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2021 SPECIAL SESSION I


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 675
Commending the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 4, 2021
Agreed to by the Senate, February 11, 2021

 

WHEREAS, the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine has served agencies throughout the Commonwealth for more than five years as an independent resource for expertise in science, engineering, and medicine; through annual meetings and studies on scientific topics; and in an advisory role to policymakers with state and local government; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (the Virginia Academy) was formed in 2013 by members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and other key individuals in the Commonwealth, including United States Senator Mark R. Warner, to serve as an independent resource of scientific expertise and a model for new state academies across the nation; and

WHEREAS, the membership of the Virginia Academy is composed of some of the nation’s most accomplished and innovative leaders in the fields of science, engineering, and medicine who either live or work in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the members of the Virginia Academy provide nonpartisan guidance to decision-makers on the most difficult, challenging issues of the day; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Academy offers a collective rigor and objectivity that no single institution can achieve on its own and fosters new collaborations between businesses and institutions of higher education with the primary goal to grow the Commonwealth’s competitiveness for new business investments and federal funding; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Academy provides analytical, technical, and scientific support to inform policy decisions critical to the future of the Commonwealth and is a source of independent, impartial expertise on scientific and technological policy challenges facing Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Academy works in conjunction with other state agencies and commissions, including the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, and the Center for Innovative Technology to develop policy decisions that are based on scientific principles; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Academy has advocated for investments by the Commonwealth in job growth, research, and solutions to challenges in science, engineering, medicine, and technology and has continued to support emerging leaders in science, engineering, and medicine in their election to corresponding national academies; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Academy holds well-attended annual summits on issues of concern to every Virginian, including the future of transportation, preparedness for emerging diseases, and coastal resilience, and has produced a highly regarded report for the General Assembly with a roadmap for expanding the Commonwealth’s aerospace industry; and

WHEREAS, on December 10, 2020, the Virginia Academy announced the induction of 10 new members, representing additional key leaders in the scientific, engineering, and medical communities across the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine for its efforts to engage more of the key members of the scientific, engineering, and medical communities in the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the organization’s work to support the economic future of the Commonwealth through greater understanding of science and technology.