Congressional Record—House H7812
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
H7812 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 19, 2019 study the implementation and internal son and Dr. Christine Darden, to post- Engineering from George Washington Uni- use of emerging technologies, including humously award Congressional Gold versity in 1983. artificial intelligence, digital identity Medals to Dorothy Vaughan and Mary (12) While working at NASA, Dr. Christine Jackson, and to award a Congressional Darden— technologies, blockchain, and other (A) was appointed to be the leader of the new and innovative technologies to Gold Medal to honor all of the women Sonic Boom Team, which worked on designs better identify and prevent money who contributed to the success of the to minimize the effects of sonic booms by laundering in our financial services in- National Aeronautics and Space Ad- testing wing and nose designs for supersonic dustry. ministration during the Space Race, as aircraft; Additionally, this bill would require amended. (B) wrote more than 50 articles on aero- the study of how FinCen could better The Clerk read the title of the bill. nautics design; and utilize these technologies to more The text of the bill is as follows: (C) became the first African American to be promoted to a position in the Senior Ex- quickly disseminate the information it H.R. 1396 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- ecutive Service at Langley. collects to Federal, State, Tribal, and (13) Dorothy Vaughan was born on Sep- local law enforcement. resentatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, tember 20, 1910, in Kansas City, Missouri. It is my firm belief that we must le- (14) Dorothy Vaughan began working for SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. NACA in 1943. Dorothy Vaughan— verage the use of emerging tech- This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hidden Fig- (A) started at NACA as a member of the nologies in order to make our govern- ures Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. ment operations more efficient and up- West Area Computing unit; SEC. 2. FINDINGS. (B) was promoted to be the head of the Congress finds the following: grade the toolkit that enables our law West Area Computing unit, becoming (1) In 1935, the National Advisory Com- enforcement to effectively go after bad NACA’s first African-American supervisor, a mittee for Aeronautics (referred to in this actors. position that she held for 9 years; and section as ‘‘NACA’’) hired 5 women to serve Finally, H.R. 2613 would require that (C) became an expert programmer in as the first ‘‘computer pool’’ at the Langley the Director of the Financial Crimes FORTRAN as a member of NASA’s Analysis Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory where Enforcement Service Network report and Computation Division. those women took on work making calcula- (15) Dorothy Vaughan retired from NASA to the House Committee on Financial tions that male engineers had made pre- Services and the Senate Banking Com- in 1971 and died on November 10, 2008. viously. (16) Mary Jackson was born on April 9, mittee on policy recommendations. (2) During the 1940s, NACA began recruit- 1921, in Hampton, Virginia. The recommendations would allow the ing African-American women to work as (17) Mary Jackson started her career at private sector, FinCen, and other Fed- computers and initially separated those NACA in 1951, working as a computer as a eral agencies to improve coordination women from their White counterparts in a member of the West Area Computing unit. and communication through advance group known as the ‘‘West Area Computers’’ (18) After petitioning the City of Hampton where the women were restricted to seg- to allow her to take graduate-level courses technologies. This will help Congress regated dining and bathroom facilities. ensure that we are providing the nec- in math and physics at night at the all- (3) Katherine Johnson was born on August White Hampton High School, Mary Jackson essary support for our law enforcement 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Vir- was able to complete the required training to community to effectively fight illicit ginia. become an engineer, making her NASA’s activity based on these recommenda- (4) In 1953, Katherine Johnson began her first female African-American engineer. tions. career in aeronautics as a computer in the (19) Mary Jackson— Madam Speaker, I encourage my col- segregated West Area Computing unit de- (A) while at NACA and NASA— leagues to support this legislation, and scribed in paragraph (2). (i) worked in the Theoretical Aero- (5) As a member of the Flight Research Di- I thank those who have helped push it dynamics Branch of the Subsonic-Transonic vision, Katherine Johnson analyzed data Aerodynamics Division at Langley where she forward. from flight tests. After NACA was reformu- analyzed wind tunnel and aircraft flight Mr. MCHENRY. Madam Speaker, I lated into the National