Nick Lampson: “Mr. Speaker, as a former high school physical science teacher, I know the value of science education, and I remember the…”

“Mr. Speaker, as a former high school physical science teacher, I know the value of science education, and I remember the sense of anticipation and excitement that my students shared with me when we huddled around a television set as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969. I saw the gleam in their eyes that inspired them to become our future engineers and scientists, those of today. Unfortunately, today's scientists and engineers do not accurately represent the ethnic and racial makeup of our melting pot society. In fact, the Beaumont Independent School District is comprised of about 70 percent minority students and, of those, 55 percent are considered to be economically disadvantaged. We must do something today to ensure that every child in every home or apartment building in this Nation, regardless of their color, religion, economic status, can realize their dream of becoming an astronaut or physics instructor or researcher. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to talk about an exciting program in my southeast Texas district that motivates school-aged minority students to study math and science and explore new frontiers where no man or woman has gone before.”