So we do research because it is the human thing to do. And the process of research becomes more fully human when the knowledge is shared and is made a contribution to the common store of knowledge. At the Smithsonian, we have a special obligation to explain what we are doing, to bring the public along with us, to communicate the importance and the consequences of our work. And finally, I have come to realize it is important for us to do research at the Smithsonian because it keeps the enterprise vital, keeps us from showing our age. It perpetually re-creates the Institution.
Research is the base that supports the building.
There is no lasting structure without it.