Message
25 Years of 'Beautiful
Science' for the American People
What do all these remarkable developments
of the past 25 years share in common?
![Dr. Raymond Orbach, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, and President Bush at Argonne National Laboratory](/peth04/20041023220130im_/http://sc.doe.gov/sub/director/Orbach-Abraham-Bush.jpg) |
Left
to right: Dr. Raymond Orbach, Secretary of Energy
Spencer Abraham, and President Bush at Argonne
National Laboratory |
- DNA sequencing and computational technologies
that made possible the historic unraveling of the
human genetic code, our blueprint for life.
- A microelectronic chip implanted in
the eye that enables the blind to see.
- Superconducting wires that can lead
to more efficient types of power generation, transmission,
and electrical devicesand thereby save energy
and reduce emissions.
- New holographic computerized imaging
technology that identifies hidden weapons, even non-metallic
ones, through the clothing of airline passengers.
- Microbes that eat waste and can be
harnessed to clean up contaminated sites.
All these breakthroughsand
many, many morehave been achieved through the
research and development programs sponsored by the Office
of Science since the U.S. Department of Energy was established
as a Cabinet-level agency in 1977.
Indeed, ever since its inception
as part of the Atomic Energy Commission immediately
following World War II, the Office of Science has blended
cutting-edge research and innovative problem-solving
to keep the United States at the forefront of scientific
discovery. In fact, since the mid-1940s, the Office
of Science by one count has supported the work of more
than 40 Nobel Prize winners, testimony to the high quality
and impact of the work it underwrites.
I am very proud to serve President
Bush and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham as the
steward of such beautiful science. I welcome the opportunity
to engage the genius of American science to help meet
the energy challenges identified in the President's
balanced and forward-looking National Energy Plan.
Today, the Office of Science funds
basic research in support of the Energy Department's
missions of energy security, national security, environmental
restoration, and science. Research supported by the
Office of Science encompasses such diverse fields as
materials sciences, chemistry, high energy and nuclear
physics, plasma science, biology, advanced computation,
and environmental studies.
The Office of Science also oversees
outstanding laboratories with unmatched capabilities
for solving complex interdisciplinary problems. In addition,
the Office of Science builds and operates large-scale
user facilities of importance to all areas of science.
The Office of Science serves America's scientists, engineers,
teachers, and studentsand also the international
scientific community.
For more than half a century, every
President and each Congress have recognized the vital
role of science in sustaining this Nation's world-power
status. Estimates are that fully half of the growth
in the U.S. economy in the last 50 years was due to
Federal funding of scientific and technological innovation.
American taxpayers have received great value for their
investment in the basic research sponsored by the Office
of Science.
I invite you to learn more about
our work by exploring our web site or contacting us
directly. I also hope you will share my excitement that,
as long as this Nation maintains its commitment to investment
in scientific research, the Office of Science is poised
for 25 more years of beautiful scienceto benefit
the United States of America and the world.
Dr. Raymond L. Orbach
Director, Office of Science
U.S. Department of Energy
ray.orbach@science.doe.gov
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