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Dear ,
I hope you and your family are doing well! Below, please find a few updates on my work last week for the residents of Arizona’s First Congressional District.
Last Chance to Reserve Your Spot for the Service Academies Conference THIS Saturday, May 4
As your Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives for Arizona’s First Congressional District, I have the privilege of nominating a limited number of students each year for scholarships to attend our U.S. military service academies. The U.S. service academies are among the most highly respected educational programs in the nation, and to be admitted to an academy applicants must not only meet stringent academic, physical and medical requirements specified by public law but must also receive a nomination. As a cadet or midshipman at an academy, students will be provided a fully funded four-year college education. The honor of attending an academy comes with an obligation and commitment to serve for a minimum of five years upon graduation.
To learn more about the congressional nomination process, students and parents are invited to attend this years' Service Academies Conference, which will be held on Saturday, May 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the library at Veritas Preparatory Academy.
Representatives of the Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Military, and Naval academies will explain the unique academic, career, and military opportunities each school offers. Congressional staff will be present to explain the required congressional application and nomination process. High school students are encouraged to RSVP here.
2024 Service Academy Fair
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Veritas Preparatory Academy
3102 N. 56th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85018
10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
RSVP HERE
Congratulations to the Winners of This Year's Congressional Art Competition!
After a weekend admiring all the artistic talent Arizona's First Congressional District has to offer, I am excited to announce the winners of this year's Congressional Art Competition!
First Place: Sophia Lin - "Blossom of Becoming" - BASIS Scottsdale
Second Place: Aiden Kai - "Dark Horse" - Chaparral High School
Third Place: Margaret Powell - "Self Portrait" - Veritas Preparatory Academy
Each year, I am absolutely blown away by the amount of talent displayed in our AZ-01 community. Thank you to all the students who worked incredibly hard to create their works of art. I enjoyed the opportunity to speak with them and hear the inspiration behind their masterpiece. Please refer to the following slideshow to review all of this year's submissions.
Serious Schweikert Solutions: The Paws Off Act of 2023
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| Click on the image above to hear more. |
This week's segment of Serious Schweikert Solutions highlights something that has remained near and dear to my heart for years. The Paws Off Act of 2023 was created to bring awareness to an ingredient called xylitol which is toxic to our pets, and how the safe labeling of products containing xylitol is the least we can do to keep our companions safe.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have championed positive animal welfare legislation like the Paws Off Act of 2023 to further protect our four-legged friends. I am pleased to announce my acceptance of the Humane Society Legislative Fund's (HSLF) 'Legislative Leader' award, which is awarded to Members of Congress who demonstrated leadership on animal protection legislation in 2023. It is because of my continued support for animal welfare that I have introduced and will continue to advocate for legislation on behalf on behalf of our furry companions.
An Inside Look at This Year's Energy Workforce and Technology Council Annual Meeting
Last week, I had the honor of being selected as a featured speaker at the 2024 Energy and Technology Council’s (EWTC) annual meeting in Scottsdale. Energy Workforce is the national trade association for energy services and equipment companies. The association's companies provide the world with oil and gas in the most environmentally safe, efficient, and responsible way possible and demonstrate how this sector is leading the development of technology that will drive energy expansion.
The theme of this year's annual meeting was “Capturing the Future: Utilizing Our Talent & Technology to Support the Evolving Energy Landscape." I learned an expansive amount of research from various panels discussing the realities of the changing environment within the energy industry, with a specific focus on economic, political, onshore, offshore and other timely issues. Thank you to the team at Energy Workforce for allowing me to be a part of this important conversation.
My Conversation With the Regulating AI Podcast
Last week, I had an incredible conversation with Sanjay Puri on his podcast, Regulating AI: Innovate Responsibly. If you've followed any of my work or interests from my time in Congress, you might recognize that I have a particular fascination of how artificial intelligence can actually work to make life faster, better, and cheaper.
Sanjay Puri is a leading advocate guiding the conversation on how to regulate artificial intelligence. After years of guiding the relationship between US and Indian businesses, Sanjay has turned his focus toward the ever-growing conversation of AI regulations. The Regulating AI Podcast is a platform dedicated to fostering insightful discussions among policymakers, industry leaders, and civic society representatives on the critical topic of AI regulation. Thank you, Sanjay, for reaching out and asking the questions about AI that people commonly tend to disregard. I look forward to sharing our conversation with our AZ-01 community!
Recognizing Some Amazing Citizens in AZ-01
I wanted to highlight some meetings I had the pleasure of taking last week with extraordinary citizens who are making incredible strides towards developing innovation that's helping Arizonans live happier and healthier lives.
I sat down with Dr. Todd Levine, Chief Medical Officer of CND Life Sciences, where we discussed detecting pathological markers in the peripheral nervous system. I was fascinated by our conversation of CND’s continuing efforts in developing promising drug therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. I also had the privilege of meeting with Hilary Moffett, the Vice President of Government Relations at Fortescue Future Industries, and Alana Langdon, the Director of Government Relations for the Southwest & Texas Regions at Fortescue. Our discussion consisted of Fortescue’s green hydrogen production facility in Buckeye and the company’s positions on the federal 45V clean hydrogen production tax credit.
Every time I have the opportunity to sit down with change makers in the #AZ01 community, I’m constantly inspired and reminded why I do the job I do- to help promote the brilliant innovative solutions of the people who are working to make life on Earth more livable. Well done to the teams at CND Life Sciences and Fortescue Future Industries, and I encourage you to never stop working to increase the livability of not only the folks in our district, but America as a whole.
What I’m Reading & Why It Matters
This week, I'm reading a plethora of positive articles in health innovation that could be changing the way we approach health care in the future.
This first article discusses a study where researchers used machine learning models to better understand and classify the immune environment of lung cancer cells, focusing on CD8+ cells which fight cancer. In some cancers, these immune cells are not able to penetrate the tumor effectively. The two machine models used were trained to detect and count the CD8+ cells and analyze their arrangement relative to the tumor. By having a better understanding of the distribution of the CD8+ immune cells, the models can help predict which patients might respond better to certain therapies.
This next article discusses a study about the effects of melatonin on rats. Rats have issues with the mitochondria, which leads to increased fat storage and diabetes. The study focused on how melatonin effects the mitochondria and if it leads to health benefits. The study showed that melatonin improved the function of the mitochondria, making it more effective. The melatonin also changed muscle fibers into a specific type that burns oxygen more efficiently, which is healthier and less likely to store fat. Overall, the melatonin reduced the amount of fat stored. This also increased a process called, autophagy, which is when cells clean out the damaged parts, leading to the removal of unhealthy cells.
Finally, the last piece I read discusses the challenges and proposals for the regulation of using AI models in cancer treatment. Newer Generalist Medical Artificial Intelligence (GMAI) models can handle a wide range of medical data including different types of images and text. Since current regulations only allow for AI to be used for specific intended use, the GMAI does not fit into these regulations as it has multiple purposes. It is emphasized that doctors should still make the final treatment decisions. Advocates want a balance approach that allows for innovation but still protects patients. |