WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) kicked off her innovation tour of Prince George’s County this month, with stops including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel. Senator Mikulski will visit a number of facilities on her tour, where she will address innovative technology and programs that will provide new jobs and opportunities for Maryland and the county.

“Prince George’s County is home to facilities that are critical to economic development for not only the county, but also Maryland as a whole. They continue to attract the best and brightest from science and industry, while solidifying Maryland’s leadership in research and technology,” said Senator Mikulski. “These institutions represent excellence in Prince George’s County. Science and new technologies are quickly and efficiently put into operation and students in the community are actively engaged.”

On Senator Mikulski’s stop at Goddard, she viewed cutting edge technology that is being developed for the James Webb Space Telescope, which will follow the Hubble Space Telescope, and other innovative space science programs. During her tour of APL, the Senator was briefed on new innovative technologies used for America’s space and defense programs, including the first phase of Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009. This four-year program aims to develop a next-generation prosthetic arm that will mimic the properties and sensory perception of a real arm to help disabled veterans and returning troops from Iraq.

“The opportunities at these facilities are needed now more than ever. America is a nation of pioneers, innovators and discoverers. Investing in these facilities is an investment in our human capital,” continued Senator Mikulski. “I am going to continue to do all I can to make sure there is money in the federal checkbook for the innovative programs in Prince George’s County that provide the opportunities for tomorrow.”

The Senator’s tour will also look at joint projects and growing collaborations between facilities in the state. This includes a new collaborative relationship between NOAA and Goddard in which employees are working together on weather and earth science programs, including NOAA’s weather satellites.

Senator Mikulski is the senior Democrat on the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee, which funds NOAA and NASA.

253300