[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 7 (Monday, February 20, 2006)]
[Pages 232-234]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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

February 13, 2006

    Thanks and welcome to the White House. It is an honor to be in the 
company of so many bright and distinguished Americans. Each of our 
honorees has been blessed with talent, and each has used their talent to 
the fullest.
    The work we honor today has improved the lives of people everywhere. 
It has helped to move our economy forward, and it's helped to make sure 
that America is the leader of innovation in our world. The medals are 
our Nation's way of expressing gratitude to gifted and visionary 
citizens. I also appreciate the family members and friends who are here 
as well.
    I want to thank members of my Cabinet who have joined us, Secretary 
Gutierrez, Secretary Bodman. I want to thank Dr. Jack Marburger, who is 
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. I thank 
David Sampson from Commerce for joining us. I want to thank Dr. Arden 
Bement, the Director of the National Science Foundation, who is with us, 
Dr. Kathie Olsen, the Deputy Director of the National Science 
Foundation. I want to thank the representatives from the National 
Science Foundation and members of the board of the National Science and 
Technology Medals Foundation. Those were the folks who decided that you 
won. [Laughter]
    I thank Dr. Bill Jeffrey who is with us, Director of the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology. I want to thank the previous 
recipients of the National Medals of Science and Technology who've 
joined us. I thank my friends Congressman Sherry Boehlert, as well as 
Dave Reichert from the United States Congress for being here. Thank you 
both for coming. Most of all, thank you all for joining us.
    The medals I'm about to present are the highest award a President 
can bestow for astounding achievement in science and technology. They 
recognize work that has helped expand the horizons of human knowledge. 
The National Medal of Science honors those whose research has enhanced 
our understanding of life and the world around us. And the National 
Medal of Technology recognizes innovators whose work keeps America on 
the cutting edge with discoveries that change the way we live.
    The spirit of discovery is one of our national strengths. Our 
greatest resource has always been the educated, hard-working, ambitious 
people who call this country their home. From Thomas Edison's light bulb 
to Robert Ledley's CAT scan machine, most of America's revolutionary 
inventions began with men and women with the vision to see beyond what 
is and the desire to pursue what might be.
    Think back to how much this country has changed since the--since we 
first created the National Medal of Technology in 1980. Twenty-five 
years ago, most Americans used typewriters instead of computers. Most of 
us used pay phones instead of cell phones. Most of us used carbon paper 
instead of laser printers. Most of us had rolodexes--you might remember 
those--[laughter]. And on the long family trip, we'd play the license 
plate game--[laughter]--and now we're watching DVDs.

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    Many technologies that are in our laboratories today will bring 
cures and technologies that are beyond our imagination. And we will then 
wonder how we ever lived without them. These kinds of changes are the 
result of years of hard work by American innovators, like those we honor 
here today.
    Over the years, National Science and Technology laureates have been 
responsible for breakthroughs that revolutionized telecommunications, 
discovered the structure of DNA, led to the invention of the microchip. 
These laureates have done work that have revolutionized organ 
transplants and led to development of global positioning systems and 
helped feed millions around the world.
    Our Nation has a vital stake in the research and discovery that 
makes these advances possible. And so in my State of the Union, I 
encouraged our Nation to stay on the leading edge of technology and 
education. I've talked about an American Competitiveness Initiative that 
will double over the next 10 years the Federal commitment to the most 
critical, basic research programs in the physical sciences. I think 
that's a good use of taxpayers' money.
    Six of today's eight science laureates have benefited from past 
investment in this kind of research. If we want this country to be the 
most competitive country in the world, we have got to spend money now to 
make sure we stay on the leading edge of technological change. We've 
also got to recognize it's in the private sector where most money is 
spent on research and development, yet we unwisely have allowed the 
research and development tax credit to expire. If the United States 
expects to remain competitive in a global economy, we must encourage our 
private sector to continue to invest in leading-edge technologies, and 
therefore, we ought to make the research and development tax credit a 
permanent part of our Tax Code.
    We can't be the leading country in the world in science and 
technology unless we educate scientists and young mathematicians. And so 
as part of the Competitive Initiative, I'm going to work with the 
Congress to make sure we extend the same standards in the No Child Left 
Behind Act that we apply to reading, to math. The facts are that we're 
doing fine with fourth grade kids in math and science. The facts also 
are these, that we're falling off the face of the charts when it comes 
to eighth grade math, and we've got to change that. And one of the sure 
ways to change that is to apply special money for kids who need extra 
help in junior high for math and science.
    We can't make sure our children have got math and science--fine math 
and science courses unless we've got teachers capable of teaching math 
and science. And one way to do that is to expand education to high 
school teachers in how to teach Advanced Placement. Advanced Placement 
programs work. They make a significant difference in the lives of our 
children. And so by making sure more teachers can teach AP, this country 
will be better off in making sure that we've got the future scientists 
and mathematicians living right here in the United States of America.
    Another part of the initiative is to encourage school districts to 
recruit 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in our Nation's 
classrooms. I mean, we want young kids to think math and science are 
cool subjects, that it's okay to be a mathematician, that it's exciting 
to be a scientist. And there's no better way to make sure that young 
students are encouraged to take math and science than to have successful 
scientists explain to our students just the wonders of exploration.
    You know, I was out in Albuquerque and had a good visit in Intel. 
They've got an interesting program. They provide incentives for their 
employees to go into the classrooms of local high schools and community 
colleges to say to youngsters, ``Join us in these exciting fields.'' And 
the exciting jobs of the 21st century are going to be in math and 
science, and the American people must understand that if we don't 
educate our kids in math and science, the jobs are going to go elsewhere 
in the years to come. The Competitive Initiative recognizes we're great 
when it comes to research and development, and we intend to stay that 
way. But we've also got to be great when it comes to making sure our 
students have got the skills necessary to compete in the 21st century.
    I appreciate the work that today's laureates are doing to inspire 
young scientists. We've

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got some young scientists from Benjamin Banneker High School with us. 
Thank you all for joining us. I appreciate you being here. I hope that 
you are inspired by the examples of excellence and success that you see 
right here in this ceremony today.
    You know, it's interesting, people generally do not pursue a career 
in science or technology with the goal of fame. I'm kind of trying to 
change that today. [Laughter] The work of discovery is quiet and often 
solitary. Yet all Americans benefit from your imagination and your 
talent and your resolve. And so today we're here to say thanks for what 
you've done; thanks for helping improve the quality of life in this 
country; thanks for inspiring others. Congratulations on your medals, 
and now the military aide will read the citations.

[At this point, Lt. Col. Christian Cabaniss, USMC, Marine Corps Aide to 
the President, read the citations, and the President presented the 
medals.]

    The President. Again, thank you for coming. Got a little reception 
back here for the honorees and their families. I'm proud to have you 
here in the White House. May God continue to bless our great Nation. 
Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:45 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House.