BILL NUMBER: SR 12ENROLLED BILL TEXT ADOPTED IN SENATE FEBRUARY 26, 2015 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY FEBRUARY 17, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Senator Cannella FEBRUARY 17, 2015 Relative to National Engineers Week LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, Engineers employ their scientific knowledge and analytical skills for the betterment of the United States; and WHEREAS, The mission of DiscoverE (formerly the National Engineers Week Foundation) is to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession through outreach, education, celebration, and volunteerism as needed to keep the United States a global leader in engineering and engineering education; and WHEREAS, The sponsors of National Engineers Week are working together to transform the engineering workforce through greater inclusion of women and underrepresented minorities; and WHEREAS, By engaging young students, parents, and educators in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, engineers help them discover how they can make a meaningful difference in the world; and WHEREAS, The partnership between engineers and teachers inspires future generations of engineering and technology talent; and WHEREAS, Tens of thousands of engineers and engineering students will serve their communities not only through their work but, at this time of year, by reaching into hundreds of local communities; and WHEREAS, Engineers have helped meet the major global challenges of our time, including providing state-of-the-art transportation and information technology infrastructures, enhancing national security, and developing the clean energy technologies needed to power the people of the United States into the future; and WHEREAS, An overwhelming number of people in the United States (87 percent) find that engineering is the profession that most frequently contributes to positive innovations and inventions in society, according to a survey conducted by TE Connectivity of impressions of engineering; and WHEREAS, Engineers are a crucial link in research, development, and the transformation of scientific discoveries into useful products and jobs, as the people of the United States look more than ever to engineers and their imagination, knowledge, and analytical skills to meet the challenges of the future; and WHEREAS, The National Science Board's "Science and Engineering Indicators 2010, 2012, and 2014" shows that while the number of students obtaining engineering degrees in the United States has reached an all-time high, the rates for women and underrepresented minorities do not reflect national demographics, and women remain underrepresented in the science and engineering workforce, although to a lesser degree than in the past; and WHEREAS, A 2012 survey by the Intel Corporation indicates that United States teenagers are more likely to consider a degree in engineering after learning about what engineers do; and WHEREAS, Only 4 percent of the nation's workforce is composed of scientists and engineers, this group disproportionately creates jobs for the other 96 percent; and WHEREAS, DiscoverE has grown into a formal coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations, and government agencies that are dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated engineering workforce, promoting literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and raising public awareness and appreciation of the contributions of engineers to society; and WHEREAS, National Engineers Week is celebrated during the week of George Washington's birthday to honor the contributions that the first United States President, a military engineer and land surveyor, made to engineering; and WHEREAS, February 22, 2015, to February 28, 2015, inclusive, has been designated as National Engineers Week by DiscoverE and the theme is, "Engineering New Horizons," spotlighting all the amazing things engineers do every day to make the world a better place; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate hereby recognizes the week of February 22, 2015, to February 28, 2015, inclusive, as National Engineers Week and acknowledges the services bestowed upon the citizens of California by engineers; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.