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STEM EDUCATION IN ACTION: 

LOCAL SCHOOLS, NONPROFITS, AND 

BUSINESSES DOING THEIR PART 

TO SECURE AMERICA’S FUTURE 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE 

EDUCATION 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND 

TECHNOLOGY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012 

Serial No. 112–81 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

HON. RALPH M. HALL, Texas, Chair 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland 

FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois 

W. TODD AKIN, Missouri 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia 

SANDY ADAMS, Florida 

BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona 

CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, 

Tennessee 

E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

ANDY HARRIS, Maryland 

RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana 

DAN BENISHEK, Michigan 

VACANCY 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois 

LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

BRAD MILLER, North Carolina 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland 

BEN R. LUJA ́ N, New Mexico 

PAUL D. TONKO, New York 

JERRY MCNERNEY, California 

TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama 

FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida 

HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan 

SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon 

VACANCY 

VACANCY 

VACANCY 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION

HON. MO BROOKS, Alabama, Chair 

ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland 

BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona 

STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi 

ANDY HARRIS, Maryland 

RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois 

LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana 

DAN BENISHEK, Michigan 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan 

PAUL D. TONKO, New York 

JOHN P. SARBANES, Maryland 

TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama 

SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon 

VACANCY 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Monday, April 30, 2012 

Page 

Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 

Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 

Opening Statements 

Statement by Representative Mo Brooks, Chairman, Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................... 8 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 10 

Statement by Representative Daniel Lipinski, Ranking Minority Member, 

Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Committee on Science, 

Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................... 11 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 13 

Witnesses: 

Dr. Camille H. Wright, Director of Secondary Education, Madison City 

Schools 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 15 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 18 

Dr. Robert A. Altenkirch, President, University of Alabama–Huntsville 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 21 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 23 

Dr. Marilyn C. Beck, President, Calhoun Community College 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 31 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 33 

Dr. Neil Lamb, Director of Educational Outreach, Hudsonalpha Institute 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 43 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 45 

Mr. Andrew Partynski, Chief Technology Officer, Science Applications International Corporation 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 54 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 57 

Discussion 67 

Appendix: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions 

Dr. Camille H. Wright, Director of Secondary Education, Madison City 

Schools .................................................................................................................. 82 

Dr. Robert A. Altenkirch, President, University of Alabama–Huntsville ........... 85 

Dr. Marilyn C. Beck, President, Calhoun Community College ............................ 86 

Dr. Neil Lamb, Director of Educational Outreach, Hudsonalpha Institute ........ 87 

Mr. Andrew Partynski, Chief Technology Officer, Science Applications International Corporation ............................................................................................ 89 

(1) 

STEM EDUCATION IN ACTION: 

LOCAL SCHOOLS, NON-PROFITS, AND 

BUSINESSES DOING THEIR PART 

TO SECURE AMERICA’S FUTURE 

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION, 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, 

Washington, DC. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in Bob 

Jones High School, 650 Hughes Road, Madison, Alabama, Hon. Mo 

Brooks [chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 

Chairman BROOKS. The purpose of today’s hearing is to highlight 

local science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, 

education programs and partnerships, and to examine the impact 

on the next generation of science, technology, engineering and 

mathematics professionals, local jobs, and the United States economy. 

In front of you are pamphlets containing the written testimony, 

biographies, and Truth in Testimony disclosures for today’s witnesses. 

At this point, the Chair recognizes himself for an opening statement. 

I would like to welcome everyone this morning to the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education field hearing, 

‘‘STEM Education in Action: Local Schools, Non-Profits and Businesses Doing Their Part to Secure America’s Future.’’ 

It is a privilege to be with you to highlight and discuss local 

STEM education programs and partnerships and to examine their 

impact on the next generation of STEM professionals, local jobs, 

and the United States economy. 

It is also my pleasure to welcome my colleague on the Committee 

on Science, Space, and Technology and Ranking Member of the 

Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Democrat Congressman Dan Lipinski, of the great State of Illinois. I have enjoyed working with him the past 15 months and am grateful for his 

willingness to travel to be here with us today. 

I also want to thank Bob Jones High School and the Madison 

City Schools for hosting us this morning and providing this wonderful facility, as well as each of our witnesses for taking time out 

of their busy schedules to testify before us on issues of importance 

to our community and to America. 

I remember hearing the loud roar and ground shaking from Saturn V rocket testing on Redstone Arsenal in the 1960s. Many of 

you have probably attended space camp. These and other sciencebased events have shaped the fabric of this community and America. I have had the privilege of serving Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District for the past 15 months and am proud of the science 

and technology achievements that Alabama has provided to American exceptionalism. 

NASA and the Marshall Space Flight Center have led American 

exceptionalism in space. We were instrumental in putting Americans into space and onto the moon. We were instrumental in the 

development of the space shuttle, a three-decade workhorse unmatched by any nation on Earth. Redstone Arsenal’s numerous 

commands have played a key role in developing the gee-whiz-bang 

weapons that helped make America’s warfighters’ military successful with minimal loss of American lives. 

Tennessee Valley businesses and top-of-the-line schools and research institutions give our citizens high-tech education and employment opportunities as good as any offered in America. 

As of May 2010, there were over 202,000 occupations in the 

metro Huntsville, Alabama, community, and the median annual 

wage was $48,000. Eighteen percent, or 35,500 of those occupations, were in STEM fields. The median wage for those jobs was 

$86,000, nearly twice the average of occupations overall. 
9 

Further by way of background, Federal STEM education funding by the United States is $2.9 billion. That $2.9 billion comes from 

entities such as the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Education, Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Health and Human Services, Interior, NASA; in addition, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National Science 

Foundation, and the Department of Transportation. 

Given our background in the STEM fields, North Alabama is an 

ideal place to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, and it does not hurt that our district can serve 

as a model for the rest of America in this regard. As you may 

know, our Subcommittee has jurisdiction of essentially all non-defense and non-medical research and development activities of the 

Nation. This includes oversight of agencies like NASA; the Department of Energy’s Office of Science; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National Weather 

Service; portions of the Department of Homeland Security; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and the National 

Science Foundation, which provides approximately 40 percent of all 

non-medical basic research at American colleges and universities, 

including support for STEM education. 

The research these agencies spans is important to our Nation’s 

economic success, but at the same time it is also critical to note 

that America faces unsustainable budget deficits that constitute 

our greatest economic and national security threat. By way of emphasis, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 

Staff, testified before the House Armed Services Committee last 

year that our Nation’s biggest national security threat is our deficit 

and accumulated debt. 

Mr. Lipinski and I may disagree on certain policy issues, but I 

am confident that he would agree with me that we must do more 

to alleviate our deficit and accumulated debt. Likewise, I am sure 

he would agree with me that an essential element of future United 

States economic prosperity is a competent, skilled workforce, one 

that we cannot achieve without strong STEM education efforts, 

particularly on the local level. 

Today we will take a closer look at a few of the STEM education 

partnerships and initiatives being executed by Tennessee Valley 

schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Also noteworthy 

are the efforts of other local schools and organizations not testifying before us today. 

For example, this Subcommittee had the privilege of hosting 

Christine Stratton, a teacher at Grissom High School in the District of Columbia, last year to discuss Grissom’s robust 

cybersecurity curriculum. In addition, Aerojet, through the 

GenCorp Foundation, is strongly committed to STEM education in 

the Huntsville community, and as most of the Nation knows, the 

Space and Rocket Center with its space camp has been a sterling 

example of what museums and other non-profits can do to help the 

STEM education. 

Our commitment to STEM education is exemplified by contributions to STEM programs in the community by the University of 

Alabama-Huntsville’s Propulsion Research Center and related 

scholarships. I could cite numerous other examples, but it is clear 
10 

that STEM education is a top priority for many in our area. I am 

proud of what this community has been able to accomplish and 

look forward to learning more about these remarkable initiatives. 

[The prepared statement of Chairman Brooks follows.] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN MO BROOKS

Good morning. I want to welcome everyone this morning to the Subcommittee on 

Research and Science Education field hearing, ‘‘STEM Education in Action: Local 

Schools, Non-Profits, and Businesses Doing Their Part to Secure America’s Future.’’ 

It is a privilege to be with you to highlight and discuss local STEM education programs and partnerships and to examine their impact on the next generation of 

STEM profesisonals, local jobs, and the U.S. economy. 

It is also my pleasure to welcome my colleague on the Committee on Science, 

Space, and Technology and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Research and 

Science Education, Congressman Dan Lipinski of Illinois. I have enjoyed working 

with him the past 15 months and am grateful for his willingness to travel to be here 

with us today. 

I want to thank Bob Jones High School and Madison City Schools for hosting us 

this morning and for providing this wonderful facility, as well as each of our witnesses for taking time out of their busy schedules to testify before us on issues of 

importance to our community and to America. 

I remember hearing the loud roar and ground shaking from Saturn V rocket testing on Redstone Arsenal in the 1960s. Many here probably attended Space Camp. 

These and other science-based events have shaped the fabric of this community 

and America. 

I have had the privilege of serving Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District for the 

past 15 months and am proud of the science and technology achievements North 

Alabama has provided to American exceptionalism. 

NASA and our Marshall Space Flight Center have led American exceptionalism 

in space. We were instrumental in putting Americans into space and onto the Moon. 

We were instrumental in the development of the Space Shuttle—a three-decade 

workhorse unmatched by any other Nation on Earth. 

Redstone Arsenal’s numerous commands have played a key role in developing the 

gee-whiz-bang weapons that help America’s warfighters achieve military success 

with minimal loss of American lives. 

