Community Programs

It is my privilege to offer my constituents a variety of informative programs throughout the 17th Congressional District. For further information regarding any of the following programs, please contact my Washington D.C. Office or any of my District Offices.

Surplus Books Program - The Library of Congress operates a Surplus Books Program. Under this program, books that are not needed for the Library’s own purposes are offered to educational institutions and nonprofit tax-exempt organizations free of charge. The subject areas of the books range from the humanities to history, social sciences, education, math and science. Most of the materials are suitable for readers at middle and high school levels, but materials for elementary-level students are often available as well. If you are interested in learning more about the Surplus Books Program or would like to participate in the program, please contact Rae-Lynn Raup in my office at Rae-Lynn.Raup@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-6105.

NASA Space Shuttle Tiles for Teachers - As the Space Shuttle Program nears retirement, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is looking for ways to preserve the program’s history and inspire the next generation of space explores, scientists and engineers.

The Space Shuttle thermal protection system (TPS) is the barrier that protects the Space Shuttle orbiter from the heat and cold of space while in orbit as well as from the extreme temperatures of atmospheric reentry. As part of the TPS, each shuttle has more than 21,000 lightweight, black-and-white silica tiles. NASA is currently offering these tiles to schools across the country on a first-come, first-served basis. This is the first time that NASA artifacts have been made this widely available to the public. Each tile was specifically designed to fit a particular part of each shuttle, so no two tiles are alike. Since NASA is only allowing one tile per school, each school would have in its possession a truly unique piece of history, representative of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.

These artifacts contributed immeasurably in making America a world leader in routine human spaceflight. Through this program NASA is offering the tiles for free, but because the tiles are government property, a transfer protocol is observed and recipients would be responsible for a shipping and handling fee.

If you are interested in requesting a tile, please visit the program’s official website at http://artifacts.nasa.gov/shuttle_tiles_teachers.htm or contact Rae-Lynn Raup in my office at Rae-Lynn.Raup@mail.house.gov or (202) 225-6105 for instructions on how to sign up and request a tile. I encourage you to sign up as soon as possible since NASA is offering the tiles for a limited time.