U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers Introduces H. Res. 558
The purpose of this particular resolution is multifold. One, it’s to recognize the importance of computer science and computer science education. Secondly, it is to recognize that we are falling behind as a nation in the number of computer scientists that we graduate. I had no idea of this until last year when I was visited by one of my constituents. The purpose of this resolution is also to honor that constituent, as well as Dr. Grace Hopper.
The constituent who took the time to visit me was Professor Joel Adams. He is the Chair of the Computer Science Department at Calvin College, a stellar liberal arts college located in my district in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He pointed out to me something that I was totally unaware of, even though I thought I kept up with all the problems in science. He told me he was very concerned about the small number of computer scientists that we are graduating, and was particularly concerned about the lack of students entering into computer science, either taking computer science courses in high school or majoring in computer sciences in their college or university careers.
Without the students enrolling in this field we are, of course, going to have a shortage of individuals in the future to develop computer science theory and practice in the United States of America. Therefore, I commend Professor Adams for bringing this to my attention. I also will commend in a few moments Dr. Hopper, who has been very effective in bringing computer science down to the level of elementary students.
I am very pleased today that we are considering this resolution, which turns our attention to the issue of computer science education. As you know, I have spent much time in Congress fighting for research in education, particularly education in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, all of which are collectively called STEM.
I believe these STEM subjects hold special promise for the future of our Nation, and that it is very critical that all of our Nation’s students receive a foundation in STEM. This helps develop well-rounded citizens and also may prepare some students to become the innovators of tomorrow.
As a former teacher, I always enjoy speaking to students in high schools, and I always have a little bit of fun with them, too, because high school students, out of custom, I think, tend not to want to study too hard and tend not to want to study too much science. Some people would say those go hand in hand.
But I always remind them of one thing. I ask them a question, first of all, who is the richest person in the world? Well, they all know that. Bill Gates.
How did he start out? Computer science.
Is he a nerd? No, he’s not a nerd [they’d say].
I said, Yes, he is. I know him personally, and he is a nerd of thefirst order. I say it’s very important what courses you take in high school, because I can tell you one thing. When you get out and start looking for a job, you either are going to be a nerd or you are going to work for a nerd. Now which would you rather do?
Of course at that point they say, Well, I guess I’d rather be a nerd.
At any rate, somehow we have to reach the high school students and make them recognize that these issues are very important to their future.
It is very nice to have acronyms to catch these general areas, as we do in talking about STEM education, but the lines between these disciplines blur quickly when you step into the classroom and into the real world. One of the areas where we are facing a really unique challenge is in computer science.
It is very important that students in K-12 are exposed to computer science, and we have a shortage of teachers in high schools who are able to teach it in a meaningful way. Many students do not get a chance to learn about it in school, and even when they have a chance, they may not learn it as well as they should. The lack of understanding of computer science and how it fuels innovation in STEM disciplines contributes to a lack of interest in computing careers, especially among women and underrepresented minorities, whose participation rates in computer science are among the lowest of any scientific field.
By introducing students to computer science at an early age and providing them with learning experience in computer science at all educational levels, we can reverse this trend and expand and diversify our technology workforce.
Computing technology and the innovation it yields are transforming our world and are critical to our global competitiveness, particularly our economic competitiveness. However, we are not preparing an adequate and diverse workforce to meet the ever-growing demand for the information technology sector, which includes some of the country’s most innovative and successful companies.
A 2009 Computer Science Teachers Association study shows that even in schools which employ computer science teachers, only a little more than half of the schools offer introductory courses in computer science, and the number of course offerings are declining. Given the enormous importance of these skills, we need to understand how to attract more students to these courses early in their education.
To raise awareness about the challenges facing computer science education, the resolution before us today designates National Computer Science Education Week. The week of December 7 has been chosen to honor the birthday of Grace Murray Hopper, one of the first female computer scientists.
Dr. Hopper is best known for her 1953 invention of the compiler, the intermediate computer language that translates English language instructions into computer language. She came up with the compiler, she said, because she was ``lazy’’ and hoped that ``the programmer may return to being a mathematician.’’ Her work on compilers and getting machines to understand language instructions ultimately resulted in the COBOL business language.
I can say from personal experience I deeply appreciate the work she did, because when I first started using computers in 1957, I was writing programs in assembly language. It is just one step above the computer language itself. It was laborious, painstaking work to try to get the computer to understand what I was trying to do. Today, of course, we program in English or some other language and are able to accomplish much more as a result.
A mathematician by training, Dr. Hopper taught mathematics, served in the military, and held a vast variety of positions throughout her life in both the public and private sector. Her pioneering work, particularly in computer languages, underpins many of the tools used in today’s digital computing.
I would like to share a quick anecdote about Dr. Hopper, as recounted by Merry Maisel of the San Diego Supercomputer Center.
``Most of us remember seeing Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper on television. We recall a charming, tiny white-haired lady in a Navy uniform with a lot of braid, admonishing a class of young naval officers to remember their nanoseconds. The `nanoseconds’ she handed out were lengths of wire, cut to not quite 12 inches in length, equal to the distance traveled by electromagnetic waves along the wire in the space of a nanosecond—one billionth of a second. In teaching efficient programming methods, Rear Admiral Hopper wanted to make sure her students ``would not waste nanoseconds,’’ and we are talking about the nanoseconds of computer operation.
``Occasionally, to make the demonstration even more powerful, she would bring to class an entire `microsecond,’ a coil of wire nearly 1,000 feet long that the rear admiral, herself tough and wiry, would brandish with a sweeping gesture and a steady wrist.’‘
Dr. Hopper passed away in 1992. I am glad to honor her legacy with the designation of National Computer Science Education Week, as I also honor Professor Adams for calling to my attention the current shortfall in computer scientists.
This resolution also promotes cutting-edge professional development for teachers in order to encourage students to be exposed to computer science concepts and support researching ways to increase participation in this field. Without professional development, we will not train and retrain the necessary workforce to provide the education students need in computer science.
I hope my colleagues will join me today in recognizing the importance of computer science education and honoring the memory of Grace Murray Hopper. I would particularly like to thank my distinguished colleague from Colorado, Mr. Polis, for his early and steadfast support for this resolution and his work on it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.