http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/kilmer-to-hold-telephone-town-hall-thursday
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In order to hear from constituents about the issues that matter to them, Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) will hold a telephone town hall on Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 6:15 p.m. PT. Participants will have the opportunity to ask Representative Kilmer a question or leave a message with their comments.
“Congress is heading into a crucial series of votes in December, and it always helps me to hear from folks back home as I form my decisions on how to vote,” Kilmer said. “I hold a series of town halls in person and over the phone each year so I can stay accountable and accessible to you. I hope you’re able to participate in this upcoming call to share your ideas and concerns.”
Residents of the 6th District who would like to join the call can send an email to kilmer.teletownhall@mail.house.gov with their name and phone number by noon PT on Thursday, November 30.
Residents who sign up before the deadline will receive a phone call a few minutes before 6:15 pm on Thursday, November 30 inviting them to the town hall.
WHO:Representative Derek Kilmer, Residents of the 6th District
WHAT: Telephone Town Hall
WHEN: Thursday, November 30 at 6:15 p.m. PT
WHERE: Residents of the 6th District who would like to join can send an email to kilmer.teletownhall@mail.house.gov. The deadline to sign up is noon PT on Thursday, November 30.
Residents who sign up before the deadline will receive a phone call on Thursday, November 30 inviting them to the town hall.
In 2017, Kilmer has already held 13 town halls, including in Tacoma, Bremerton, Aberdeen, and on a ferry route from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. He also hosted four town halls this year at local colleges and universities in the region and a number of employee town halls at local businesses. In 2016, Kilmer held seven town hall meetings across the district. In addition, Kilmer consistently holds telephone town halls, open office hours, and meets with constituents on ferries, public buses, and at their places of employment.
(PAGE 2) OUR SCHOOL'S REPORT CARD
US DEPT. OF EDUCATION BLOG: Proud to Serve AgainBy, Elmer Harris
Post date 11/ 21/ 17
https://blog.ed.gov/2017/11/proud-serve-again/
Each year our school hosts a Veterans Day assembly and breakfast. After this year’s assembly, a number of students shared how they were surprised and excited to see my military photo during the slideshow tribute. Some were shocked and amused to see a serious looking and clean shaven Master Sergeant Harris instead of their bearded and smiling classroom teacher, Mr. Harris. I suppose the topic of my 22 years of military service and transition to teaching isn’t something I routinely discuss with students.
Teaching is a family tradition for many educators. That’s not my story.
Teaching was never on my radar while growing up. The idea to teach was planted many
years ago while working within a school but in a different capacity. I was a military recruiter in my early 20s and regularly visited local high schools in an effort to enlist young men and women into the Air Force. During visits to one school, one of the guidance counselors would always walk past my table and casually say, without stopping, “You should consider teaching.” I’d always laugh and reply, “No thanks” to his back as he waved and kept moving to another task in his building.
Fast forward several years and it seems that guidance counselor’s not-so-subliminal messages worked. After retiring from the Air Force I eventually began the process to become a teacher through the Troops to Teachers program.
The Joys And Challenges
While many assume that structure and discipline are key traits that make teaching a good fit for veterans, the ability to be compassionate and relatable have been vital to my success with military students and families. I’m able to engage military parents in the education process because I’ve been in their position of feeling slightly lost while continually navigating new homes, jobs and school environments. I also understand and adjust when children occasionally act out of character when their mothers and fathers deploy or return from war zones.
I’ve never had a student who lost a parent, but I’ve met many on their first day of school accompanied by a parent with a prosthetic limb or cane due to war-related injuries. While some may stare and silently wonder what happened, I’m eager to engage and have them share about their time in service. It’s a simple way to quickly establish relationships with military parents.
The Veterans Day assembly was a success. Parents enjoyed breakfast, and my students walked around with their heads high and chests out after their presentations. I was proud as well.
Despite the upheavals and occasional uncertainty faced by my military students and their families, they continue to show amazing resilience. I’m proud that I get the opportunity to support those who continue to serve, and I’m extremely proud and honored to play a role in shaping the lives of their most precious treasure. While it would feel odd to thank another vet or active duty person for their service, I never have a problem routinely asking a very simple question….Have you ever considered teaching?----Elmer Harris is a 2017-18 School Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education
US DEPT. OF LABOR BLOG POST: Apprenticeship Helps Montana Woman Keep the Lights On---dated 11/ 21/ 17
https://blog.dol.gov/2017/11/21/apprenticeship-helps-montana-woman-keep-lights-on
Only 3 percent – or 23,000 – of the estimated 774,000 electricians working in the country are women. Sierra Smith is one of them, thanks to hard work, determination, and an assist from Montana’s apprenticeship program.