Tennessee Valley businesses and top-of-the-line schools and research institutions 

give our citizens high-tech education and employment opportunities as good as any 

offered in America. 

As such, North Alabama is an ideal place to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—or STEM—education, and it is my hope that our district 

can serve as a model for the rest of America in this regard. 

As you may know, our Subcommittee has jurisdiction of essentially all non-defense and non-medical research and development activities of the Nation. This includes oversight of agencies like NASA; the Deparment of Energy’s Office of Science; 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National 

Weather Service; portions of the Department of Homeland Security; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and the National Science Foundation, which 

provides approximately 40 percent of all non-medical basic research at American 

colleges and universities, including support for STEM education. 

The research these agencies fund is important to our Nation’s economic success, 

but at the same time, it is also critical to note that America faces unsustainable 

budget deficits that constitute our greatest economic and national security threat. 

By way of emphasis, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 

testified before the House Armed Services Committee last year that our Nation’s 

biggest national security threat is our deficit. 

Mr. Lipinski and I may disagree on certain policy issues, but I am confident he 

would agree with me that we must do more to alleviate our deficit. Likewise, I am 

sure he would agree with me that an essential element of future U.S. economic prosperity is a competent, skilled workforce—one that we cannot achieve without strong 

STEM education efforts, particularly on the local level. 

Today, we will take a closer look at a few of the STEM education partnerships 

and initiatives being executed by Tennessee Valley schools, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. 

Also noteworthy are the efforts of other local schools and organizations not testifying before us today. For example, this Subcommittee had the privilege of hosting 
11 

Christine Sutton, a teacher at Grissom High School in DC, last year to discuss 

Grissom’s robust cybersecurity curriculum. In addition, Aerojet, through the 

GenCorp Foundation, is strongly committed to STEM education in the Huntsville 

community. 

Our commitment to STEM education is exemplified by contributions to STEM programs in the community by the University of Alabama-Huntsville’s Propulsion Research Center and related scholarships and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s 

summer camp, as well as many other local initiatives supporting STEM programs 

for students ranging from elementary through high school. 

I could cite numerous other examples, but it is clear that STEM education is a 

top priority for many in our area. I am proud of what this community has been able 

to accomplish and look forward to learning more about these remarkable initiatives. 

Thank you all again for joining us today. 

Thank you all again for joining us today, and at this time the 

Chair recognizes Mr. Lipinski of the great State of Illinois for an 

opening statement. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you, Chairman Brooks. 

I thank the witnesses for being here today. I thank Bob Jones 

High School for hosting us and everyone who has come here to 

hear about this critical issue for our country. 

I am very happy to be down here. I came down on Saturday. I 

actually went to the—my wife came with me, went to Space and 

Rocket Center on Saturday. We enjoyed our visit there, going 

through the Wernher von Braun, the history of his biography, the 

history of the great things that he did for our nation. I have my 

‘‘What Would Wernher von Braun Do?’’ bracelet that I have on here 

with me right now. 

I got to land a space shuttle at space camp, and I enjoyed that 

very much, and all of that is a very important part of STEM education. 

But I want to thank Chairman Brooks for holding this hearing. 

You would probably be surprised at how much we—yes, there are 

things that we disagree on policywise, but for a Chicago Democrat, 

you might be surprised how much I agree with many things with 

Chairman Brooks, although that might not be a good thing for me 

to say down here for him. 

Actually, I am not your typical Chicago Democrat. We will just 

say that. We will leave it at that. 

My background is in STEM education, I have two degrees in engineering. My wife has a degree in math. I have served as the CoChair of the House STEM Ed Caucus for the past six years. So I 

am very happy that Chairman Brooks has made it a priority to emphasize STEM education and what can we do for STEM ed in our 

country. 

It is alarming that so many American students perform poorly in 

science and math. On the most recent National Assessment of Educational Performance, only 21 percent of high school seniors performed at or above the proficient level in science. When compared 

internationally, our student performance is even more alarming. In 

the most recent Program for International Student Assessment administered to 15-year-olds, the U.S. ranked 17th in science and 

25th in math out of 34 countries surveyed. 

Poor performance in science and math not only limits the students’ job opportunities, but taken together, the poor performance 

of so many of our students is also the first in a series of falling 

dominoes that are dulling our Nation’s competitive edge in tech-
12 

nology and innovation. The lack of a strong K–12 foundation in 

STEM disciplines is a major factor in the high attrition rates in 

STEM subjects at the post-secondary level as well. 

Fewer than 40 percent of students who state as college freshman 

that they want to major in a STEM discipline actually end up receiving a Bachelor’s degree in their desired field. That is 3 out of 

5 who do not follow through, do not make it all the way through 

college to get the Bachelor’s degree. This, in turn, is creating a 

shortage in the supply of skilled workers, the demand for which 

will grow rapidly in the coming decades. 

At the same time, other countries are seeing an increase in the 

number of students receiving degrees in STEM fields and preparing for the high-tech jobs that will shape the global economy in 

the 21st Century. 

These two factors are placing the United States in a position 

from which we could very easily lose our historical advantage in innovation and technology, possibly within our lifetimes. I know 

there is no silver bullet that will solve this problem and that we 

need to attack the STEM education crisis from multiple angles 

using a number of strategies. 

That is why I am pleased that we have a panel of witnesses that 

represent significant stages of the STEM pipeline—high schools, 

community colleges, four-year universities, non-profits, and industry. 

I already mentioned the importance of a quality K–12 education 

in STEM. I also want to mention about how community colleges 

play a vital role in preparing students for highly technical jobs 

upon graduation. In addition, community colleges can provide a 

pathway for students in STEM fields in our Nation’s world-class 

universities, such as the University of Alabama-Huntsville. 

One other area of STEM education, as I mentioned earlier, is informal STEM education, STEM ed that takes place outside of the 

classroom. This was always something very important to me growing up. We had some great museums in Chicago, especially the Museum of Science and Industry. That really helped to spur my interest and get me excited and want to pursue engineering. As I mentioned, space camp is certainly a place where this takes place and 

gets kids interested in pursuing a STEM field in science, technology, engineering, math. 

So right now, the strain is being placed on U.S. companies and 

non-profit research institutions that rely on students with STEM 

degrees, on getting students with STEM degrees. Our nation’s deficiency in STEM education is making it increasingly difficult to fill 

vital positions. 

So I look forward to hearing from everyone on our panel about 

what you perceive to be the problems and the potential solutions 

from your unique vantage points. I think it is a great panel that 

has been put together here to really hit from all these different angles about what we can do about STEM education. 

As I said, I know there is no silver bullet, but that does not mean 

that we should not be doing all that we can in making sure something that I think is very important, having public-private partnerships. We really need to get the private sector involved, but always 
13 

education will be a very critical public priority and a priority for 

our government and for elected officials. 

So with that, I yield back. 

[The prepared statement of Ranking Member Daniel Lipinski follows.] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF RANKING MEMBER DANIEL LIPINSKI

Thank you, Chairman Brooks, for holding this hearing, and I’d like to thank the 

witnesses as well for being here today. I’m delighted to be here in Madison to discuss an issue that is not only of great importance to our Nation and our ability to 

compete in the 21st century global economy, but it is also one that is of particular 

imterest to me. As a former engineer, I understand all too well how much better 

we need to do in STEM education, and I am glad that the Subcommittee continues 

to make improving the teaching and learning of STEM disciplines at all levels a top 

priority. 

It’s alarming that so many American students perform poorly in science and 

math. In the most recent National Assessment of Educational Performance, only 21 

percent of high school seniors performed at or above the ‘‘proficient’’ level in science. 

When compared internationally, our students’ performance is equally alarming. In 

the most recent Program for International Student Assessment administered to 15- 

year-olds, the U.S. ranked 17th in science and 25th in math out of 34 surveyed 

countries. 

Poor performance such as this is the first in a series of falling dominoes that are 

dulling our competitive edge in innovation and technology internationally. The lack 

of a strong K–12 foundation in STEM disciplines is a major factor in the high attrition rates in STEM subjects at the postsecondary level as well. Fewer than 40 percent of students who state as college freshmen that they want to major in a STEM 

discipline actually end up receiving a bachelor’s degree in their desired field. This, 

in turn, is creating a shortage in the supply of highly skilled workers, the demand 

for which will grow exponentially in the coming decades. At the same time, other 

countries are seeing an increase in the number of students receiving degrees in 

STEM fields and preparing for the high-tech jobs that will shape the global economy 

in the 21st century. These two factors are placing the U.S. in a position in which 

we could very easily lose our historical advantage in innovation and technology, possibly within our lifetimes. 

I know there is no silver bullet that will solve this problem and that we need to 

attack the STEM education crisis from multiple angles using a number of strategies. 

That is why I’m pleased to have a panel of witnesses that represents significant 

stages of the STEM pipeline: high schools, community colleges, four-year universities, non-profits, and industry. I already mentioned the importance of a quality K– 

12 education in STEM. Community colleges also play a vital role in preparing students for highly technical jobs upon graduation. In addition, community colleges can 

provide a pathway to pursuing STEM fields at our Nation’s world-class universities, 

such as the University of Alabama in Huntsville. 

Finally, I’m aware of the strain that is being placed upon U.S. companies and 

non-profit research institutions that rely on students with STEM degrees. Our Nation’s deficiencies in STEM education are making it increasingly difficult to fill vital 

positions. I look forward to hearing from each of you about what you perceive to 

be the problems, and potential solutions, from your unique vantage points. And with 

that, I yield back. 

Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Mr. Lipinski. 

