Day presented the award on behalf of the Science, Engineering and Technology Work Group.
Prior to passage of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" in February, Obey spoke on the House floor about investing "in new portions of the economy through science, technology [and] new energy initiatives to try to modernize the economy and make it stronger." He also discussed how electronic health records could make the nation's health care system more efficient and cost effective.
Obey supported these initiatives by providing funding for: competitive construction grants for research science buildings at colleges, universities and other research organizations; a reliable and efficient electricity delivery system – Smart Grid – that includes R&D, pilot projects and federal matching funds to modernize the electricity grid; National Science Foundation grants to put scientists to work and keep promising younger researchers in the pipeline, and for investments in cutting-edge research infrastructure and instrumentation at U.S. universities; and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standards for health information technology.
Obey, who is serving his 21st term in Congress, also steered $1.6 billion for Department of Energy shovel-ready science infrastructure projects at national laboratory user facilities. More than 10,000 researchers depend on these facilities for jobs.
In presenting the award, IEEE-USA's Day noted that "...the America COMPETES Act, passed in 2007, was probably the most important science and technology legislation in two decades, but it was not until appropriations arrived this year that the provisions of the act became a reality. Congressman Obey's leadership was a big factor in making it happen, and for that the science and technology community is deeply grateful."
The George E. Brown Jr. Science, Engineering and Technology Leadership Award is presented annually by the Science, Engineering and Technology Work Group (SETWG) to members of Congress who are effective advocates of federal investment in science and technology. It is named for the late Rep. George E. Brown Jr., a longtime California congressman who made outstanding contributions to federal support for science and technology over his more than 35-year congressional career.
The award is presented in conjunction with SETWG's Congressional Visits Day (CVD), the preeminent yearly event during which hundreds of scientists and engineers from around the country come to Washington for two days of briefings and visits to their members of Congress. More than 250 participated in 2009 CVD events last week. See www.setcvd.org for more information.
SETWG, of which IEEE-USA is a member, is a network of professional, scientific and engineering societies, higher education associations, companies, institutions of higher learning and trade associations. It is concerned about the future vitality of the U.S. science, mathematics and engineering enterprise. See www.agiweb.org/cvd/setwgrst.html.
IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 210,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society with 375,000 members in 160 countries. See http://www.ieeeusa.org.