A President's Day Celebration of Our STEM Leaders

It’s President’s Day here in the United States, a time to celebrate the past leaders of this country and all they have done to further develop it. This year, the Capitol Technology blog would like to celebrate by highlighting a few Presidents’ contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

According to reporter Christina P. Hooton of Fisher Scientific, there are plenty of presidents who contributed to what is commonly known today as STEM. John Adams, for example, made great medical strides during his presidency. “Perhaps one of his most lasting contributions is signing into law the Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen. This… led the way for the present-day Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal health programs.” Franklin Roosevelt spearheaded government-funded research for cancer treatment. “The National Cancer Act of 1937, signed into law by President Roosevelt, led to the creation of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and was the first time Congress provided funding for a non-communicable disease.” It is because of this act that chemotherapy exists, and that thousands of cancer treatment facilities across America get their funding.

One of the biggest leaps in the aerospace and astronomical fields is the moon landing of 1969, made possible by John F. Kennedy. He “set the goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth by the end of the 1960s. Although his dream wasn’t realized until after his death, President Kennedy’s leadership inspired an array of people — from aerospace engineers to production workers — and set the stage for a number of successful space expeditions.” Just after Kennedy’s time, the push for environmentalism grew, and Richard Nixon signed several laws into place to help with this movement. These laws “include[d] the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He also proposed the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.” The various Acts and the EPA helped to curb the drastic pollution encroaching the nation, and continue to serve as regulators today.

The pursuit for a better environment and the development of medical technology was further expanded by Barack Obama, who created the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN). “The Precision Medicine Initiative aims to improve disease treatments by tailoring them to the unique characteristics of each individual’s genes, environment, and lifestyle. To further this work, the All of Us research program seeks to build a diverse health database with the help of one million U.S. citizens.”

The modern age of STEM would not be what it is without the effort of past American presidents. This President’s Day, take some time to learn about the countless other contributions our leaders have made, and reflect on what can be done to improve upon their actions.

Capitol Tech offers many opportunities in all STEM fields, where you can pursue careers to help pave the way to further science and technological development. To learn more about these programs, visit our website and peruse the various courses and degrees offered. Many courses are available both on campus and online. For more information, contact the Capitol Tech Admissions team.