Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, chair of the House Science Committee, said a scientifically literate citizenry needs a firm grounding in the social sciences, humanities and arts.
Boehlert delivered the annual Hansmann Lecture at Hamilton on Tuesday, Sept. 4.
A Republican who represents New York's 23rd Congressional District, which includes Oneida County, Boehlert said the federal government needs to focus more attention and more resources on science education. In particular, he stressed the importance of government action to support K-12 education, noting that the U.S. has a critical shortage of adequately trained science and math teachers. He said he has proposed legislation that will encourage colleges, universities and businesses to work together to train teachers and develop science and math curricula for K-12 education.