Congressman “Lights Up”

Becky and Rep web lge
Photo by Michael Lucibella

At a reception on Capitol Hill on April 6, the Science-Engineering-Technology Working Group (SETWG), to which APS belongs, presented two members of Congress with the George E. Brown, Jr. Leadership Award for their work on issues related to science, technology and engineering. In the photo, APS Head of Public Outreach Becky Thompson (right) gives an LED "throwie" to Congressman Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), one of the Award recipients. At the reception, APS distributed throwies, which are battery-powered LEDs with magnets attached, to the attendees in 3 patriotic colors, red (for the Republicans), white (for the independents) and blue (for the Democrats). The second Brown Award recipient was Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).

The following day was Congressional Visits Day, sponsored by 31 professional societies and related organizations, in which some 270 members of the science and engineering community came to Washington from all over the country to participate. They visited an estimated 350 different Congressional offices (out of a possible 535).