Aeronautics and data; and am prepared to close if the majority Space Administration (referred to in this (ii) published a dozen technical papers that has no more speakers, and I yield back section as ‘‘NASA’’), Katherine Johnson— focused on the boundary layer of air around the balance of my time. (A) calculated the trajectory for Alan airplanes; and Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, Shepard’s Freedom 7 mission in 1961, which (B) after 21 years working as an engineer we are prepared to close. I yield myself was the first human spaceflight by an indi- at NASA, transitioned to a new job as vidual from the United States; the balance of my time. Langley’s Federal Women’s Program Man- (B) coauthored a report that provided the ager where she worked to improve the pros- Madam Speaker, I once again thank equations for describing orbital spaceflight pects of NASA’s female mathematicians, en- the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. GON- with a specified landing point, which made gineers, and scientists. ZALEZ) for bringing this bill before the her the first woman to be recognized as an (20) Mary Jackson retired from NASA in House. author of a report from the Flight Research 1985 and died in 2005. Improving the use of technologies Division; (21) These 4 women, along with the other can only improve our response to the (C) was asked to verify the calculations African-American women in NASA’s West wide range of crimes that FinCen com- when electronic computers at NASA were Area Computing unit, were integral to the bats. I urge my colleagues to join me in used to calculate the orbit for John Glenn’s success of the early space program. The sto- Friendship 7 mission; and ries of these 4 women exemplify the experi- supporting this important piece of leg- (D) provided calculations for NASA ences of hundreds of women who worked as islation, and I yield back the balance of throughout her career, including for the computers, mathematicians, and engineers my time. Apollo missions. at NACA beginning in the 1930s and their The SPEAKER pro tempore. The (6) Katherine Johnson retired from NASA handmade calculations played an integral question is on the motion offered by in 1986. role in— the gentleman from Guam (Mr. SAN (7) Dr. Christine Darden was born on Sep- (A) aircraft testing during World War II; NICOLAS) that the House suspend the tember 10, 1942, in Monroe, North Carolina. (B) supersonic flight research; rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2613. (8) In 1962, Dr. Christine Darden graduated (C) sending the Voyager probes to explore from Hampton Institute with a B.S. in Math- The question was taken; and (two- the solar system; and ematics and a teaching credential. (D) the United States landing the first man thirds being in the affirmative) the (9) Dr. Christine Darden attended Virginia on the lunar surface. rules were suspended and the bill was State University where she studied aerosol SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS. passed. physics and earned an M.S. in Applied Math- (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The A motion to reconsider was laid on ematics. Speaker of the House of Representatives and the table. (10) Dr. Christine Darden began her career the President pro tempore of the Senate in aeronautics in 1967 as a data analyst at f shall make appropriate arrangements for the NASA’s Langley Research Center (referred presentation, on behalf of Congress, of 5 gold HIDDEN FIGURES CONGRESSIONAL to in this section as ‘‘Langley’’) before being medals of appropriate design as follows: GOLD MEDAL ACT promoted to aerospace engineer in 1973. Her (1) One gold medal to Katherine Johnson in work in this position resulted in the produc- recognition of her service to the United Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, tion of low-boom sonic effects, which revolu- States as a mathematician. I move to suspend the rules and pass tionized aerodynamics design. (2) One gold medal to Dr. Christine Darden the bill (H.R. 1396) to award Congres- (11) Dr. Christine Darden completed her for her service to the United States as an sional Gold Medals to Katherine John- education by earning a Ph.D. in Mechanical aeronautical engineer. VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Sep 20, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K19SE7.063 H19SEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE September 19, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H7813 (3) In recognition of their service to the such statement has been submitted prior to The Hidden Figures Congressional United States during the Space Race— the vote on passage. Gold Medal Act awards five Congres- (A) 1 gold medal commemorating the life The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- sional Gold Medals; one each to Kath- of Dorothy Vaughan; and ant to the rule, the gentleman from erine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, (B) 1 gold medal commemorating the life of Mary Jackson.