Fort Report: Washington Update and Opportunities for High School Students
This week, concern has intensified about the ongoing developments in Ukraine and Russia. In yet another act of aggression, Russia put troops along the border with Ukraine. The Europeans, particularly the Germans, seem to be coalescing around more aggressive use of economic and political leverage to help counter the Russians’ aggression. This situation between Russia and Ukraine continues to be one of the most serious problems challenging geopolitical stability.
Next week there is an international summit in The Hague to discuss securing loose nuclear materials and multilateral efforts to further nonproliferation goals. I participated in two important panels this week to discuss these issues, one with National Journal and another with the Congressional Nuclear Security Working Group, which I co-chair. You can view a video from the National Journal panel here. If you’re interested, these issues will be unpacked in a future Fort Report.
On a lighter note, I wanted to let you know about two exciting opportunities for high school students. As my office has done in past years, we are again hosting Nebraska’s First Congressional District Art Competition. Each year, we receive extraordinary pieces of artwork from young Nebraskans across the First District. The nationwide Congressional Art Competition began in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 and serves as an opportunity for Members of Congress to showcase the artistic talents of high school students from their districts. The winning entries from across the country are displayed in the Capitol complex for one year, allowing visitors to see the work of many talented young persons.
This year for the first time, my office is also sponsoring the First Congressional District Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academic Competition. Similar to the Art Competition, the “App Competition” challenges high school students to use their knowledge in STEM education fields and inspire creative thinking. Individuals or groups of students are encouraged to create original applications for computers, tablets, and mobile devices. The winning “app” developers will be honored by my office.
I encourage interested high school students to participate in one or both of these competitions. More information can be found below.
Art Competition:
Art Competition entries can be submitted to any of my offices in Nebraska, and are due by April 18, 2014. I encourage you to contact the office prior to bringing the artwork to assure that staff is available to take your submission. If you wish to mail your submission, please send your artwork to my office in Lincoln. More information on the competition can be found at http://house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/. If you have additional questions, please contact Marie Woodhead on my staff at (402) 438-1598.
App Competition:
App Competition entries can be submitted to my office online at http://fortenberry.house.gov/stem. Entries are due by April 30, 2014. Students may work individually on these applications or work in groups of up to four students. More information on the competition can be found at http://studentappchallenge.house.gov/. If you have additional questions, please contact Katie Voorman on my staff at (202) 225-4806.
