Tech Talkin’ Govs: Part VI

The sixth installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in New Hampshire and Wyoming. Read part I, part II, part III, part IV and part V.   

New Hampshire

Gov. Maggie Hassan, State of the State Address, Feb. 6, 2014

“And to help young people fill the jobs that growing businesses are creating here in New Hampshire, we need to come together as a state to ask tough questions about how we can best educate our young people, especially in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. …

“… For New Hampshire to lead the way in building a workforce that is prepared for the high-tech jobs of today and tomorrow, our schools need to provide an even more rigorous STEM education that our businesses believe in, our educators believe in, and our students and families believe in.

“That is why I will be creating a STEM Education Task Force made up of diverse stakeholders who will make recommendations for modernizing STEM education in our schools.

“Strengthening education in the STEM fields is just one part of the equation. New Hampshire's high-tech and advanced manufacturing companies are struggling to fill job openings, even for jobs with wages over 25 percent higher than average. …

“… Building on the work being done by our Advanced Manufacturing Education Advisory Council and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, I have asked Commissioner Jeff Rose and the Department of Resources and Economic Development to lead a new effort this year to partner manufacturing companies directly with classes at local schools, building relationships that can lead to a stronger workforce pipeline.”

Wyoming

Gov. Matt Mead, State of the State Address, Feb. 10, 2013

"Energy, tourism and agriculture remain our top three economic anchors, and we continue to look for ways to promote these industries. In my budget ... I have also proposed $15 million for a test center for carbon capture and sequestration research, beyond enhanced oil recovery. We need to develop commercially viable uses for CO2. ...

"... This is the time to push ahead with advanced technologies. We are number one, the national leader in exporting BTUs - to maintain that title we must also be a leader in innovation.

"And UW, thanks to legislative support, is moving ahead with innovation. In a previous budget, I asked for $15 million of funds to be matched by the private sector for energy research at UW. Last month I travelled to Houston as I have in the past to secure matching funds. Today I can happily report that letters of commitment for all $15 million of matching funds have been received."