Section 15. Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Robertson Memorial Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Patricia Hilliard-Robertson lived a life of service to others and as an exemplary role model for women in STEM education.
(2) Dr. Hilliard-Robertson was born on March 12, 1963, in Indiana and grew up in Homer City. Dr. Hilliard-Robertson graduated from Homer Center High School and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in biology in 1985.
(3) In 1989, Dr. Hilliard-Robertson earned a medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She then completed a three-year residency in family medicine and was certified by the American Board of Family Practice.
(4) From 1992 to 1995, Dr. Hilliard-Robertson practiced medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania. She was on the staff of St. Vincent Hospital where she served as the clinical coordinator for medical students in training and also provided training and supervision for resident physicians.
(5) In 1995, Dr. Hilliard-Robertson was one of two fellows selected to study aerospace medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston and at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.
(6) While enrolled as a space medicine fellow, Dr. Hilliard-Robertson completed a research project where she studied eccentric and concentric resistive exercise countermeasures for space flight. She also served as a member of the faculty at UTMB in the departments of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine.
(7) In 1997, Dr. Hilliard-Robertson joined the Flight Medicine Clinic at Johnson Space Center and served as the Chairman of the Bone, Muscle and Exercise Integrated Product Team.
(8) In 1998, NASA selected Dr. Hilliard-Robertson for the Astronaut Candidate Training program. Upon completing training, Dr. Hilliard-Robertson served as the office representative for the Crew Healthcare System (CheCS) and as Crew Support Astronaut (CSA) for the International Space Station Expedition-2 Crew.
(9) Dr. Hilliard-Robertson passed away on May 24, 2001.
(b) Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key 19010, located on that portion of United States Route 119 over the Yellow Creek in Center Township, Indiana County, is designated the Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Robertson Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to traffic in both directions on the bridge.