All of this may sound rather mechanistic-and it is, if we consider it in isolation. Of course, change in our world is nothing new. It's the pace of change that is breathtaking in the world you are inheriting. Innovation takes place ever faster, and industrial cycles appear to be getting ever shorter. Today, new knowledge and innovation are the driving forces of the current economic expansion.
Intellectual endeavor is naturally disruptive-and a necessary part of innovation.
He points out that as we are able to transfer information more and more easily, the rate of change rises. As information increasingly becomes the currency of everyday life, we watch this whole pattern accelerate. I will suggest that the type of education you have received gives you a special edge in embracing the complexity around us. All of you, with your appreciation of science and engineering as part of the process of societal change, have a special role to play. Your training will help us integrate our technologies with a respect for the quality of life.