Rep. Johnson Wins Brown Award for Science Leadership

The following is adapted from a press release (PDF) issued by the Science-Engineering-Technology Working Group (SETWG), to which the AAS belongs:

US Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) has received the 2014 George E. Brown Award for her vision and leadership in promoting public policies benefitting science and engineering. Representative Johnson was honored at a Capitol Hill ceremony and public reception on Tuesday, 25 March, in the Rayburn Foyer at the Rayburn House Office Building.

In December 2010 Congresswoman Johnson was elected as the first African-American female Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. From 2000 to 2002 she was the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, where she emphasized education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. Throughout the 113th Congress, Representative Johnson has led the way in sponsoring and supporting legislation to promote federal investments in research, innovation, and STEM education programs at the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

SETWG organizes the annual Congressional Visits Day (CVD) — an event that brings hundreds of scientists (typically including about a dozen AAS members), engineers, educators, and technology executives to Washington, DC, to raise visibility and support for science, engineering, and technology. Uniquely multi-sector and multi-disciplinary, CVD is coordinated by a coalition of professional societies, associations, educational institutions, and private companies and is open to all who support science and technology as a cornerstone of our nation's future.