A Whiting-Turner Lecture — November 11, 2010

Biography

Sen. Ted Kaufman was sworn into office on Jan. 16, 2009, taking the seat of Sen. Joe Biden, who was elected vice president of the United States. He will serve until November 2010.

As the Senate's only member to have worked as an engineer, Sen. Kaufman has been especially active in promoting the expansion of "STEM"—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—education. He was able to secure $400,000 to fund research and extension grants for women and minorities in STEM fields in a spending bill signed into law on October 16, 2009. In April 2010, Ted received the American Society of Mechanical Engineering's prestigious President's Award, presented to companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to the engineering profession.

Sen. Kaufman arrived to the U.S. Senate with significant experience, having served as chief of staff to Sen. Biden from 1976 to 1995. Initially appointed to two committees - the Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee - he received two more assignments earlier this year: the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Kaufman graduated from Duke University with a BS in mechanical engineering. He later earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught at the Duke University's School of Law, Sanford School of Public Policy and Fuqua Graduate School of Business.

He has served as a board member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the independent, autonomous, federal entity responsible for all U.S. government and government-sponsored non-military international broadcasting. He was appointed to the BBG by the Presidents Clinton and Bush and was confirmed by the Senate for four terms.

Sen. Kaufman and his wife, Lynne, reside in Wilmington. They have three daughters and seven grandchildren.

Abstract

Today, the most pressing issue we face is economic recovery, chiefly job creation. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—or STEM—fields will be essential to long-term job growth. As the only sitting senator in the 111th Congress who worked as an engineer, I felt it was my duty to encourage federal investment in STEM education. My background both provided me with a unique perspective on how to address our nation’s challenges and also gave me a sense of responsibility to speak out about the importance of recruiting a new generation of engineers. While surveys continue to show that young people today want to "make a difference" with their lives, often they do not see engineering as a way to do that. During my term in office, I have stressed the need to make students and policymakers more aware that engineers have always been the world's problem solvers. To achieve this, students need better preparation in STEM subjects at the K-12 level. If we can attract more students into engineering fields, we can increase our capacity for high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship, which will lead to the kind of job creation that can fuel our economy for a generation.