Houston Community College director works to further federal R&D funding

Bartlett M .Sheinberg, director of the West Houston Center for Science and Engineering ) of Houston Community College, traveled to Washington D.C. to encourage continued funding of federal research and development.

Houston Community College director works to further federal R&D funding

Houston Community College director Bartlett M. Sheinberg recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to further research and development funding.

Sheinberg, director of the West Houston Center for Science and Engineering of Houston Community College and chair of the Materials Research Society Congressional Visits Day Committee made the trip in April to express his appreciation to Congress for appropriations actions in the fiscal year 2013 spending bill and encouraged additional funding.

According to a press release, while visiting congressional offices, Sheinberg provided a constituent perspective on the local and national impact of these programs and their significance to Texas, speaking about the important roles of community college and university partnerships in growing the next generation of scientists and engineers.

"These are very challenging times in Congress, especially as congressional offices are moving forward with the appropriations process to fund the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Energy Office of Science and the Department of Defense Basic Research," said Sheinberg in the press release. "Based upon proposed funding, community colleges appear to have a prominent role in the STEM educational arena, including preparing young men and women for careers in materials science."

Through Houston's Energy Corridor in the HCC service area and their relationship with the WHC and a Department of Homeland Security grant, six HCC students will complete summer research experiences at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque and Rice University beginning later this month.

For more information on the 2012 Congressional Visits Day, visit www.setcvd.org.

The Materials Research Society represents 16,000 scientists and engineers dedicated to advancing the multidisciplinary field of materials and improving the global quality of life. MRS scientists and engineers around the world work towards fundamental breakthroughs in electronics, energy systems, aerospace technologies, biomedical devices, nanotechnology, transportation, and advanced computation and communication technologies.