After a few years in college, Sierra ultimately decided that the classroom wasn’t the place for her. She wanted to work keeping the lights on.
“I’m fascinated by electricity, it makes everything go,” she said.
She entered a five-year apprenticeship program in 2016 after going to work as a parts runner, earning $12.84 an hour for the electrical company where her fiancé’s father works. Five times a year, she travels to Helena to go through an intense one-week training where instructors teach everything from motors to theory to OSHA safety guidelines.
“I learned that you do it the safe way first so you don’t get yourself or anyone else on the job site hurt,” Sierra said.
Now earning $19.52 an hour, Sierra hopes to enjoy a long career as an electrician, eventually running big jobs with a crew. She is always supportive when she sees other women working in trades at job sites, often going out of her way to approach and encourage them.
“If I can encourage one woman to get out of her bubble and get into a trade, I’m happy,” she said.
There are more than 540,000 apprenticeships across the country, with more opportunities added every day. Find a program or learn how to sponsor one at www.dol.gov/apprenticeship.
USDA: USDA Scientists Honored as AAAS Fellows
Press release issued 11/ 21/ 17
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2017/11/21/usda-scientists-honored-aaas-fellows
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2017 – Two USDA scientists have been honored as 2017 Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, who serves as Administrator for USDA’s Agriculture Research Service as well as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, and Dr. Autar K. Mattoo, an ARS plant physiologist, were named Fellows in a vote by the AAS Council in recognition of their contributions to science and technology, scientific leadership, and extraordinary achievements across disciplines.
AAAS has been awarding the Fellows distinction since 1874. Past honorees include inventor Thomas Edison, anthropologist Margaret Meade, and five of the 2017 Nobel Laureates. Along with other new AAAS Fellows, Dr. Jacobs-Young and Dr. Mattoo will be recognized at a Feb. 18 Fellows forum at the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.
Dr. Jacobs-Young has headed ARS, the USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency, since February 2014 and previously served as ARS’ Associate Administrator for National Programs. Prior to her tenure at ARS, she served as the Director of the USDA Office of the Chief Scientist, as Acting Director for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and as a senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. A native of Georgia, she holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Mattoo is an ST Level senior scientist at the ARS’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. Prior to returning to bench research in 2004, he served as a Research Leader for 16 years - nine years heading the Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory and seven years heading the Vegetable Laboratory at USDA-ARS. He specializes in Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and his findings include the targeting of key genes in the fruit ripening process, and those in the polyamine biosynthetic pathway, to prolong the shelf life and increase the nutritive value of tomatoes. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India.
(Page 3) NEWS FROM NASA
NASA to Highlight Science on Next Resupply Mission to Space StationPress release issued 11/ 21/ 17
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-highlight-science-on-next-resupply-mission-to-space-station
NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 29, to discuss a number of science investigations and instruments launching to the International Space Station on the next SpaceX commercial resupply mission.
SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Dec. 4 for the launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Kirt Costello, deputy chief scientist for the International Space Station Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Mike Roberts, deputy chief scientist at the Center of Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), will kick off the call with an overview of the research and technology aboard Dragon. Also participating in the briefing will be:
Andrew Rush, president and chief executive officer, Made in Space, will discuss its Fiber Optics payload, which will test manufacturing fiber optic filaments in a microgravity environment. This could lead to production of higher-quality fiber optic products both in space and on Earth.
Brian Hess, chief executive officer, and Grayson Allen, chief financial officer, both of LaunchPad Medical, will discuss an investigation using synthetic bone material to accelerate bone repair.
Dong Wu, project scientist at the NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Peter Pilewskie, lead scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will discuss NASA’s Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS), a new instrument launching to station that will measure the Sun’s energy input to Earth.
Joseph Hamilton, principal investigator, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will discuss the Space Debris Sensor, an external tool which will measure the orbital debris environment around the space station.
Yasaman Shirazi, mission scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, will discuss an investigation testing drug delivery systems for combating muscle breakdown in microgravity.
To participate in the teleconference, media must contract Cheryl Warner at 202-358-1100 or cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, for dial-in information.
Daily Bible Verse: Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:8 NKJV
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