BILL NUMBER: ACR 124	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Wieckowski
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Garcia, Maienschein, and Nestande)
   (Coauthors: Senators Block, Huff, and Padilla)

                        MARCH 26, 2014

   Relative to Mathematics Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 124, as introduced, Wieckowski. Mathematics Awareness Month.
   This measure would proclaim April 2014 as Mathematics Awareness
Month and would, among other things, encourage colleges,
universities, and other organizations to hold events to celebrate
Mathematics Awareness Month.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, Engagement with and education in mathematics are key to
preparing students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics (STEM) fields; and
   WHEREAS, Mathematics Awareness Month began in 1986 when President
Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation for National Mathematics
Awareness Week; and
   WHEREAS, April 2014 is recognized as Mathematics Awareness Month;
and
   WHEREAS, The theme for Mathematics Awareness Month 2014,
"Mathematics, Magic, and Mystery," highlights how brain-teasing
challenges such as magic squares, Möbius bands, and card tricks
promote creative and rational thinking, attract a wide range of
people to mathematics, and often inspire serious mathematical
research; and
   WHEREAS, The theme of Mathematics Awareness Month 2014 honors the
centennial of the birth of renowned mathematics popularizer Martin
Gardner, whose extensive writings inspired enthusiasts of all ages to
engage deeply with or even pursue a career in mathematics; and
   WHEREAS, According to a 2011 study by the United States Department
of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, although women
fill close to half the jobs in the United States economy, they make
up only 24 percent of the STEM workforce; and
   WHEREAS, Encouraging women and members of other underrepresented
groups to join the STEM workforce in proportion to their
representation in the overall labor force will help ease the STEM
worker shortage;
   WHEREAS, Mathematics Awareness Month encourages colleges,
universities, and other organizations to hold events that pique and
engage students' interest in mathematics; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims April 2014 to be
Mathematics Awareness Month, and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature does all of the following:
   (a) Supports the goals and ideals of Mathematics Awareness Month.
   (b) Encourages colleges, universities, and other organizations to
hold events to celebrate Mathematics Awareness Month.
   (c) Urges the establishment of STEM outreach programs to encourage
the recruitment of girls and women to study and work in STEM fields.

   (d) Supports increased public awareness and appreciation for the
importance of mathematics at all levels of the educational system in
the United States; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.