This election year brought surprises and good news. One notable occurrence was the election of a physicist to the halls of Congress. Bill Foster, a particle physicist and businessman, was elected to the House of Representatives from Illinois’s newly drawn 11th district. He is one of the few in any technical field to hold national office. Foster is a proponent of education who understands the true value of STEM education investment.
“The election of a physicist to Congress is encouraging for several reasons, not least of which is having a professional representative of the STEM field in the House of Representatives! Rep. Foster is committed to making investments now that may not pay off immediately but that are essential and will reap big benefits to the nation’s economy: the first is investment in science, technology, engineering and math research; the second is investing in education and workforce development to ensure that we have individuals now and in the future that with the skills we need for jobs and the economy.” Dr. Mary McCain, TechVision21
Link to article in Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=physicist-elected-to-congress