OSTP Director Droegemeier Testifies at House Appropriations Committee, Emphasizes Need for STEM Access throughout the U.S.
“Americans of all backgrounds should have access to STEM education and skills”
On July 24, 2019 Office of Science and Technology Policy Director (OSTP) Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier testified at the House Appropriations Committee Budget and Oversight Hearing. As he explained his personal connection to STEM, Dr. Droegemeier reminded members that he hails from the “so-called EPSCoR state” of Oklahoma. He was also quick to emphasize his focus on ensuring everyone has access to opportunity, that “Americans of all backgrounds should have access to STEM education and skills.”
“We’ve got to have all those workers engaged from every part of the country…we’ve got to bring them to them to the table because the problems we have to solve are so immense, that it’s an all hands-on deck proposition”
The EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation appreciates Dr. Droegemeier’s commitment to demonstrating the tangible, economic impacts of research throughout the United States. As Vice Chairman of the National Science Board, Dr. Droegemeier reminded his peers of the mandate in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Act of 1950 that “it shall be an objective of the Foundation to strengthen science and engineering research potential and education at all levels throughout the United States and avoid undue concentration of such research and education, respectively…”