    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [July 27, 2007]
    [Pages 1024-1026]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the National Medals of Science and Technology
    July 27, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you. Good afternoon. Welcome
    to the White House. It's an honor to welcome some of our country's most
    gifted and accomplished citizens. I appreciate your work on behalf of
    our Nation. I congratulate you on this achievement, and I look forward
    to presenting you the National Medals of Science and Technology.
        I welcome your families, and I welcome your friends. I also welcome
    the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
    Madam Secretary, thank you for joining us today. Secretary of Commerce,
    Carlos Gutierrez, Mr. Secretary; Dr.
    Jack Marburger, who is the Director
    of Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. Marburger; Dr. Arden
    Bement, Director of the National
    Science Foundation--Arden, thank you for coming. I welcome the
    representatives from the National Science Foundation who have joined us,
    members of the Board from the National Science and Technology Medals
    Foundation. Our awardees have got to be thanking you as well. [Laughter]
    I thank Dr. Zerhouni, Director of the
    National Institute of Health. Thanks for coming, doc;

    [[Page 1025]]

    Dr. Bill Jeffrey, Director of the
    National Institute of Standards and Technology.
        Appreciate all the previous recipients of the National Medals of
    Science and Technology who have joined us. I thank the students from
    Benjamin Banneker Academic High School here in Washington, DC, for being
    with us. I thank my friends the Barretts, who are strong supporters of
    basic research and good science, for bringing future scientists and
    engineers to the White House in the hopes that this ceremony will
    inspire them and others to contribute to our country like our award
    winners have today.
        From the earliest days, we have been a nation of innovators, people
    who look at challenges and find creative ways to adapt and improve.
    There's been some interesting examples of that attitude right here in
    the East Room. For example, Abigail Adams needed a place to hang her
    clothes, so she innovated and converted the East Room into a White House
    laundry room. [Laughter] Or Theodore Roosevelt used the East Room as a
    roller skating rink for his children. [Laughter] Gerald Ford's daughter,
    Susan, used this very room as the site of her
    high school prom, which was well attended, I might add. [Laughter]
        This afternoon the East Room is home to innovators of a different
    kind, some of our finest science and technology leaders. The men and
    women we salute have recognized--have been recognized with countless
    honors, including the Nobel Prize. They have served as leaders of major
    research foundations, university presidents, Directors of Government
    Agencies, and heads of academic departments. And now they add to their
    deep and remarkable resumes the highest award a President can confer in
    their fields, the National Medals of Science and Technology. And I
    congratulate you.
        The intellectual achievements of these men and women are momentous.
    In a single room, we have thinkers who helped formulate and refine the
    Big Bang theory of the universe, the bootstrap resampling technique of
    statistics, the algebraic K-theory of mathematics. I'm going to play
    like I understand what all that means. [Laughter] We have experts in
    fields like organometallic chemistry, atomic physics, and neurobiology.
    We have researchers who have drilled into glaciers, isolated the DNA of
    mobile genes, and pioneered the distributed feedback laser. [Laughter]
    In other words, we've got some smart people here. [Laughter] And we're
    glad you're Americans.
        Each of our laureates has deepened our understanding of the world,
    and many have directly changed our lives. Their discoveries have led to
    hopeful treatments for HIV/AIDS, new vaccines to prevent childhood
    illnesses, safer drinking water around the world. Innovations are
    responsible for the CD players in our homes, the guardrails on our
    highways, the Stealth fighters in our Air Force. Their breakthroughs
    have helped make it possible for burn victims to heal with fewer scars
    and older people to hear more clearly, businesses to e-mail documents
    around the world and doctors to administer medicine without needles.
    That's a much welcome change for a lot of us.
        Whatever their chosen field, the National Laureates in Sciences and
    Technology have brought great credit to themselves and to this country.
    And you have the gratitude of the American people. And that's what we're
    here to say--tell you today.
        The work of these laureates demonstrates that innovation is vital to
    a better future for our country and the world. In America, the primary
    engine of innovation is the private sector. But government can help by
    encouraging the basic research that gives rise to promising new thought
    and products. And so that's why I've worked with some in this room and
    around our country to develop and propose the American Competitiveness
    Initiative. Over 10 years, this initiative will double the Federal
    Government's commitment to the most critical, basic research programs in
    physical

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    sciences. Last year, the Congress provided more than $10 billion, and
    that's just a start. And I call on leaders of both political parties to
    fully fund this initiative for the good of the country.
        Maintaining our global leadership also requires a first-class
    education system. There are many things that American schools are doing
    right, including insisting on accountability for every single child.
    There are also some areas where we need to improve. And so as Members
    work to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act, one of their top
    priorities has got to be to strengthen math and science education.
        One way to do that is to create an Adjunct Teachers Corps of math
    and science professionals, all aiming to bring their expertise into
    American classrooms where--it's not really what the aim is. The aim is
    to make it clear to young Americans that being in science and
    engineering is okay; it's cool; it's a smart thing to do. And so for
    those of you who are involved with inspiring youngsters, thank you for
    what you're doing. I appreciate you encouraging the next generation to
    follow in your footsteps. And I ask that Congress fully fund the adjunct
    teacher corps, so you can have some help as you go out to inspire.
        One of the many reasons that I am an optimistic fellow, and I am, is
    because I understand that this country is a nation of discovery and
    enterprise. And that spirit is really strong in America today. I found
    it interesting that one of today's laureates, Dr. Leslie Geddes, is 86 years old and continues to teach and conduct
    research at Purdue University. Even more interesting is what he had to
    say. He said, ``I wouldn't know what else to do. I'm not done yet.''
    [Laughter]
        He's right. He's not done yet because
    the promise of science and technology never runs out. With the
    imagination and determinations of Americans like our awardees today, our
    Nation will continue to discover new possibilities and to develop new
    innovations and build a better life for generations to come. And that's
    what we're here to celebrate.
        And so I thank you for the many contributions to our Nation,
    congratulate you on your fine achievements. And now I ask the military
    aide to read the citations.

    [At this point, Lt. Col. Samuel Floyd, USA, Army Aide to the President,
    read the citations, and the President presented the medals.]

    Note: The President spoke at 1:44 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House.