I also want to thank the Space and Rocket Center and Dr. von 

Hart for treating Dan to such a swell visit at the Space and Rocket 

Center. We were also able to get him to jog about six or seven 

miles yesterday on Auburn Street down in South Huntsville. He 

tells me he is not used to the southern heat. We have plenty of that 

this year if you want any up north. A visit down to Alabama would 

not be complete if my wife and I did not take him to Greenland 

Barbecue. So welcome to Greenland. You won’t get barbecue like 

that up north. 
14 

Mr. LIPINSKI. That is some of the best barbecue I have ever had. 

I would just say, I lived in Durham, North Carolina, for seven 

years, so I do know barbecue. 

Chairman BROOKS. That having all been said, if there are other 

Members of Congress on the Subcommittee who wish to submit additional opening statements, their statements will be added to the 

record at this point.Now I would like to introduce the witnesses for 

today’s Research and Science Education Subcommittee hearing. 

Our first witness is Dr. Camille H. Wright, who is the Director 

of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction for Madison City Schools. 

Dr. Wright has worked in public education for over 28 years, ranging from the classroom to the administrator. 

Our second witness is Dr. Robert A. Altenkirch, the President of 

the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Prior to his appointment, 

he served as President of New Jersey’s Institute of Technology for 

nine years, as well as a number of other universities and faculty. 

As an aside, I have a little bit of fondness for UAH. My wife went 

there and was Math Student of the Year, after having gone to that 

other university in Tuscaloosa that is better known for football, 

where she got a CPA or accounting degree, but also got a math degree and was a math teacher involved in the STEM fields, and she 

was able to do that because of UAH. Now my son is there seeking 

a Master’s in the engineering school. So please be kind to him, Dr. 

Altenkirch, if you get the chance. 

Our third witness is Dr. Marilyn C. Beck, the President of Calhoun Community College. Before coming to Calhoun, where she 

was the first female president, she also served 15 years at Lord 

Fairfax Community College in Virginia, where she was also the 

first female president, and I am sure you are going to share with 

us a lot of interesting things about Calhoun, the campus, along 

with the robotics facility that is right across the street. That is a 

wonderful addition to the Tennessee Valley. 

Our fourth witness is Dr. Neil Lamb, the Director of Educational 

Outreach for the HudsonAlpha Institute for Guided Technology. 

Dr. Lamb formerly served as Director of Education in the Department of Human Genetics at Emory, and HudsonAlpha is a wonderful, different kind of addition to our high-tech community. So thank 

you so much for being here, Mr. Lamb. 

And our final witness is Mr. Andrew Partynski, the Chief Technology Officer for the Science Applications International Corporation, Assistant in Technology Solutions Business Unit, more commonly known as SAIC, their acronym. Prior to SAIC, Mr. Partynski 

worked for DOS Technologies, where he served as President for 

Homeland Security and Defense for the C41 sublet. 

As our witnesses should know, spoken testimony is limited to 

five minutes, after which the Members of the Subcommittee will 

ask questions. I might be a little bit lax on that five-minute rule. 

Traditionally in Washington, we are not so lax. So please understand there will be a little bit of leeway, but if you start acting like 

United States Senators with a filibuster, I might have to shorten 

things just a little bit to try to get it back under control, since we 

in the House of Commons, as opposed to the House of Lords, we 

tend to be brief. I remember my first speech on the House Floor 
15 

was 120 seconds. But we are not demanding that kind of brevity 

from you. 

With that having been said, I now recognize our first witness, 

Dr. Wright, for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF DR. CAMILLE H. WRIGHT, 

DIRECTOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION, 

MADISON CITY SCHOOLS 

Dr. WRIGHT. Thank you. Chairman Brooks and Ranking Member 

Lipinski, Members of the Subcommittee on Research and Science. 

My name is Camille Wright, Director of Instruction for Madison 

City Schools. Welcome to Bob Jones High School. Thank you for inviting me to participate in this important hearing to discuss STEM 

education programs and partnerships in Madison City and its importance to the future workforce in Alabama and the U.S. economy. 

STEM education is critical to the future of our nation’s economy. 

The mastery of STEM subjects is a vital component in being able 

to successfully navigate the 21st century global environment. This 

goes far beyond being a scientist, a physician, an architect or an 

engineer. Understanding the world in which we live and how to 

make critical decisions relies on a base in science, engineering, and 

mathematics. Certainly in our technology-driven society, students 

need to be comfortable interacting with and utilizing technology, 

and their ability to secure high-wage, high-demand jobs and maintain those jobs depends on this. 

Madison City School System places a strong emphasis on STEM 

education. We are sitting in the Mecca of STEM careers. Eightyeight percent of Madison City graduates enroll in post-secondary. 

They are more likely to go into a STEM field than any other occupation. It is important that we use all our available resources in 

the area to keep our STEM education relevant and rigorous. 

Madison City Schools offers a vast array of courses, clubs, and 

after-school activities in the STEM fields. We offer nine Advanced 

Placement courses just in science, technology and mathematics. 

About 35 percent of our students take an advanced placement 

course. We have over 90 percent of our graduates with a career and 

technical education course. Our state-recognized Career and Technical Education programs in the STEM fields include engineering, 

biomedical sciences, health science, and computer science. 

In most of these career and technical education programs, the 

terminating course includes some type of internship in the field. 

For example, in our Level Three Engineering this year, we had 

about 60 students that interned in businesses such as Boeing, 

Adtran, Aegis, AMTEC, SAIC, Raytheon, HudsonAlpha, NASA, and 

many other companies. In the STEM areas, we have a 100 percent 

placement rate at the post-secondary level. Additionally, our engineering teacher has received the national Milken Award for educational excellence. 

In every elementary and middle school in Madison City that is 

an AMSTIS school or an Alabama Math, Science, and Technology 

Initiative school, we use an integrated philosophy to teaching the 

STEM courses. Research shows that students learn better when 
16 

they think, when they plan, reason, compute, and evaluate as a 

means to solve problems in order to learn the content. 

One of the greatest limitations to high student achievement in 

the STEM areas, though, is the level of knowledge of the classroom 

teacher. Whether it is due to a lack of content knowledge, a lack 

of understanding of real-world application, or a lack of knowledge 

of the available resources, the classroom teacher is the key to improving achievement in the STEM fields. In fact, in the book Team 

to Teach, author and educator Anne Jolly states that the single 

most important factor in improving student achievement is the 

classroom teacher. If we want to improve K–12 math and science 

education, we have to invest in our educators. 

Alabama has largely adopted the National Common Core Standards. We need new resources for our teachers to align to the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards. However, this year the 

state legislature will likely fund textbooks at only $35 per child, 

even though an average cost of a textbook is about $75. Teacher 

professional development money has been cut as well. This is 

money that we have used in the past to help our teachers become 

knowledgeable of best practices, current research, and the industry 

standards. 

In order to maintain student interest in math and science, we 

have to show the linkage between the concepts taught in school 

and their application to life. For too long, our students have viewed 

science as just a set of facts that does not apply to their daily routines. So connecting to health, to food, to their environment is critical to answering their question, ‘‘Why do we need to know this?’’ 

In a Southern Region Educational Board report, ‘‘New Vision for 

the Middle Grades,’’ they state, ‘‘Recent evidence makes clear that 

each middle grader’s personal, individual engagement in school is 

essential to their success.’’ Studies repeatedly show that students 

who lose interest in school in the middle grades are likely to flounder in the ninth grade and then drop out. Yet developmental and 

brain research confirms that by the middle grades, students are capable of making these connections between their academic work, 

their personal interests, and their career aptitudes. Middle-grade 

professionals can use these connections to help students prepare for 

high school and post-secondary studies. 

If we can connect what they are learning in math and science 

and use their natural affinity and love of technology to make their 

learning relevant to their world, we can keep students’ love of 

STEM alive throughout their educational career. Additionally, they 

need participation in programs such as rocketry and robotics competitions, Destination Imagination programs, science fairs that 

truly focus on scientific investigation and have real-world, handson learning opportunities in the community, much like we are 

doing with our career and technical education programs. 

In order to maintain our current level of excellence, it is critical 

to Madison City to have partnerships with post-secondary, business 

and industry, and non-profit organizations. We partner with local 

colleges and universities, those at the table, in a multitude of ways. 

In addition to dual enrollment and articulated credit, post-secondary institutions in our area provide competitions, they provide 

transitional outreach, and have summer camps in the STEM areas. 
17 

Our partnerships with business and industry are extensive. The 

business community funds a wide variety of programs in our 

schools. They provide guest speakers, job shadowing opportunities, 

and internships that I previously talked about. Organizations such 

as HudsonAlpha offer free professional development to our teachers 

and educational experiences to our students. 

We also partner with a number of non-profit organizations that 

provide a wide variety of services, from counseling to professional 

development. One of the most notable is the Alabama Best Practice 

Center. This organization has provided hundreds of hours of training, free training, for our district. 

In our global, rapidly changing world, the most important gift we 

can give our students is the understanding of the need to be a lifelong learner. Our education doesn’t stop once we have a diploma 

in hand. In today’s fast-paced world, so many of our jobs that our 

students will hold, we know they don’t exist. This means that our 

students must exit high school with the ability to think, to collaborate, to make decisions, and to innovate, all those skills that they 

gain in the STEM areas. 

The basic skills are still important, but our students must be 

able to use those skills as a foundation, not as an end point. It is 

important to develop a culture that embraces the community of 

learning from the schools to the family, to industry, throughout the 

community. This is an area of great strength for the Huntsville/ 

Madison City/Madison County area, and we place a premium on 

education and lifelong learning. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Wright follows:] 
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Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Dr. Wright. 

