When you leave here, you will be joining an elite corps of graduates from the Nation's premiere research universities. For decades, MIT has been a leading site for advances in basic understanding and innovation in science and engineering, advances that are the foundation for continuing prosperity and an improved quality of life. As such, MIT is a precious resource and valued institution to more than its students, graduates, and those directly involved in its operation. MIT and the other top US research universities play a critical role in setting and sustaining the highest standards of achievement in research and technology. As MIT graduates, you have assumed a duty to uphold this tradition of excellence in all your pursuits.
Excellence is a quality that is recognized by comparison.
While it is judged generally from without, excellence begins within. Individuals achieve excellence through the choices and decisions they make regarding the conduct of their lives. This morning I would like to talk about a specific arena of excellence, that is, the area of basic research in science and engineering. Good researchers are open, sharing their hypotheses, methodologies, and results, and making their primary data available to others. They do this so that results can be reproduced and findings confirmed.