House Appropriations Chairman Honored for Science, Engineering, Technology Leadership

By Chris McManes
IEEE-USA 

U.S. Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, was recently honored 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 (SETWG)–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.

Before the 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.”

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 research & development, 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 investments in cutting-edge research infrastructure and instrumentation.