The Chair next recognizes Dr. Altenkirch for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF DR. ROBERT A. ALTENKIRCH, 

PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA–HUNTSVILLE 

Dr. ALTENKIRCH. Thank you, Congressman. I want to thank the 

Members of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education 

for this opportunity to address them, for your service, and also your 

interest in our area of STEM education and to see it in action. 

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a top-tier national research university as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, and we 

have achieved the highest classification in research activity by the 

standards established by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Our campus serves as the anchor tenant of 

Cummings Research Park, the second largest university-related research park in the United States, with nearly 300 companies and 

25,000 employees. Adjacent to Cummings Research Park is the 

Redstone Arsenal, where NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center 

and several U.S. Army laboratories and commands are located. 

So it is in this environment that we find ourselves in the center 

of workforce development that is heavily dependent on research, 

technology, science, engineering and mathematics. So it is obvious 

that the success of this community and the success of the federal 

agencies at the Redstone Arsenal in addressing their missions, and 

the success of corporations located here to support the Army and 

NASA are heavily dependent on creating a pipeline of intellectual 

and creative talent in the so-called STEM fields. 

Last year our campus supplied the local workforce with more 

than 630 graduates possessing degrees of a technical nature. Nearly half of the graduates earned a degree in science or engineering. 

We are the single largest contributor of professional degrees for the 

STEM workforce in the greater Huntsville area. 

We recognize the need for our university to provide leadership in 

promoting STEM education and create a pipeline of intellectual 

and creative talent, and we take this responsibility seriously. We 

have made a lot of strides in teaching the teachers in STEM education. Our campus was the pilot site for the AMSTI program that 

Dr. Wright mentioned, the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology 

Initiative. A recent multi-year study by the U.S. Department of 

Education credited AMSTI with providing the equivalency of an additional 28 days of traditional classroom instruction per year. 

AMSTI is a program for elementary and middle school teachers, 

implementing hands-on or inquiry-based learning in classrooms. 

During the past five years, we have trained more than 4,000 teachers and have had an impact on more than 120,000 students. 

AMSTI schools out-perform non-AMSTI schools in middle-grade 

science, math, and reading significantly. The percentile rank difference on the SAT–10 math test between schools that adopted 

AMSTI and a control group increased from three percentile points 

to eight percentile points from Grade six to eight, and from three 

to nine percentile points in reading. 

This summer at UAH marks the beginning of a new Master’s degree in STEM education, the Master of Science in Integrated 
22 

Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This program 

is targeted at in-service secondary school science and math educators, seeks to advance their content knowledge and command of 

subject matter, which in turn have been proven to impact student 

learning positively in the STEM areas. It is the only program of its 

nature in Alabama and one of only three in the Southeastern 

United States. 

We are working with local corporations on a middle school 

through high school STEM pipeline aimed at, one, engaging students in STEM activities during a two-week summer science and 

engineering camp at the critical time before eighth grade, where research shows that interest in STEM disciplines suffers a precipitous decline; two, keeping them engaged in STEM activities, education and career opportunities throughout the academic year; 

three, sustaining both the summer camp and academic year experience in subsequent years through Grade 11, and this pipeline culminates with their admission to UAH in a STEM major. 

We are also using the Innovative Systems Project for increased 

recruitment of emerging STEM students or InSPIRESS, which is 

an outreach activity that engages high school students in an openended design activity that piques their interest and gives them a 

better understanding of what scientists and engineers do. 

The University of Alabama in Huntsville also provides leadership 

as the regional coordinator for 10 North Alabama high schools to 

better prepare Alabama students for engineering careers through 

the Alabama Engineering Academy Initiative. These academies are 

embedded in high schools and provide specific, multi-year curricula 

geared toward prospective engineering students. 

Once they enroll as students on our campus, we prepare our engineering students for transition to the workforce by having them 

work in teams to solve large-scale systems problems for real-world 

applications. Also, our cooperative education program is one of the 

largest in the Southeastern United States, and partners with 

scores of local companies and government agencies to give experience to students in the workforce. 

So each of these steps helps prepare students for a robust education at UA-Huntsville and for preparation for their lives after 

being a student, and helps them add value to their employer from 

the first day they walk in the door. 

Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Altenkirch follows:] 
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Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Dr. Altenkirch. 

Next, the Chair recognizes Dr. Beck for her five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF DR. MARILYN C. BECK, 

PRESIDENT, CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE 

Dr. BECK. I would like to thank Chairman Brooks and Ranking 

Member Lipinski for inviting me to speak about Calhoun’s role in 

STEM education and preparing our graduates for the challenge of 

an ever-increasing high-tech workforce. 

Community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, 

and Calhoun is a great example. We have more than 450 students 

with declared majors in pre-engineering, science, or math, and approximately 4,500 students enrolled in various technology programs. 

The College is a member of a post-secondary consortium with 

UA–Huntsville and Alabama A&M University, which allows our 

students to transfer to one of these universities and, upon graduation, pursue employment with the Missile Defense Agency or other 

employers that require the same types of knowledge, skills, and 

abilities. 

Calhoun launched the State’s first and only associate degree programs in biotechnology and clean energy technology. Biotechnology 

majors transfer to four-year institutions or immediately enter the 

workforce as biotechnicians. HudsonAlpha partners with Calhoun 

by providing scholarships for our students, as well as internships 

for those who have completed one year in the biotechnology program. Through a $3.4 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Calhoun created the Alabama Center for Excellence 

in Clean Energy Technology, the first accredited training center for 

renewable energy technicians in Alabama. 

Calhoun offers short-term training certificates, Associate of Applied Technologies, and Associate of Science degrees, and these 

classes are offered at the main campus in Decatur and the research 

campus in Huntsville, and also online through a significant number 

of distance education and hybrid courses. 

The College has many established partnerships in our Workforce 

Solutions Department, which works very closely with businesses 

and industries to provide customized, flexible, and cost-effective 

training to businesses and industries. In return, the College secures feedback, which keeps our technology curriculums on the 

leading edge. 

Calhoun also works with area non-profits and schools, such as 

Bob Jones High School, and institutions of higher learning. The college received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of 

Labor. It was referred to as the WIRED program, a regional initiative to develop and strengthen partnerships throughout North Alabama and South-Central Tennessee. A total of 23 counties participated in the project, nine from Tennessee and 14 from Alabama, 

with 16,021 STEM education students reached through scholarships and training. 

A current very successful Regional Workforce Development Council project is the Career Coaches initiative. Calhoun’s Career 

Coaches go out into the middle and high schools and work with 
32 

students to help them determine their educational and career goals 

and to familiarize them with post-secondary educational opportunities in the State. Calhoun and the Alabama Industrial Development and Training Institute are partners in the Alabama Robotics 

Technology Park Initiative, a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art training, research, development, and entrepreneurship park that trains 

students and incumbent workers in the use of robotics technology 

ranging from manufacturing to unmanned air vehicles for space 

and defense. To date, training has been provided for 551 workers 

and more than 1,856 students, and Committee Members have 

toured the RTP. 

Student retention is a major issue in the Nation. Our retention 

rate is higher than the national average. However, we must continue to increase retention by providing students with financial aid, 

tutoring services, open labs, and other forms of support. 

Calhoun uses the Statewide Transfer Articulation and Reporting 

System, known as the STARS system, to ensure that students follow the correct curriculum for transfer to Alabama universities. 

This system assures the seamless transfer of all credits. 

Calhoun prepares students to enter the workforce upon completion of their academic program by encouraging and offering students the opportunity to take exams for nationally recognized industry credentials. In partnership with businesses and industry, 

Calhoun offers apprenticeships and co-op opportunities for students. 

Education and training should be affordable for all students. As 

we have all seen in the past few years, the days of working for one 

industry for a lifetime are over. Today’s workforce must be willing 

and able to adapt to the changing needs of industry. Calhoun is excited to have an active role in helping to educate, train, and develop the workforce our region needs to successfully compete in the 

global marketplace. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Beck follows:] 
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Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Dr. Beck. 

The Chair next recognizes Dr. Lamb for his five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF DR. NEIL LAMB, 

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH, 

HUDSONALPHA INSTITUTE 

Dr. LAMB. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member 

Lipinski. My name is Neil Lamb, and I am the Educational Outreach Director for the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology 

here in Huntsville, and I am pleased to be before the Committee 

today testifying about ways that non-profit organizations can play 

a role in our nation’s STEM education. 

As all of you noted, STEM skills are of vital importance to national prosperity, security, and the health of our citizens. The 

United States has long been a leader in scientific achievement and 

in using those discoveries for innovation. 

With fierce competition for information seeking to overtake our 

leadership position, sustained national support of STEM education 

is critical. Industry and non-profit organizations have an important 

supporting role in nurturing budding scientists and engineering 

professionals. 

HudsonAlpha, a not-for-profit research institute, has a threefold 

mission of conducting genomics research, sparking economic development, and providing educational outreach. 

HudsonAlpha’s research faculty use genomics to understand how 

organisms function at a molecular level in both health and disease. 

This research takes place under the same roof as more than 20 biotechnology-related companies, demonstrating our belief that proximity between research and industry builds collaboration and 

moves discovery into commercialization at a faster pace. 

Part of the attraction to Huntsville is the culture of innovation 

and the emphasis on STEM education. This creates those ‘‘aha’’ 

moments that move research forward and turn ideas into products. 

Jim Hudson and Lonnie McMillian, the founders of 

HudsonAlpha, each created and matured successful businesses 

here. The opportunity to impact STEM on a broad scale was a driving reason why education is a critical component of the mission of 

HudsonAlpha. 

