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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E709-E710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GIRLS OF STEEL
_____
HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE
of pennsylvania
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to
commend the Girls of Steel Robotics team for qualifying for the FIRST
World Championship for the 9th year in a row. They received a Wildcard
slot as a Regional Finalist, and they also won the Gracious
Professionalism award at the 2019 Greater Pittsburgh Regional
FIRST Robotics Competition in California, PA. Gracious
Professionalism celebrates outstanding demonstration of FIRST
Core Values by working together both on and off the playing field.
The students are proud that their robot qualified them to attend the
FIRST World Championship, which has been held in Detroit since 2018. I
think that the remarkable accomplishment of continuously making it to
the Championship speaks volumes about the dedication these young women
have in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
careers, sustaining their team, and spending thousands of hours
collectively doing outreach in the community. Girls of Steel are often
referred to as the home-town favorite robotics group and continue to be
featured in videos, print media, and blog posts.
The Girls of Steel attended the FIRST World Championship in Detroit,
Michigan at the end of April--one of the largest competitions of its
kind, sometimes referred to as the Super Bowl of Smarts--where they
competed against top teams from all over the world.
FIRST, which stands for ``For Inspiration and Recognition of Science
and Technology,'' is an organization dedicated to engaging our students
in STEM fields. Hundreds of thousands of students gain practical, team-
based engineering experiences through FIRST every year.
As a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Robotics Caucus, I
believe competitions like these are important opportunities for our
young people to explore potential careers in STEM. I've witnessed
firsthand the incredible economic growth and development that these
fields have brought to my home district, and I strongly believe that
these fields are crucial to our nation's future prosperity.
The FIRST Robotics Competition allows students to apply creativity
and critical thinking in the demanding and competitive field of
robotics, all while instilling a strong sense of pride
[[Page E710]]
in participants. I want to commend organizations like FIRST for their
important work encouraging young people in these pursuits.
Sixty-seven young women from 8th through 12th grades associated with
more than 20 schools located in and around the City of Pittsburgh
represent this year's Girls of Steel team, and in recognition of their
hard work, intelligence, and teamwork, I would like to mention each of
these inspiring young ladies by name. They are: Alexandria Adams, Aeryn
Anderson, Ciara Anderson, Anjali Angal, Ariella Avigad, Somdatta Basu,
Meghna Behari, Justine Bennett, Ashnaa Bhide, Gracie Cain, Rosy Chen,
Maya Cranor, Elizabeth Crookston, Claire Cummings, Isha Das, Maggie
Davis, Haruka Doi, Riley Doyle, Anna Fedele, Alexandra George, Susanna
Getty, Teadora Gildengers, Samhita Gudapati, Sofia Heller, Kristina
Hilko, Amanda Hulver, Anna Jablonowski, Caroline Kenney, Janise Kim,
Isabelle Kowenhoven, Mary Laird, Alice Liu, Sally Liu, Eve Mango,
Alisha Mattson, Lauren Michaels, Abigail Miller-Peterson, Sreyashi
Mandal, Lakshmi Mulgund, Abbey Murcek, Anna Nesbitt, Jimin Oh, Norah
Ostin, Ariana Pasquella, Lehka Pendyala, Emma Prokop, Grace Raida,
Lauren Raida, Ananya Rao, Sedona Rocher, Rachel Sadeh, Brittany Sadej,
Swathi Senthil, Vivian Shao, Lauren Shovlin, Kavya Soman, Aditi
Srivastava, Anna Staresinic, Tara Staresinic, Aditri Thakur, Langley
Turcsanyi, Prishti Tyagi, Anja Vogt, Zoe Woon, Ziya Xu, Julia Young,
and Qingqing Zhao.
Additionally, I want to convey my deep appreciation to the faculty
and staff of Carnegie Mellon University's Field Robotics Center, who
have mentored the Girls of Steel since 2010. Because of their efforts,
more young women have experienced real-world technological challenges
and learned from some of the nation's best at solving these problems.
These experiences will certainly benefit these young women in the
future.
I congratulate the Girls of Steel and wish them all continued success
in their academic and professional endeavors.
____________________