|   | 
      
      
        |   | 
      
      
        | 
           		
			 | 
        
          R E S O L U T I O N
         | 
      
      
        | 
           		
			 | 
               WHEREAS, Students and aviation and aerospace professionals  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        are gathering in Austin on April 11, 2017, for Texas STEM Powered by  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Aviation and Aerospace Day at the State Capitol; and | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is a world leader in the aviation  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        and aerospace industries, and accordingly, it places a strong  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        (STEM) education; students can prepare for careers in these fields  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        in 23 college and university-level aeronautical programs, 36 public  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        high schools offering aeronautical courses, and 13 Federal Aviation  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Administration-approved aviation maintenance technology schools;  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        and | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               WHEREAS, To introduce students to aerospace fields, Karnes  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        City Independent School District, McKinney ISD, Irving ISD, Grand  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Prairie ISD, and Sterling Aviation High School in Houston have all  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        created aviation-centric STEM courses, while Texas State Technical  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        College, Tarrant County College, Texas Southern University, and San  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Jacinto College are producing pilots and aviation engineers,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        mechanics, and technicians; and | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               WHEREAS, Companies such as Lockheed Martin, Gulfstream  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Aerospace, Southwest Airlines, and Garver are establishing  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        partnerships with secondary and postsecondary schools to ensure  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        that students are ready for rewarding careers in aviation; in  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        addition, many firms promote the acquisition of skills required in  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        these key industries, among them Redbird Flight Simulations, which  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        manufactures innovative training devices for classroom use;  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        organizations such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Experimental  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Aircraft Association, and Texans for General Aviation are also  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        committed to cultivating aviation-centric STEM curricula; and | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               WHEREAS, The aviation and aerospace industries contribute  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        significantly to the prosperity of Texas, and the development of a  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        highly skilled workforce with a strong STEM foundation is essential  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        to the continued vitality of this sector of the economy; now,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        therefore, be it | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Legislature hereby recognize April 11, 2017, as Texas STEM Powered  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        by Aviation and Aerospace Day at the State Capitol. |