[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9457-S9458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. MARY CLUTTER, NSF

 Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise to honor Dr. Mary E. Clutter 
who will be retiring in August from the National Science Foundation, 
NSF. To say that Dr. Clutter has had a distinguished career at the NSF 
would be an understatement due to her countless achievements in the 
area of biological science. Today's biological science has not only 
been assisted by Dr. Clutter but in many respects, it has been defined 
by Dr. Clutter, and her leadership in this important scientific area.
  Dr. Clutter personifies the model public servant with a career at the 
NSF that spanned almost three decades. Dr. Clutter began her career as 
a temporary program officer at the NSF. Over the ensuing years, she has 
served with distinction in many important leadership roles at NSF: as 
the division director of Cellular Biosciences, Senior Science Advisor 
to the NSF Director, acting deputy director, and assistant director for 
the Directorate for Biological Sciences. She has served four 
Presidential administrations beginning with President Ronald Reagan to 
our current President George W. Bush. As a member of the Senior 
Executive Service, Dr. Clutter has received numerous awards, including 
the Meritorious and Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Awards 
from Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and William Clinton.
  During her career, Dr. Clutter has worked to develop a long-term and 
forward-thinking strategic vision for the biological sciences within 
NSF covering plant biology, environmental biology, computational 
biology, biodiversity research, long-term ecological research, and 
nonmedical microbiology. Further, these areas of research have 
influenced other scientific research areas and will continue to 
influence the biological sciences for years to come.
  In my opinion, Dr. Clutter's most important achievement has come in 
the area of plant genome research. It is without question that what we 
now know and will know about plant genome research would not have 
occurred without Dr. Clutter's vision, leadership, and hard work. In 
1997, I asked the Office of Science and Technology Policy, OSTP, to 
create an interagency working group to develop a new national plant 
genome initiative. OSTP wisely appointed Dr. Clutter to cochair the 
working group and, under her leadership, a plan for the national plant 
genome program was born in June 1997. Under the new National Plant 
Genome Initiative, Dr. Clutter brought together key Government research 
personnel from NSF, the Department of Agriculture, the National 
Institutes of Health, and others to develop and implement the plant 
genome program.
  The plant genome research program at NSF has grown from an initial 
$40 million in fiscal year 1999 to $95 million today and Dr. Clutter 
has ensured that every penny has been spent wisely and, with this 
investment, the United States is the world leader in plant genome 
research. The plant genome program has already yielded tremendous 
results that will eventually contribute to better agricultural products 
that will improve human health and nutrition. For example, Dr. 
Clutter's leadership has contributed to the completion of the 
Multinational Arabidopsis Sequencing Project. This project was 
completed 3 years ahead of schedule and produced the first complete 
sequence of a higher organism. This work has further contributed to the 
sequencing work of other plants such as maize, soybeans, and other 
economically significant crops.
  With this research, scientists are now beginning to understand the 
basic mechanisms underlying important plant traits such as cold 
tolerance, disease resistance, and seed development. Dr. Clutter's 
leadership has created a new scientific foundation on plant 
biotechnology that will eventually yield major breakthroughs in our 
understanding of plants, which will eventually lead to the development 
of new advances in agriculture, energy, and the environment. I strongly 
believe that the impressive research being done with plant genomics, 
led by Dr. Clutter, can eventually be a very powerful tool for 
addressing hunger in many developing countries such as those in Africa 
and Southeast Asia.
  While Dr. Clutter's contributions to plant biology and genomics are 
extremely distinguished and too numerous to list in this tribute, I do 
want to emphasize the role she has played in broadening the 
participation of women and minorities in the fields of science. 
Countless number of today's scientists and our future scientists have 
been positively influenced by Dr. Clutter. She has promoted and 
emphasized international research collaboration between U.S. and 
foreign scientists and

[[Page S9458]]

provided opportunities for international research experiences for young 
scientists.
  As the former chairman of the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies 
Appropriations Subcommittee, my staff and I have found Dr. Clutter to 
be an invaluable resource and ally in advancing plant genome research. 
I especially enjoyed her professionalism and passion for science, which 
never waned or wavered during the years I worked with her.
  Finally, on a personal level, in addition to being a leading 
intellect, she is warm, engaging, enthusiastic, and has a high 
tolerance for the less knowledgeable. Dr. Clutter's new liberties are 
well deserved but her departure will be a major loss to the NSF and the 
Federal Government. She will clearly be missed by the science 
community, and I will definitely miss her in this capacity, both as a 
friend and a public servant. I wish Mary and her family all the 
best.

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