From an educational point of view, our programs are organized 

around preparing the future biotechnology workforce and building 

awareness about the influence of genetics on the lives of all citizens. We partner with educators, policymakers, corporations and 

civic groups to connect academic learning with real-world application. Our activities are incorporated into middle and high school 

classrooms across the State. We have school trips to the Institute 

during the summer months, and we provide summer camps and internship opportunities, as well as professional development workshops for teachers. 

In the four years since the opening of the Institute, HudsonAlpha 

has invested more than $2 million into Alabama education programs, impacting more than 200,000 students, teachers, and members of the public. We are serious about improving genetics edu-
44 

cation and are continually on the lookout for ways to translate the 

scientific discoveries into educational experiences. 

That is why HudsonAlpha collaborates with a wide array of partners. Some assist in programmatic development and implementation, while others provide needed funding. Our collaborators include national agencies like the Department of Labor and the National Institutes of Health, two- and four-year universities and K– 

12 education systems across Alabama. In fact, HudsonAlpha has a 

relationship with every group providing testimony to you at today’s 

meeting. 

If I can go off script for a second, I think the key message you 

will hear from all of those at the table is the importance of partnerships in creating networks, each supporting each other. None of us 

is able to function on our own in order to be successful for STEM 

education. 

Whether it is in partnership with statewide programs like the 

Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative, or the newly 

formed Illinois Pathway Initiative, industry and non-profit organizations across the country have a critical role in providing content 

support and links to student career opportunities. 

Based on HudsonAlpha’s experience, a few key points have 

emerged that are critical to non-profit success in this area. 

First, we have become familiar with the education scaffold across 

primary, secondary, and higher education. We look for those areas 

that are a natural fit with HudsonAlpha’s content expertise and 

identify when the topics are generally taught. This is at the middle 

school, the high school, or not until graduate-level training. Knowing when a content area is taught allows us to approach the appropriate educational partner. 

Second, we identify ways we can support existing educational requirements. This may range from providing guest speakers or 

background material for a classroom discussion to creating materials and teacher training for a statewide initiative. 

Third, we have to realize that the narrow, highly technical details that are HudsonAlpha’s area of expertise may not match 

classroom concepts and instead need to focus on a more 

foundational topic within the field. I cannot stress how important 

this point is to success in education in the STEM field. Industry 

and non-profits have great knowledge to share, but often attempt 

to force fit an overly detailed lecture or activity into a classroom. 

This can inadvertently cause more harm than good. 

Finally, we have learned that any successful collaboration is 

going to require a serious investment. This may or may not be financial in nature, but will almost certainly require an investment 

of time. This relationship must go beyond simply writing a check 

or dropping off surplus equipment. 

A motivated and skilled workforce pipeline requires a solid education that continually grows over time. As a society, we must support approaches that best facilitate the pursuit of this knowledge. 

Our citizens need to embrace learning, and our society needs to reward those who give their time, effort, and passion to that pursuit. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Representative Lipinski, for the 

opportunity to appear before you today. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Lamb follows:] 
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Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Dr. Lamb. 

The Chair next recognizes Mr. Partynski. 

STATEMENT OF MR. ANDREW PARTYNSKI, 

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, 

SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. Good morning, Chairman Brooks and Member 

Lipinski. Let me first say I am honored to have the opportunity to 

appear before you today, and I would also like to thank Bob Jones 

High School for your wonderful hospitality. 

SAIC is a Fortune 500 scientific, engineering, and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve 

problems of vital importance to the Nation and the world in national security, energy and environment, health and cybersecurity. 

SAIC employs approximately 41,000 personnel worldwide, with approximately 10,000 employees with advanced degrees and over 

20,000 employees with security clearances. 

I am the regional coordinator of STEM initiatives in Huntsville, 

and I am also part of a corporate committee that focuses on STEM. 

A major focus of SAIC’s STEM program is to help provide our employees meaningful opportunities to volunteer in their communities. Our employees’ actions will inspire students directly through 

their interactions with SAIC, will ignite a peer-to-peer spread of interest in volunteering within the SAIC employee population, and 

indirectly can stimulate viral student-to-student interest in STEM. 

The current environment in Huntsville when recruiting candidates requires that we compete for the same existing finite pool 

of talent. Due to the current growth in Huntsville and attendant 

job opportunities, we have had to recruit and relocate qualified people from across the country because of the shortages of available 

and technically skilled engineers. The difficulty to recruit these 

candidates in a timely manner has been specifically acknowledged 

by our customers on Redstone Arsenal. Our experience shows that 

talent of all ages self-selects into working on big technical problems. The bigger the problem, the more inspired and attracted talented people become by that challenge. 

To prepare for this current and future need, SAIC has initiated 

several thrusts. First, we have established a relationship with 

UAH by working on creating and tailoring some degree programs, 

bidding on cooperative research projects, providing scholarships to 

identify key talent, and working to provide internships at SAIC 

and ultimately hiring the graduates. Our stated goal with UAH is 

to help it be recognized as a national go-to school for the disciplines 

needed by our customers and the Huntsville community. 

We also understand that to inspire our younger generation to get 

into STEM fields, we have to attract them early. To do this, SAIC 

has strategically selected to support FIRST robotics, Project Lead 

the Way, and also Alabama A∂ College Ready. 

FIRST robotics offers elementary, middle, and high school students a series of popular extracurricular activities structured 

around robotics competitions, and includes contests at the local, regional, and national levels. Locally we support a dozen teams from 
55 

elementary through high school, and we are only one of a dozen 

SAIC entities that have similar support efforts across the country. 

SAIC also selected Project Lead the Way as one of its strategic 

initiatives because the program produces demonstrated results, it 

offers a ready-made infrastructure already present in schools and 

districts across the country, and it offers many ways for SAIC employees to engage in their communities. 

As part of SAIC’s Project Lead the Way regional strategy, we 

funded the startup of Project Lead the Way engineering curriculum 

at New Century Technology High School. 

We volunteered to co-chair the Tennessee Valley Project Lead the 

Way strategy under ASMDA and NDIA. The goal of this joint committee is to gain synergy in supporting all three school district superintendents that are piloting Project Lead the Way in a high 

school. 

SAIC volunteers are working to create an environment where 

best practices for deploying the curriculum can be shared across all 

three school systems. They are also creating a one-stop-shop capability to support the needs of Project Lead the Way teachers, including finding sponsors to fund courses, recruit and place mentors 

for the classroom, and set up industry and government internships 

for students to explore STEM career fields. The strategy focuses on 

providing these Project Lead the Way support services for high 

schools first, but will expand to support K–8 schools in the coming 

years. 

SAIC coordinated and deployed a 10-week cyber curriculum 

called CyberNEXS to eight schools in the Huntsville City school 

district. SAIC organized mentors both within SAIC and external to 

work with the eight schools in Huntsville, and two of the schools 

that went through this cyber training have qualified through two 

levels of National Cyber Patriot competitions run by the Air Force 

Association. 

SAIC also worked with Project Lead the Way to develop technologies for the upcoming cyber curriculum. Huntsville’s Grissom 

High School was chosen as one of two schools nationally to pilot 

this new cyber security curriculum at the high school level. 

SAIC also contributes to Alabama’s A∂ College Ready as part of 

a $1 million commitment by the community in Huntsville and 

Madison County to implement AP programs in 10 local high 

schools, making this an exemplary public-private partnership. After 

just one year in the A∂ College Ready program, 43 Alabama high 

schools showed an average 108 percent increase in AP qualifying 

scores, 13 times the national average of 8.1 percent. Alabama’s percentage increase in qualifying scores on AP exams from 2008 to 

2011 ranks Alabama number one among all 50 States in qualifying 

scores on exams and minority qualifying scores on exams. 

In closing, one of the greatest challenges for any company in the 

technical fields today is finding and attracting top talent in all 

technical areas. Our greatest method of attraction is inspiration in 

the mission and to the contribution to our Nation and society. 

Our government was able to achieve this rallying vision under 

President Kennedy when he announced the national challenge to 

go to the moon. This vision created the largest increase in enrollment in STEM fields in U.S. history. Today we need an equally vi-
56 

sionary challenge that inspires the imagination and passion of our 

young people. This challenge needs to go beyond typical rhetoric 

and stimulus and strike at the hearts and minds of the generation 

that uses technology transparently and can multiplex many activities at once. Once inspired, this generation, these young people, 

will rise to the challenge with passion and innovation that will 

make us proud to be Americans. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Partynski follows:] 
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Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Mr. Partynski. 

I want to thank all the witnesses. 

The Chair at this point will open the round of questions. Typically our questions on the Hill are limited to five minutes, but the 

Chair is going to exercise the Chair’s prerogative and grant additional leeway with respect to our timing. 

The Chair recognizes himself for his questions. The first question 

I have is for Mr. Partynski, and Dr. Lamb, if you also will respond 

after Mr. Partynski has done so. 

In order to produce a competent STEM workforce for the future, 

communications between universities and industry are imperative. 

How does industry communicate its workforce needs to the education community, and how would you grade industry’s efforts in 

communicating to universities their workforce needs, both current 

and future? 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. Well, first of all, we find that in order for us to 

communicate our needs with universities, we have to form partnerships with universities. We have to work collaboratively, as we 

have attempted to do with our strategic university alliance. We 

have actually formed seven university alliances across the Nation. 

One of them is with UAH. And those alliances allow us not only 

to focus our investments at universities but also focus our needs. 

For example, we work with universities to develop specific curricula so that they can actually fill the requirements that we see 

today and forecast for the future. So they are critically important. 

As far as having the university work with us to produce these 

candidates, we actually go to the universities and we recruit. We 

actually provide scholarships to identify students that have what 

we consider critical thinking, and we actually provide the university with funding to accelerate some of those efforts. 

