Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), chairman of the space subcommittee of the House Science Committee, will receive a “National Champion of Science Award” (yes, that’s the name) this morning in Riverside, California, according to a UC Riverside press release. The award is from The Science Coalition, an organization of “more than 400 member organizations”, primarily universities and companies. It turns out there are a lot of Champions of Science in Congress, who get as part of their award a personalized box of Wheaties (!) and recognition at a “Breakfast of Champions”. (Tip to the coalition: you may not want to so prominently feature Randy “Duke” Cunningham any more.) Calvert will receive the award—no word on the personalized box of Wheaties—from UCR chancellor France Córdova, who served as chief scientist at NASA for a few years in the 1990s. “Ken Calvert works tirelessly to improve public education, the environment and the advancement of NASA – all issues particularly near and dear to my heart,” she said in the press release.
