Justin Murphy

@citizenmurphy

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand visited a Rochester high school Monday to announce her push for more funding and opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields for students.

She was at Rochester STEM High School at the Edison campus, joined by Mayor Lovely Warren, Monroe Community College President Anne Kress and Rochester School District Superintendent Bolgen Vargas. All four leaders stressed the importance of STEM education as a pathway to good-paying jobs in related fields.

"If we're going to keep our competitiveness in the global economy and keep our skilled workforce in the region, we must prepare our students with the education they need for jobs in the future," Gillibrand said.

She described three related bills she's introduced in the U.S. Senate. The first, the STEM Gateways Act, would provide schools money for better STEM programs, with an emphasis on reaching minorities and women, both underrepresented in the field.

The second, the Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Act, would require that engineering be incorporated into states' science standards and would increase some funding streams, including more money for rural and low-income schools.

The third, the Computer Science Career Education Act, would establish a grant program for districts, universities, non-profits or other groups to offer more computer science courses that align better with needs in the workforce.

Gillibrand made her remarks to science students who, until her arrival, were playing around with polymerization under the supervision of teacher Joel Monaco. They concocted plastics of varying consistencies and speculated on possible practical uses — for instance, using a liquid to re-bond cracked windows, or using a gloppier mixture as an adhesive.

Karanda Bradley, a 12th grader at STEM High School who will attend MCC next year, said the practical knowledge she picked up at STEM was more beneficial than what is taught at more traditional schools.

"It's not like bookwork — we're actually doing it," she said. "We have internships; we have people come in and tell us exactly what's going to happen in the world. ... I feel if we have (more opportunities) here, it will make us do better in life."

JMURPHY7@DemocratandChronicle

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