Chairman BROOKS. How would you grade industry’s communication skills, inasmuch as universities and community colleges, K–12, 

they all want to educate kids in such a fashion so that once they 

are graduated, they will be market ready, they can get a job? How 

would you grade industry’s ability to communicate the high-tech 

needs to K–12, community colleges and universities? 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. I think our communication still requires a lot of 

work. It is not adequate where we are today. What we are finding 

is that there is a balance between communication of needs and 

having a skilled and experienced workforce, especially in Huntsville. One of the areas that we are working with the university on 

is to provide internships and summer job programs to get the students, their experience base up a little higher, because the customer base in Huntsville requires primarily experienced people 

that they want to hire as opposed to direct college graduates. 

So we still have a lot of work to do to work with universities to 

actually communicate needs and what type of students we need. 

Chairman BROOKS. Dr. Lamb, you are sitting in a little bit of a 

different chair because of the hybrid nature of HudsonAlpha, on 

the one hand research and innovation, and on the other hand you 

partner with industry. So how would you answer those questions? 

Dr. LAMB. I would say that we have to do a better job directly 

communicating with our education network, whether that is K–12 

or our two-year or four-year schools. We historically, at least in our 
68 

field, have ended up with an enormous number of students who 

have been told that in order to go into research, into the health 

sciences, that you have to have an advanced degree. I think that 

we have a number of students that have come out with a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D., and the field has changed so that it 

doesn’t necessarily support that. 

There are an ever-increasing number of positions that are available at the sub-baccalaureate level, and we have to have better 

communication with our education partners to help them understand that and to recognize the skill set that we are looking for, 

that it isn’t simply individuals that know a great deal of bookbased facts but also have hands-on skills. 

I think here in Huntsville you have seen more of those direct 

connections, more of the intern programs that Mr. Partynski talked 

about, more of those hands-on opportunities building skills as well 

as knowledge. But I think historically it has been a challenge, and 

there hasn’t been the needed communication between the bioscience industry and our education partners. 

Chairman BROOKS. Thank you. 

The next question will be for Dr. Wright, Dr. Altenkirch, and Dr. 

Beck, the flip side of the first question. 

There is nothing worse for a young person to have a high school 

diploma or the two-year degree or the four-year degree, or even advanced degrees, yet not be able to get a job because the education 

doesn’t match the science, technology, engineering and math requirements of industry. In that vein, do you seek industry input 

when developing curriculums for your students, and do they in 

turn assist with the academic-to-workforce transitions? If so, how? 

And you can—whoever wants to answer first, go for it. Dr. 

Wright? Or is it going to be Dr. Beck? All I saw was Dr. Altenkirch 

shift the mic. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman BROOKS. Who wishes to go first? 

Dr. BECK. At Calhoun Community College, we have good partnerships with business and industry, and we have advisory committees, and the membership on those committees is provided by 

businesses and industries in this region. So they work with us to 

ensure that our curriculums do match the needs of the business 

and industry in this region. 

Also, another way that we are served is by co-op and internship 

positions of businesses and industries throughout the region. 

I do think that certainly we are making headway and ensuring 

our students have the appropriate skills for the jobs in this workforce, and really I believe Dr. Wright said this is a Mecca. It is a 

Mecca for jobs, from here to many areas of our Nation. 

So we are endeavoring every day to reach out to business and industry and to involve business and industry in helping us ensure 

our curriculums are leading edge. 

Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Dr. Beck. I have seen some of 

that firsthand over at your Limestone County campus. 

Dr. Wright, are you going to take the next stab at it? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Sure. 

Chairman BROOKS. All right. Thank you. 
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Dr. WRIGHT. Additionally at the K–12 level, we do try to establish numerous partnerships with business and industry for advisement. So we have an advisory council for career and technical education that is about 12 members, and we meet regularly, and they 

advise on the new directions for career and technical education, 

how to really make that—put the edge to the academic so that we 

have that hands-on experience in the learning. 

We have those internships with all of our career tech programs, 

but we also have a lot of community outreach with the businesses 

in all of our programs. For example, the Homebuilders Association 

may partner with our engineering or one of our other classes to 

help them build a sign for Bob Jones Hospital, things that are really that practical, hands-on application. 

I think we do a better job here than maybe is happening across 

the State. I know that Dr. Bise, the state superintendent, has just 

hired a new director for career and technical education whose job 

is outreach also with post-secondary and workforce development. 

But we are trying to get more involved with workforce development 

councils, and then we have articulated credit with the post-secondary institutions, and all of that comes directly from the business and industry advisement. 

Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Dr. Wright. 

Dr. Altenkirch, you are in a little bit of a different situation, inasmuch as UAH is the brainchild of Wernher von Braun, Marshall 

Space Flight Center, NASA, national defense needs and industry 

needs—if my memory serves me correctly, back in the early ’60s. 

So UAH was born in response to industry needs. 

But today, what is UAH doing to try to ensure that there is this 

flow of communication that enhances UAH’s ability of producing 

graduates with the knowledge that our workforce needs? 

Dr. ALTENKIRCH. Thank you. I wasn’t trying to avoid the question. I just wanted to demonstrate that chivalry is alive and well. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman BROOKS. Ladies first. I understand. 

Dr. ALTENKIRCH. It is a good point. Let me step back and give 

a little bit of a broad perspective on this, and that is that in college 

curricula, they are compartmentalized. You have to divide things 

up in some way. And so we teach mathematics, we teach chemistry, we teach mechanical engineering, et cetera. But at some 

point, all those have to be integrated, because they are not separated when you go out into an industrial environment. 

And so our communication is a lot, if you listened to the testimony carefully, is to interact with industry and the Arsenal and 

NASA through summer camps, through integrated projects, teams 

of people from all across the technical disciplines, and high school 

students that are integrated into those teams, and also students 

from other universities are integrated into those teams. 

So by taking the compartmentalized university instruction and 

then eventually integrating it together so that people don’t believe 

that these things are all separate. So if you study mathematics, 

you don’t necessarily at the Bachelor’s level go out in industry and 

do mathematics. You do right-scaled projects in which you use 

mathematics. 
70 

So that has to happen at some point along the educational process. We think these interactions with industry and internships, 

these design projects, et cetera, are a very good way to communicate that importance. 

Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Dr. Altenkirch. 

The Chair is going to exercise his prerogative to have a second 

round of questions for both Mr. Lipinski and myself. But at this 

point, I am going to defer to Mr. Lipinski from the great State of 

Illinois for questions that he may have. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you, Chairman Brooks. 

I sometimes have—this is an area that is of great interest to me, 

and I also have to admit that I have two degrees in engineering. 

I left the STEM fields. I had one colleague of mine say during a 

hearing once that I went to the dark side. I got a Ph.D. in political 

science. 

Chairman BROOKS. But it was from a good university. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Yes, Duke University. I think that is a pretty good 

university. 

But as we are going through this, my mind is going in a million 

different directions. Let me see if I can narrow this down to a few 

specific questions. 

I want to start with Dr. Lamb. Is there anything—and I am not 

suggesting—I am not just playing the role of the Democrat here 

and suggesting that the Federal Government does everything, but 

what we are here about is what we do in Congress, what can the 

Federal Government do. 

So first, what can the Federal Government do, if anything, to 

promote more entities like the HudsonAlpha Institute? Is there 

anything that can be done to promote such entities? 

Dr. LAMB. Aside from providing financial incentives for groups to 

enter into this field? 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Whatever you — 

Dr. LAMB. So let me start by commenting on what you just said 

about your own personal history, about starting with a STEM field 

and then moving out. There is a recent study by Georgetown University that notes that there is this big discussion that we are losing individuals in the STEM arena, we don’t have enough STEM 

workers. The Georgetown study noted that we actually start out 

with enough STEM workers, but they are pushed away to other 

fields because our STEM students display the important skills that 

other industries and other companies need. So I would posit that 

your STEM background actually provided you a great foundation 

for moving over. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. I like to state that all the time. I think that we 

have less than 10 engineers in Congress, and we could use a lot 

more. I won’t say anything about what we could use a lot less of, 

but there are over 250 attorneys. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman BROOKS. Would it help that my father and two sons 

are engineers? Do I get some credit for that? 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Yes, you get a lot of credit for that. 

Dr. LAMB. That is right. Those who grow up in STEM households, I think you also imbibe that as well. 
71 

I think that one of the most important ways—and this is true for 

industry as well. One of the most important roles for industry and 

non-profit is recognizing that they are content experts and that 

they have a very important role to play in informing education, 

linking what students are learning with real-world applications. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Let me roll into my next question. Is there anything the Federal Government can do to encourage the collaboration you talked about? This is something that I have always emphasized and I never see enough of. I was teaching political 

science, and I did not see universities doing enough to interact with 

industry. I don’t see enough of—and it seems that this is coming 

on a little bit more, but we have the Department of Energy, national labs, a couple in the Chicago area, the universities. I always 

encourage them to collaborate, taking the research that is being 

done, industry taking that, creating products, jobs. That is our future. But also collaboration with all levels of education and industry, the Federal Government, whether it is the energy labs or 

NASA. I know NASA does a lot of work on this, but more needs 

to be done. 

So what can be done to entice and encourage, incentivize this 

type of cooperation? I think this is something that everyone probably may have an answer to. 

Dr. LAMB. I think that there should be requirements in funding 

opportunities when groups write funding proposals. There should 

be requirements to make sure that industry and education are at 

the same table, and I think those can be funding requirements for 

education-related grants as well as things like small business 

grants, that there is a connection to education. 

