By Matt Tuohy
Ka Leo
August 21, 2006

The chance to get federal scholarships to learn a new language or specialize in a scientific field intrigued Rebecca Ramos, a music education major at the University of Hawai??€˜i at M?? ?noa. ??€œFree money just to learn a language? Sounds good to me,??€ ? she said.

If the same holds true for most UH students, then a bill currently in committee in the U.S. Senate might help the nation gain more scientists, foreign language experts, engineers and mathematicians.

The Homeland Security Education Act, Bill S. 2450, outlines a series of scholarships and grants for many different schools around the country. These funds would go to students who want to or already excel in certain fields in which the United States lags behind other countries in terms of general education and expertise.

According to a testimony given by the House Science Committee last year, ??€œIn Germany, 36% of undergraduates received their degrees in science and engineering. In China, the corresponding figure is 59%, and in Japan it is 66%. In the U.S., the share is 32%. In the case of engineering, the U.S. share is 5%, as compared with 50% in China.??€ ?

The bill also aims at enticing more students from elementary schools and beyond to study in the fields of science, foreign language, engineering and mathematics to strengthen the U.S. for the future in global economics and national security, said Sen. Daniel Akaka in an interview. Akaka, along with Sen. Dick Durbin of Ill., wrote and introduced the bill to the Senate in 2001.

??€œWe don??€™t have enough people fluent in languages to deal with material of other countries,??€ ? Akaka said. ??€œPrior to 9/11, the information that the intelligence had could not be translated fast enough because there was not enough personnel.??€ ?

The bill calls for hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent over a five-year period. The money will go to elementary schools, secondary schools, high schools and colleges all over the U.S.

??€œI support the bill introduced by Sen. Akaka and his colleagues,??€ ? said Rep. Ed Case, Akaka??€™s top opponent for senate elections. ??€œThere??€™s no question that our intelligence and homeland security requirements of the next generation will require a much broader and deeper pool of expertise in math, science and foreign language skills, especially with respect to the countries of Asia and the Pacific.??€ ?

Akaka assessed the need for domestic skills as opposed to bringing in foreign expertise. He believed in immigrants and thought they were very essential to the growth of the U.S., ??€œbut it is important to have our own people doing this.??€ ?

Should the bill be signed into law, ??€œUH will receive the designated funds that was passed in appropriations,??€ ? said Akaka??€™s press secretary, Donalyn Dela Cruz.

The bill was initially dropped and is currently in committee undergoing revision. If the bill does not get passed, Akaka hopes to attach it to another bill for reevaluation or wait until the next Senate session. He thought the bill did not initially pass because of the lack of federal money stemming from national debt acquired in Iraq.