[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 45 (Monday, November 10, 2003)]
[Pages 1550-1551]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Presenting the National Medals of Science and Technology

November 6, 2003

    Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Welcome to the White 
House. I'm pleased to be in such distinguished company here in the East 
Room. I want to congratulate our honorees, and I want to welcome your 
families and friends.
    Each year, our Nation honors outstanding work in science and 
technology. These honorees have given exceptional service in their 
fields and bring great credit to themselves and credit to our country. 
Today we express America's pride in their achievement and our respect 
for these national laureates of science and technology.
    I want to thank Sam Bodman, who is the Deputy Secretary of the 
Department of Commerce, for joining us. I thank Phil Bond, who is the 
Under Secretary of Technology for the Department of Commerce. I want to 
thank the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy for 
the President, Dr. John Marburger, for being here. Arden Bement is the 
Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; thank 
you, sir. Rita Colwell is the Director of the National Science 
Foundation. John Bordogna is the Deputy Director of the National Science 
Foundation. Thank you all for coming.
    I want to thank the panelists who selected this outstanding group of 
laureates for their hard work. We've got two Members of the United 
States Senate with us today, members from the mighty Delaware 
delegation. [Laughter] Joe Biden and Tom Carper, welcome. Thank you all 
for coming, appreciate you being here.
    We've got students from Benjamin Banneker High School with us today. 
I found it very interesting and wise that the students met one-on-one 
with each of the laureates to help develop their interest in science. 
Thank you for not only being scholars and pioneers but teachers as well.
    The National Medal of Science honors pioneering scientific research 
that has enhanced our basic understanding of life and the world around 
us. The National Medal of Technology recognizes the achievements of men 
and women who embody the spirit of American innovation and have enhanced 
the Nation's global competitiveness. Both these medals are authorized by 
acts of Congress. They're the highest honors the President can bestow 
for attainment in science and technology.

    The men and women we honor today probably didn't begin their careers 
with the expectation of receiving such honors. Most great achievers in 
the fields of science and technology have a sense of calling. They're 
drawn to the work by their curiosity and by their talent. They carry out 
their work with patient effort and the openness to truth that leads to 
discovery. The highest reward for their work is the good they do and the 
knowledge they leave behind.
      
    The medals we confer today are a way of expressing our own gratitude 
to some of the most gifted and visionary men and women in America. The 
men and women are helping to enhance the Nation's health and economic 
prosperity. They've made their contributions to progress in a variety of 
fields, from physics to genetics to mathematical theory to engineering 
to the development of semiconductors. Some of them have made 
achievements beyond their own fields of endeavor, thereby showing the 
great potential of interdisciplinary research. Each of these recipients 
has set a standard of excellence. Each is widely admired by peers and 
sets a fine example for the next generation of scientists, 
mathematicians, and engineers. And all of them represent the finest 
qualities of their professions and the finest qualities of our country.

    This great Nation provides opportunities and institutions that make 
achievement possible. We've got a vibrant free enterprise system. We've 
got the world's finest universities and generous support for scientific 
and technological endeavor. Yet, all the great achievements we honor 
today are the sum of individual effort. And when we speak of American 
creativity and American ingenuity, we're speaking of men and women like 
our national laureates of science and technology. They have freely 
accepted the toil of overcoming challenges. They have put their 
considerable

[[Page 1551]]

gifts to good purpose. Their fellow Americans are grateful to them. All 
humanity is in your debt.
    And now I ask the military aide to read the citations. It's my honor 
to present the medals to the national laureates of science and 
technology.

Note: The President spoke at 3:04 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. Following his remarks, the President presented the medals.