Obama awards scientific honors; makes one more immigration reform pitch
President Obama on Thursday honored the newest recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, using the opportunity to make one more pitch for immigration reform.
"The stories of these innovators reflect our larger American experience," Mr. Obama said from the East Room of the White House, "a story of constant transformation, one of restless inquiry... an insistence on making our dreams come true."
However, the president said, "Too often we're losing talent because after the enormous investments we make in students and researchers, we tell them to go home after they graduate. Part of staying competitive is making sure we have an immigration system that doesn't send away talent but attracts it."
The president added, "So much of what has set us apart -- economically, culturally -- is our commitment to science."
Mr. Obama alluded to the fact that Thursday evening, he'll speak more in depth about immigration reform during a prime time address laying out certain executive actions he plans on taking. The executive actions he'll lay out aren't expected to specifically address the immigration status of high-skilled workers.
The awards presented at the White House Thursday are the highest honors the U.S. government bestows for achievements in science, technology, and innovation. The recipients included Eli Harari, the inventor of the flash drive; Bruce Alberts, a pioneer in the field of DNA replication; and Douglas Lowy and John Schiller, whose technologies led to the generation of effective vaccines against HPV.
Mr. Obama joked about feeling "a little self-conscious because everybody in the room is a lot smarter than you."
The president also used the opportunity to announce progress on his "Educate to Innovate" initiative, which aims to get more students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. Mr. Obama announced that a network of partners in the effort are committing another $28 million to support the goal of preparing 100,000 STEM teachers over a decade. Additionally, a coalition of CEOs called "Change the Equation" is committing to expanding STEM programs to more than 1 million students by 2016.
Students, Mr. Obama said, should be reminded of "how exciting it is to be able to shape the world, unlock its secrets, make new stuff." He added, "That's who we are" as Americans.
The recipients of the National Medal of Science were:
Bruce Alberts, for his work in the field of DNA replications; Robert Axelrod, for interdisciplinary work on the evolution of cooperation; May Berenbaum, for her work on chemical coevolution and the genetic basis of insect-plant interactions; David Blackwell, for fundamental contributions to probability theory and mathematical statistics; Alexandre J. Chorin, for the development of revolutionary methods for realistic fluid-flow simulation; Thomas Kailath, for transformative contributions to the fields of information and system science; Judith P. Klinman, for her discoveries of fundamental chemical and physical principles; Jerrold Meinwald, for applying chemical principles and techniques to studies of plant and insect defense and communication; Burton Richter, for pioneering contributions to the development of electron accelerators; and Sean C. Solomon, for contributions to understanding the internal structure and evolution of the Earth, the Moon, and other terrestrial planets.
The recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation are:
Charles W. Bachman, for fundamental inventions in database management and software engineering; Edith M. Flanigen, for innovations in the fields of silicate chemistry, the chemistry of zeolites, and molecular sieve materials; Eli Harari, for the invention and commercialization of Flash storage technology; Thomas J. Fogarty, for innovations in minimally invasive medical devices; Arthur Levinson, for pioneering contributions to the fields of biotechnology and personalized medicine; Cherry A. Murray, for contributions to the advancement of devices for telecommunications; Mary Shaw, for pioneering leadership in the development of innovative curricula in Computer Science; and Douglas Lowy and John Schiller, for their work on vaccines that specifically targeted HPV and related cancers.