[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16221-16222]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. CHARLES M. VEST

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, it is my great privilege to rise 
today to recognize the distinguished career of Dr. Charles M. Vest, a 
native West Virginian, on his retirement as president of the National 
Academy of Engineering, NAE. In his time at the NAE, Dr. Vest worked 
tirelessly to identify and address the most pressing and important 
challenges facing American engineering, including the declining 
interest in math and science among our Nation's students and the 
growing challenges of information flow among government, the private 
sector, and academia. As NAE president, Dr. Vest was instrumental in 
urging Congress to pass the America COMPETES Act, which provided a 
blueprint for investing in critically important scientific and 
technological pursuits. Dr. Vest also helped craft the Grand Challenges 
for Engineering, a global initiative that identifies the greatest 
challenges and opportunities facing engineers today. In this 
increasingly technology-based and globalized world, Dr. Vest recognized 
the need for a clear and strong national vision for our engineers and 
scientists. He provided the dynamic leadership that the NAE required to 
allow American engineers to compete and thrive in a rapidly evolving 
world.
  A native of Morgantown, WV, Chuck displayed a clever and inquisitive 
mind from a young age. Growing up under the shadow of Sputnik, he 
developed a keen interest in electronics and he would constantly tinker 
with surplus World War II gadgets, such as microphones and resistors. 
This curiosity led him to West Virginia University where he received a 
degree in mechanical engineering. Chuck continued his education at the 
University of Michigan, earning a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering; he 
remained there for 22 years as a professor, a dean, and university 
provost.
  Dr. Vest has since served as a director of DuPont and IBM. He has 
held positions on an array of Federal committees and commissions, 
including the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 
and as vice chair of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness. Chuck has 
authored three

[[Page 16222]]

books, received honorary doctoral degrees from 18 universities, and was 
awarded the 2006 National Medal of Technology and the 2011 Vannevar 
Bush Award.
  Quite possibly, Dr. Vest's most important achievements occurred 
during his tenure as president of the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology, MIT. In his 14 years at the helm of MIT, Dr. Vest proved a 
worthy advocate of more robust communication and sharing within the 
science community. Under his extraordinary leadership, MIT launched its 
OpenCourseWare initiative and cofounded the Alliance for Global 
Sustainability. As he will readily attest, though, one of Dr. Vest's 
proudest accomplishments at MIT was in improving the diversity of the 
university's student body and faculty. Chuck worked tirelessly to 
ensure that opportunities at MIT were available to anyone with the 
right mind and work ethic.
  In all that he has done and stood for, Chuck has embodied what is 
best about being a West Virginian and an American. Chuck's passion for 
helping others--whether as a teacher, an engineer, or a leader--has 
impacted countless lives and ensured his place among our country's most 
respected and honored citizens. Dr. Charles M. Vest has long shone as 
one of West Virginia's brightest stars, and today it gives me great 
pleasure to commend him--and thank him--for his enormous contributions 
to the Nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
enterprise.

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