WASHINGTON (1 May 2007) — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) will receive the 2007 George E. Brown Jr. Science, Engineering and Technology Leadership Award today for their prominent roles in ensuring that the United States meet the global competitiveness challenges of the 21st century. Through their enthusiastic support for science, engineering and technology research and education, the congressional leaders have helped Congress understand and act upon the connection between basic research and the U.S. innovation enterprise.

Pelosi and Alexander will be honored at a reception on Capitol Hill in connection with the 12th annual Congressional Visits Day.

Pelosi was chosen for leading the House Democrats’ Innovation Agenda, which she unveiled in November of 2005. The Innovation Agenda, which follows recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences’ Rising Above the Gathering Storm report, proposes concrete measures for an educated and skilled U.S. workforce and revitalized research at U.S. universities and national laboratories. Since announcing the Innovation Agenda, Pelosi has championed its proposals, most notably upon becoming speaker of the 110th Congress, when science research was made one of the few priorities in the Fiscal Year 2007 joint-funding resolution.

Alexander is being recognized for requesting and tirelessly publicizing, with Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which has had an immense influence on bringing attention to the issues of U.S. competitiveness and innovation, and the leadership role government needs to
play. Alexander has co-sponsored many pieces of legislation, most notably the America COMPETES Act (S.761), which passed the Senate overwhelmingly on 25 April. The bill would codify into law most of the recommendations of the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report.

The award is presented annually by the Science, Engineering and Technology Work Group to members of Congress who are effective advocates of federal science and technology. It is named for the late Rep. George E. Brown Jr., a longtime member of Congress who made outstanding contributions to federal support for science and technology over a long and distinguished career in Congress.

Congressional Visits Day (CVD) is the preeminent event bringing scientists, engineers, researchers, educators and technology executives to Washington to visit their congressional representatives and raise visibility and support for science, engineering and technology. The two-day event (1 & 2 May) is coordinated by a multidisciplinary coalition of companies, professional societies and educational institutions that support science, engineering and technology in academia, government and private industry.

For more information on the award and CVD, see www.setcvd.org. The Science-Engineering-Technology Work Group, of which IEEE-USA is a member, is an information network of professional, scientific and engineering societies, higher education associations, institutions of higher learning and trade associations. It is concerned about the future vitality of the U.S. science, mathematics and engineering enterprise. Go to www.agiweb.org/cvd/setwgrst.html for more information.

IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 220,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of the IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society with 360,000 members in 150 countries. See www.ieeeusa.org.

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