Stevens Launches Women in STEM Caucus

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) launched the first ever Congressional Women in STEM Caucus with Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN), who will join Rep. Stevens as co-chairs of the bipartisan caucus. Dr. Melanie Kornides, Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and Dr. Kelly Mack, Founder & President of the Society of STEM Women of Color, joined lawmakers at Wednesday’s launch event.

The Congressional Women in STEM Caucus is designed to help support and increase the number of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which builds a foundation for a diverse talent pipeline and advances innovative, groundbreaking research. The Caucus gives a permanent voice to women in the fields of STEM on Capitol Hill and encourages policy solutions that promote women and other underrepresented minorities in STEM education and careers.

Click HERE to watch a video of the launch event.

“As a Member of the House Science Committee, and as someone who previously worked in a manufacturing research lab, I have seen and learned about the discrimination and institutional barriers for women in STEM fields,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “Women and girls everywhere need to know that they can succeed in the STEM fields, and that our country and our economy won’t succeed without them. That’s why I am so proud to serve as a co-chair of the new Congressional Women in STEM Caucus. I look forward to working with the other co-chairs to grow this bipartisan caucus into a powerful force for change, and to ensure that women are given equal opportunities to conduct research, innovate, and discover the next great technological breakthrough.”   

“Today is a cause for celebration: These leaders are establishing the first-ever congressional caucus to support the next generation of female researchers,” said Lauren Brookmeyer, President of the Science Coalition and Director of Government Relations at Stony Brook University. “These four lawmakers should be commended for their leadership and tireless advocacy on behalf of women researchers, America’s scientific enterprise, and the unique partnership between our universities and federal research agencies. Strengthening diversity in these research fields is essential to expanding our economy, spurring innovation, and maintaining our nation’s global competitiveness.”

Background on Rep. Haley Stevens’ Advocacy for Women and Girls in STEM:

• The first piece of legislation Rep. Stevens introduced was the Building Blocks of STEM Act, a bipartisan bill to strengthen STEM education for young learners and address the gender gap in STEM fields. The Building Blocks of STEM Act was signed into law last month.
• Rep. Stevens voted to advance the STEM Opportunities Act and the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act through the Science Committee and supported the bills on the House floor.
• Rep. Stevens delivered a passionate floor speech in support of the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act, a bill that would awards the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’s highest civilian honor, to Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, Christine Darden, and all the women computers, mathematicians, and engineers at NASA.
• Rep. Stevens’ sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to express her concern with gender disparities in research grant awards and request a response detailing the actions that the NIH is taking to address this gap.
• In 2019, Rep. Stevens invited recently retired science teacher Jean Bueller to be her guest at the 2019 State of the Union address.

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