Events

Public Service Recognition Week

May 06 - 12, 2018
All Day
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Celebrated the first full week in May since 1985, Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) is a time set aside to honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county and local government employees. Throughout the nation and the world, public servants use this occasion to educate others about the work they do and why they have chosen public service careers, as well as the many ways government services make life better for all of us.

From the steps of the Capitol to the smallest towns, public servants will participate in ceremonies, information fairs, parades and other events in their honor. At the same time, they will work to open new avenues of communication with the public about the essential value of government service in sustaining the quality of American life.

Did You Know … ?

  • The first person to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong, was a public employee.
  • The “Do Not Call” list was created and implemented by a team of government employees.
  • Most children in America are educated by public school teachers.
  • The National Institutes of Health began as a one-room laboratory working to prevent the spread of      cholera, yellow fever, and other epidemics.
  • Defense Department researchers developed the networking system that lead to the creation of  the Internet.
  • Government employees advanced both radar and sonar.
  • More than two million public employees protect our nation through service in our armed forces.
  • In their search to unlock the mysteries of the universe, NASA scientists discovered the first Black Hole.
  • Since 1960, more than 230,000 people have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 141 countries.
  • A career government scientist created the instrument landing systems used by all commercial and military aircrafts.
  • Half of all U.S.  medical doctors in practice today received training by government employees working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • A scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration created a deep-ocean      tsunami detection system.
  • Government employees developed instrument landing systems used by all commercial and military      aircraft, as well as the basic design of most aircrafts.
  • The CAT scan, which helps physicians diagnose cancer brain disorders and other diseases, was      invented by a public servant.
  • A lawyer at the U.S.  Department of Justice coordinated the largest Clean Air Act enforcement      actions ever, which will result in the reduction of harmful air pollutants by nearly 2 million tons each year.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture employee pioneered the bar code scanner that automatically      computes the cost of your purchases at the store.
  • NASA space technology launched tens of thousands of products, including cordless construction      tools, heat cradles for premature infants, smoke detectors, low-cost waste water treatment, radiology, and an underwater device used to locate the “black box” from airplane crashes.
  • The Department of Defense developed GPS technology.