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January 31, 2007

House Honors Distinguished Chemist, Engineers

(Washington, DC ) Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two Science and Technology Committee resolutions; one honoring a venerated African-American chemist, and a second recognizing the contributions of the nation’s engineers.

H. Con. Res. 34, Honoring the Life of Percy Lavon Julian, was authored by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). The resolution pays tribute to the life accomplishments of Dr. Julian, a black chemist who conquered tremendous odds to earn worldwide acclaim for his groundbreaking work.

“Dr. Percy Julian overcame countless obstacles in his path to scientific greatness,” said Rep. Johnson. “This bill holds him as an example for women and underrepresented minorities struggling to earn advanced degrees and succeed as scientists, engineers and mathematicians.”

Born in 1899 as the grandson of slaves in Alabama, Dr. Julian went on to earn a masters degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the University of Vienna . During his career as an organic chemist, Julian was awarded 105 patents, including foam fire retardant, a treatment for glaucoma and a low-cost process to produce cortisone.

H. Res. 59, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of National Engineers Week, sponsored by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC), expressed the House’s support for the upcoming honorary week – Feb. 18-24, 2007.

National Engineers Week not only recognizes the contributions engineers have made to American society, but it also raises awareness of the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

“As an engineer by training, I know first-hand the vital work done for our country by these hardworking individuals,” said Rep. Lipinski. “From helping the win the American Revolution to advancing computer and internet technologies today, engineers have played a critical role throughout our history.”

National Engineers Week aims to motivate youth to pursue engineering careers in order to provide a diverse, vigorous and informed engineering workforce, especially at a time when the Council on Competitiveness, the National Academies and other organizations warn of the dire economic consequences that could come from failing to educate more engineers.

Both commemorative resolutions were approved unanimously by the Science & Technology Committee during its first markup of the session on Jan. 24.

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