{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://yoder.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/yoder-receives-champion-of-science-award-at-ku-med", "Yoder Receives Champion of Science Award at KU Med", "2016-08-09", "2016", "2016-08", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Kevin Yoder", "Y000063", "yoder.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kansas City, Kansas \u2013 On Monday, Representative Kevin Yoder (R-KS) was presented with the Champion of Science Award by the University of Kansas and the Science Coalition in recognition of his support for federal funding for basic scientific research. The award is given to Members of Congress in recognition of their commitment to funding the basic research that keeps the United States at the forefront of scientific and medical discovery and technological innovation.\u00a0\nChancellor Bernadette Gray-Little presented Representative Yoder with the award on the KU Medical Center campus, along with KU Medical Center Executive Vice Chancellor Dr. Douglas Girod and Director of the KU Cancer Center Dr. Roy Jensen. Dr. Douglas Lowy, acting director of the National Cancer Institute, was a special guest at the ceremony.\n\u201cI\u2019m honored to receive the Champion of Science Award,\u201d Yoder said. \u201cDiseases know no political parties or regional differences. They affect us all indiscriminately. For that reason, we all need to come together to make sure our researchers have every tool they need to find cures. That\u2019s why I\u2019m going to continue to champion this cause so that we can lower the cost of health care for everyone and, most importantly, save lives.\"\n\u201cRepresentative Yoder\u2019s critical support for the KU Cancer Center\u2019s successful NCI designation effort and his tireless advocacy on behalf of significant additional funding for federal funding for research make him an ideal candidate for this honor,\u201d Gray-Little said. \u201cHe clearly understands the importance of maintaining America\u2019s role as a leader in scientific innovation, and we appreciate all he does for Kansas and for the nation.\u201d\n\u201cRepresentative Yoder has a strong history of critical support for scientific and medical research and has a deep appreciation for the benefits that it can provide to patients and their families. He has been a longtime champion of our efforts to obtain NCI designation, and his advocacy in support of the pursuit of scientific knowledge stands out among his peers. He is a natural fit for this award, and I am pleased he is accepting it at KU Medical Center,\u201d Jensen said.\nThe Science Coalition\u2019s Champion of Science Award recognizes Members of Congress whose actions and votes consistently reflect their belief that basic scientific research, conducted at universities and national labs across the country, is essential to the nation\u2019s ability to address pressing issues in health, security, energy and the environment, and additionally, that a strong federally supported basic research enterprise drives innovation that fuels the U.S. economy. Yoder joins a distinguished group of approximately 80 current and former Members of Congress who have received this award since 1999.\nThe Science Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of the nation\u2019s leading public and private research universities, is dedicated to sustaining strong federal funding of basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation and drive America\u2019s global competitiveness. Learn more at http://www.sciencecoalition.org/.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://yoder.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/yoder-receives-champion-of-science-award-at-ku-med"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1127300094813108, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}