I am delighted to be here today, but I'm even more pleased that all of you are here. Science is perhaps the one endeavor in life where all of us are students. That's the fun of it.
Research is really about learning.
It is arguably the oldest process by which scientific knowledge has been both discovered and passed on since the dawn of civilization. Your presence today illustrates your commitment to learning and the collaboration of science and education. We at the National Science Foundation share that same commitment. Because our primary partnership is with universities and colleges, we are dedicated to the principle of integrating research and education at all academic levels. And, we have developed several programs that encourage and reward individuals and institutions that have directed their careers and programs toward this goal.