But I think you have to be very specific. This needs to be more 

than simply having them at the same table, having someone write 

on a proposal, ‘‘Yes, I have this advisory committee, and look, it involves people from industry and it involves people from education.’’ 

We need to spell out what these partnerships potentially can look 

like. 

These are not easy to develop. They do not naturally flow. We 

often speak different languages. We often come with different perspectives. People in industry and non-profit generally do not have 

any sense of the challenges from the world of education. It is a different language. It is a different set of backgrounds. And it takes 

time. It takes much more time than simply showing up at a quarterly meeting where we all have a boxed lunch and we nod at each 

other. 

I am not sure how you actually try to knit these groups together, 

but there needs to be a better expectation of what these partnerships potentially can look like. They can be incredibly fulfilling, 

and once you begin to build them, then other ideas and projects 

flow naturally out of them, and it becomes very engaging and encouraging on both ends. 

But it is not always easy to get them to the table and to get them 

on the same page. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Anyone else have anything they can add about how 

we can encourage the collaboration? 

Dr. WRIGHT. Well, you asked about what the Federal Government could do, and I would like to emphasize that if we had a de-
72 

creased focus on accountability—for example, with No Child Left 

Behind, there has been such a focus on the reading and math, and 

even though it is probably an unintended consequence, it causes us 

to put our resources in areas that are singularly focused, as opposed to broad-based programs that really do integrate and apply 

the knowledge that we are learning. 

So when there is legislation that causes that kind of singular 

focus, I think that is something that we need to take a look at and 

try to—whatever the legislation is, that is what we are going to do. 

So as an unintended consequence, that is where the money is going 

to go. So if we can put our money—if we can have federal legislation that really focuses on the integration of the academic, as opposed to a singular focus of passing some level of reading. 

Dr. LAMB. And if I could add, I think in adding to Dr. Wright’s 

point, AYP has intentionally put the focus on math and reading to 

the exclusion of science. So in many of our schools, science has 

been shifted off to the side or is used as a way to teach, to remediate in math and reading, with very little science focus, and I 

think that has done enormous harm to how we look at science and 

how we teach science in our schools across the country. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. If I could go on to another question here, I am always looking to the Chairman as to when he is going to pull the 

plug on this round, but let do one more question. 

Dr. Beck, how many of the students who receive Associates degrees, what will they do with Associates degrees in these STEM 

fields? How many of them will go into—can get a job with that in 

a STEM field? How many go on to a four-year degree—finish up 

and go on to a Bachelor’s degree? What are you seeing in that regard? 

Because the big question that came up, and I probably shouldn’t 

attach it to another one, but I think we have to look at the whole 

breadth here. The question is, what do students need to learn? And 

there are different types of jobs. That was brought up. There are 

different types of jobs that you have. There are some STEM jobs 

that you just need an Associate’s degree for, there are some STEM 

jobs you need a Ph.D. for, and there is a real—it depends. Not everyone is—we are not teaching STEM, just the way one goes to get 

a Ph.D. in STEM. That is not what we want, that is not what we 

need. 

But how many of them, how many students—and has there been 

an increase in the number of students who get an Associate’s degree in a STEM field that can step right in? Are there more jobs 

available for them or not? 

Dr. BECK. At Calhoun, about a third of our students are coming 

to the college to upgrade skills or to re-skill. About a third of the 

students are seeking an Associate’s degree in a variety of fields 

with the intent to go into the labor force. The other third are transfer students. They intend to transfer to the college and universities. 

We find that our students who are in the health careers and the 

technology careers that involve STEM fields get jobs in our community. In fact, one of the issues we have is that some of the students 

who are really good students and who acquire technical skills may 

opt out for a job before they complete their Associate degree. So we 

are working very hard to keep them associated with the college 
73 

even though they have gone to work so that they will complete 

their Associate degree. 

Our students in the transfer curriculums, when they transfer we 

get data from UA–Huntsville and other universities. They do as 

well or better when they transfer as the native students do at the 

university. So they are pretty well prepared. 

Our two-year degree students, as I said, in the STEM areas are 

almost 100 percent placement. If they just stop out after they have 

completed two years of a possible Gen Ed or transfer curriculum, 

they have challenges in the job market. They have a two-year degree but their skills don’t enable them to compete as effectively in 

this workforce. But our students that are in that upper third do go 

on to the universities at a high rate, and they do pursue Master’s 

and Doctor’s degrees in the various STEM and other fields. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you. 

Chairman BROOKS. As you are probably aware, our youth have 

faced significant challenges with the unemployment rate, and for 

folks who are in their upper teens or low 20s, there is a very significant disparity between their unemployment rate and the rest of 

the Nation as a whole, and this is for any witness who may want 

to address this. 

Can you explain to the best of your ability why many students 

graduate in STEM fields and yet still are unable to find jobs, even 

though the United States is a leader in science and technology, and 

efforts to educate our students in STEM fields are well underway? 

Would you attribute this to our Nation’s current economic conditions or to an actual lack of STEM opportunities? 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. I will take a stab at that, since industry does 

most of the hiring for STEM-educated students. 

I believe a major factor currently is the economy. There are periods in our history where we can’t graduate enough STEM students. 

I remember that when I graduated, I had 12 job offers before I finished school. I have a son who is going to graduate this year, and 

he doesn’t have any job offers yet. 

The challenge that I am learning is really a problem is education 

alone today isn’t enough. Experience is necessary. So co-ops, internships, some level of experience in the field that they are interested 

in is critical. So that is the challenge. The economy is the driver, 

and the desire today is to have people with some level of experience. 

Chairman BROOKS. While I have you, Mr. Partynski, do you have 

a judgment as to whether those individuals who graduate in the 

STEM fields are doing any better or worse than community and 

university graduates who have degrees in non-STEM fields? 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. Unfortunately, I can’t answer for non-STEM 

fields since our primary focus is in the sciences. But my opinion is 

that the challenge is even larger for those that aren’t graduating 

in the STEM fields, again owing to the economy. 

Chairman BROOKS. And perhaps one of the folks who are in higher ed can address that to a greater degree. But notwithstanding, 

would any of you all be in a position to respond to either the first 

question or the follow-up? 

Dr. ALTENKIRCH. I don’t suspect that the jobless rate among 

graduates in the STEM fields is greater than the average. I would 
74 

suspect that it is less because of the fact that if you are prepared 

in those subject areas, you are able to do those subject areas, but 

you are also able to do a lot more. So you are educated in problemsolving, whereas if you opted out of those fields, I think your opportunities are limited. Congressman Lipinski was well prepared to 

get a Ph.D. in political science. 

So I think my point is that the engineering and mathematics and 

science fields are really broad based and allow you to do a lot of 

things. I don’t think that the graduates should limit their horizons 

to ‘‘if I get an engineering degree, I have to do engineering.’’ I think 

it is much more open than that. 

Chairman BROOKS. Dr. Wright, Dr. Beck or Dr. Lamb, do you all 

have any insight you wish to share on either the first or the second 

question? 

Dr. WRIGHT. We find it—we have limited data, but we find it 

quite interesting that our students at Bob Jones, we have 88 percent that go to college, and of that 88 percent we have about 56 

percent who actually get a four-year degree in five years. You see 

on the news the high cost of student loans. 

So we have seen, in the limited amount of time that we have had 

these career tech programs in the STEM fields, that students who 

do the level three or level four internship—so if you have a biomedical student in year four that is doing those internships in different areas, or the engineering student who is out at SAIC seeing 

what the opportunities are, they are much more likely to go to college and finish a four-year degree in four years or five years than 

their counterpart who hasn’t done that. 

So again, it is limited data, but we really feel like those students 

who have an opportunity to have hands-on application of the learning are much more prepared and are going through college at a 

faster rate because they know what they want to do, because they 

have seen all those opportunities out there. So we feel like that has 

been a strong point here. 

Chairman BROOKS. Dr. Beck or Dr. Lamb, do you have anything 

you wish to add? 

Dr. LAMB. The Georgetown study that I mentioned earlier has 

actually found that there is a lower unemployment rate for individuals that are STEM graduates, in part because they tend to be 

poached by other industries based on the skill sets that they have 

developed that translate so well. 

We run a summer intern program at HudsonAlpha. We bring 

about 30 interns in at the high school and undergraduate level 

from across the state, and we have over 300 applicants routinely 

for these 30 positions. The words that we hear over and over are 

‘‘I have to have hands-on experience to make me more attractive 

as a job candidate.’’ So I think that that is what separates many 

of these students from who rises to the top of the stack, who has 

hands-on experience, and I think we have to do a better job of providing more of those real-world opportunities for our students. 

Chairman BROOKS. Mr. Partynski, I have your written remarks 

which, as is normally the case, differ from your oral remarks because of time limitations, and I am going to read from a part of 

it. It says, ‘‘The 2010 American Community Survey performed by 

the Census confirms that the Huntsville metro area has the high-
75 

est per capita concentration of engineers in the country, with 

11,392 engineers making up six percent of the total employed residents. San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara is second at 5.1 percent.’’ 

So we are at 6, they are at 5.1. 

SAIC is in somewhat of an interesting position because you are 

in business, of course, to make a profit for the owners of the business. That is what free enterprise and capitalism is all about. 

Nonetheless, you all seem to be diverting some of your profits or 

resources to STEM efforts. 

Can you share with us what the cost is to SAIC of engaging in 

STEM efforts that, at least on the surface, have no apparent direct 

profit motive to SAIC? And then finally, why does SAIC do it? 

