The part I loved (emphasis mine):
“And it was in the years that followed the Soviet launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, that the United States would create DARPA, NASA, and the National Defense Education Act, which helped improve math and science education from grade school to graduate school. In fact, the National Medal itself was established just two years after that launch, as a sign to the world and to ourselves of how highly we valued the work of the nation’s scientists.
Today, we face more complex challenges than generations past. A medical system that holds the promise of unlocking new cures — attached to a health care system that has the potential to bankrupt families and businesses. A system of energy that powers our economy but endangers our planet. Threats to our security that seek to exploit the very interconnectedness and openness that’s so essential to our prosperity. And challenges in a global marketplace which link the trader on Wall Street to the homeowner on Main Street, and the office worker in America to the factory worker in China — we all share an opportunity, but we also all share in crisis.
At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we can’t afford to invest in science, that it’s a luxury at a moment defined by necessities. I could not disagree more. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, and our health, and our way of life than it has ever been. And the winners we are recognizing only underscore that point, with achievements in physics and medicine, computer science and cognitive science, energy technology and biotechnology. We need to ensure that we are encouraging the next generation of discoveries — and the next generation of discoverers.
That’s why my administration has set this goal: by investing in education, funding basic and applied research, and spurring private innovation, we will devote 3 percent of our gross domestic product to research and development. That’s more than at any point in recent history.
And as part of this effort, we’re putting in place policies that will move us from the middle to the top of the pack in math and science education over the next decade. We are challenging states to dramatically improve achievement by raising standards, by improving the use of technology, and by making it possible for professionals like our honorees to bring a lifetime of experience and enthusiasm into the classroom. And we’ve also launched a Race to the Top fund to encourage states to compete for the most innovative programs in math and science, as part of a broader effort to foster new ways of engaging young people in these fields.”
The complete remarks, including the list of medal awardees, can be found on whitehouse.gov. These medal reinforce the “restoring science to its rightful place” President Obama made in his inauguration speech in January 2009. Among the awards are medals to IBM (corporation) and Adobe (employees).