What is the benefit? 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. Well, it will be hard for me to give you an exact 

number of what our investment is. I can give you one example. We 

nationally sponsored Project Lead the Way and First Robotics at $1 

million, and that is just because of our interest in that area. 

What was the second part of your question? 

Chairman BROOKS. What is the benefit to SAIC? What is the motivation for you to invest this money that you do not get a direct 

return on? 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. Well, actually, it is an investment in the future. 

The motivation is to actually stimulate the growth of a segment of 

our market that we see need in the future. We cannot graduate 

enough U.S. citizens with advanced degrees to fill the needs that 

we are projecting for national security in the future. So we have 

a long-term vision on the needs of what this nation needs to provide, and we see a shortage. Therefore, we are investing in our own 

future. 

Chairman BROOKS. And is SAIC, in your experience, alone in this 

endeavor, or do your competitors also participate, as SAIC does, in 

this investment in STEM education? 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. Well, from the folks that I have talked to, it is 

a communitywide effort. It is not a single company. All the companies, at least in the Huntsville area, are contributing, are doing 

STEM initiatives of their own in a very big way. As a matter of 

fact, in answer to Congressman Lipinski’s question earlier, what 

can the government do, as a matter of fact we are showing kind 

of a dichotomy here. We are saying that STEM is important, the 

government wants to promote STEM, but yet the government has 

cut back on all R&D spending. 

If you think about where a lot of the STEM workforce goes, it 

is into R&D. So one of the things the government can do maybe 

is to relook at the cuts in research and development spending 

across the board. 

One of the biggest challenges in research and development is 

that it is research. It isn’t a product development. When you do research, you can’t be penalized for failure. As a matter of fact, you 

may find success in finding a way to show how not to do something 

as opposed to always showing that this is how you do it. 

So there needs to be a different thought process in how we perceive research and development, how we account for the results of 

research and development, and the amount of funding that we are 
76 

providing for it, because that is what drives the entire technical 

market. 

Chairman BROOKS. Thank you, Mr. Partynski. 

At this time, the Chair will defer to Mr. Lipinski for the final set 

of questions. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you. I want to thank Mr. Partynski, first of 

all, for emphasizing the importance of federal funding for R&D. I 

think that is very critical for the future of our country. I also want 

to thank you and SAIC for what you do, and that is part of we are 

fortunate that we do have private industry, we do have non-profits 

who are willing to make that investment, because it is obviously 

not going to all come from government. It shouldn’t come all from 

government. But it is a special role that you play in doing that, in 

helping our nation. 

It is funny that the Chairman just read off that paragraph from 

Mr. Partynski’s written statement. I had circled that earlier on. I 

was going to say that is why I felt so welcomed here in Huntsville, 

is all of the engineers. Seeing as it is the highest per capita engineers, I now completely understand that. 

I want to ask—well, let me say this before I ask my one final 

question. I want to thank Chairman Brooks. I want to thank Mo 

and his wife, Martha, for their hospitality here. My wife, Judy, and 

I very much enjoyed our time here, not just because it was 30 degrees warmer here than in Chicago right now, but very much enjoyed, had a good time down here, and I look forward to coming 

back to visit. 

I had questioned—I have been to 45 or 46 states, and I was 

never sure if I could count Alabama. I drove through a corner of 

Alabama once. I don’t think I ever set foot in the State before. But 

I will be back here, and I want to thank everyone here, and our 

witnesses, for being here today. 

My last question is the importance of K–12 educators in STEM 

certainly has been emphasized, so what can we do to have better— 

to reward the good STEM educators, to encourage more good people to come in and be STEM educators in K–12? I mean, that is 

a big question that we have out here. What really can we do to 

make that possible? 

I think Dr. Wright may want to start, and then we will hear 

what anyone else has to say on that. 

Mr. PARTYNSKI. Well, I will start because I don’t have a vested 

interest in education because I am in industry, but we all have a 

vested interest in education as a Nation. 

The challenge I see for educators is continuously shrinking budgets. One of the things that I find perplexing is we have mandated 

requirements without funding which drives educational institutions 

to cut programs, to cut things that they used to do in teaching in 

order to meet those requirements. 

And so again, it boils down to available funding, and I think 

most educational institutions and communities are underfunded at 

this point. I think if we provided them adequate funding, they 

would really excel at what they do. 

Dr. WRIGHT. Hear, hear. 

I think the other issue is you have got to attract good people, but 

then once you have good people, you have got to sustain their 
77 

training. So we have great teachers on staff, but we need the funding for current technology so that they can integrate the current 

technology and stay abreast of what has happened, and that is the 

biggest challenge that we have, is we want them in the classroom 

teaching, but how do we keep them trained in current technologies 

and industry standards. 

So partnering with business and industry for our teachers’ sake 

so that they can get into business and industry and find out what 

industry standards are is a real need because I think, again, we 

need to invest in those people that we currently have, in addition 

to attracting others. We have a bright, bright teaching force here 

in Madison City, but there is still that constant problem of how do 

you keep them current, how do you keep them current. 

So repositories of information that they can go to to learn, which 

could be developed at the federal level or the State level, and then 

obviously the money to be able to help them with their training. 

Online and Web resources are so great now, but finding enough 

time and giving them opportunities to do that is a challenge. 

So I think we have got to train and retrain the people that we 

do have, in addition to attracting the new folks. 

Dr. ALTENKIRCH. I think, too, on the training or education side, 

it is important to realize that if you are going to teach a subject, 

you have to know where it is going to lead you. So, for example, 

for people who teach algebra, they have to know much more than 

algebra because they have to know where algebra is going to take 

you. Algebra is not an end in and of itself. I am not convinced that 

all of the STEM teachers in the classroom have that sort of perspective or that education or training that is beyond what they are 

teaching, and I think that is very important. Otherwise, everything 

seems so compartmentalized and so much of an end in and of itself 

that you can’t see the big picture, and working in industry, you 

have to be able to integrate all these things on large-scale projects. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Anyone else? Dr. Beck? 

Dr. BECK. I personally went to school in mathematics from the 

baccalaureate degree to the doctorate with scholarships, and had it 

not been for those programs at that time, which is post-Sputnik, 

I probably wouldn’t have been able to complete those degrees. 

So I say that to say that we really do need scholarship money 

for STEM students. We have a grant right now at the college, a 

$450,000 grant for four years, but we could probably use three 

times that much to recruit the good students into the STEM fields. 

The good students can choose any field because they are capable, 

but the scholarship funds will influence them and encourage them 

into the STEM fields. 

Then beyond that, the graduate scholarships to train teachers to 

teach mathematics so that they indeed do have training well above 

the skills that they are teaching in the high schools. And then second, the information about professional development. Even after 

they are trained and get their degrees, they must continue to be 

updated in their fields to be fine teachers. 

Dr. LAMB. Just to round out the panel, I think we have to find 

ways to reduce the barriers between individuals in industry who 

are into education and individuals in education to understand the 

concepts from industry. 
78 

So you have heard bits and pieces of that already. We want to 

recruit individuals from our STEM industries to come into the 

classroom, but we put an enormous number of educational barriers 

in front of them. Certainly I am not saying that you should be able 

to take someone straight out of industry and plop them right in the 

middle of a classroom, but there are a number of incredible challenges, both financial and in terms of their time and their required 

course work, that right now stand in their way that cause many 

of them to pause before they decide they want to go into education. 

And on the flip side, I think we have to find ways for industry 

and for non-profits to learn to package information about realworld applications in ways that classroom teachers can grasp them, 

so that the algebra teacher understands how algebra gets used in 

a host of other ways, and so that the biology teacher who got his 

or her degree 20 years ago is able to be updated on all the new discoveries and how this is important and how this links back to the 

careers. 

It is about reducing the boundaries and about increasing the 

communication between both sides of that equation. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you. I thank all our witnesses here today, 

and I also just want to—I should have said this at the beginning, 

but I think this shows that there are critical issues that are facing 

our country, and I believe we need to work together, and we 

showed here today we are Democrat and Republican, we are not 

fighting, we are working together, and I want to thank Mo Brooks 

for, as he took this position as Chair of the Subcommittee, being 

willing to do that, and it is a pleasure to work with him as we work 

together to try to solve, do what we can to try to solve some of 

these big problems. 

Chairman BROOKS. I would like to thank all the witnesses for 

your valuable testimony and insight, and Congressman Lipinski for 

his participation and questions. I would also like to thank Bob 

Jones High School and the City of Madison for being such wonderful hosts for this Congressional hearing in the Fifth Congressional 

District of Alabama, which could very well be one of the first, if not 

the first, in the Tennessee Valley, certainly the first in the City of 

Madison. 

I also want to thank our Committee staff and my Congressional 

staff. They had some hard choices to make, as you can see from 

this panel, some excellent individuals. We have an abundance of 

talent in the Tennessee Valley that we could have selected here in 

order to glean the insight and expertise. There are so many different folks. It could have been people from NASA and the Marshall Space Flight Center, any of our national defense commands, 

any other entities that are in the private sector. It could have been 

the Space and Rocket Center, Side Quest, non-profits, you name it. 

But the panel that we have representing K–12 and the community colleges and higher institutions, four-year colleges on the one 

hand, industry and then hybrid research and industry on the other, 

I think that was a good combination, given the issues that we face 

with STEM nationally and what we have to do to make sure that 

America continues to be number one in STEM education, which, in 

turn, has made us number one in exceptionalism. 
79 

The Members of the Subcommittee may have additional questions for any one of you, and we will ask you to respond to those 

in writing, not just the two that came but others who are on the 

Committee. The record will remain open for two weeks for additional comments from the Members. 

Chairman BROOKS. The witnesses are excused, and this hearing 

is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:50 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 
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