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Dr. Joseph Bordogna
Deputy Director
Chief Operating Officer
National Science Foundation
Opening Remarks
2004 National Science Foundation/National Science Council Annual Meeting
July 19, 2004
Good morning, everyone, and a very warm welcome to the National Science Foundation. Deputy Minister Shieh of the National Science Council; Dr. Chen of the Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office; Dr. Wang of the National Science Council; Barbara Schrage of the American Institute in Taiwan; and distinguished guests and colleagues--we are delighted to have you with us. NSF extends a special welcome to the delegates who have come directly from Taiwan and to the directors of the four other regional offices of the National Science Council in this country.
At the National Science Foundation we view international collaboration in science and engineering as vital to our work. By linking the best minds around the globe, we all benefit by making discoveries none of us could achieve in isolation and by harnessing those discoveries to the service of humankind. This requires both good science and good engineering. What is also required is that we cooperate across the globe. From a U.S. perspective, it is vital that our students get the chance to work with scientists and engineers around the world.
This meeting is an excellent opportunity each year to commemorate and to strengthen our scientific and engineering bonds. Both the extent of our collaboration and the diverse array of mutual activities underscore the strength of our partnership. Taiwan's National Science Council is one of NSF's key science and engineering partners in the region, and we already have an excellent legacy of projects upon which to build.
In less than a year, six microsatellites will be launched as part of the COSMIC/ROCSAT-3 project, and this is testimony to the expertise of the atmospheric science community in East Asia. This is one of our flagship cooperative projects, and Dr. Shieh, as an expert in this area, can describe how important this project will be to weather observations, both on earth and in space. We are all eager for the launch next May. Through the training component of the project, I understand that 75 students from a dozen countries just completed a colloquium on atmospheric remote sensing.
In quite another area, we can commemorate Taiwan's leadership, and our joint cooperation, in developing the SARS Grid just over a year ago. This network, linking quarantined hospitals across Taiwan, helped keep patients in touch with their families, and gave doctors access to health resources around the globe. This grid exemplifies how a cyber-network benefits science and society at the same time.
Our cooperation on high-performance research grids also includes Eco-Grid. Researchers on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean have teamed up to study lake metabolism--using intercontinental wireless connectivity to link field sensors in lakes. This project, the first of its kind, will serve as a model for other international collaborations that can use such connective technology. Our international linkages to carry out long-term research on ecology further our common interests as citizens of this planet.
I know we also share a common interest in earthquake engineering research. The cooperation between Taiwan's Earthquake Grid and NSF's Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation can help us to understand structural engineering and mitigate the immense damage under impact of major earthquakes. Understanding Earth processes and how to mitigate their damage--must proceed across oceans and boundaries.
Minister Shieh and distinguished delegates, we share these and other common interests and goals. Although our virtual linkages surely take our cooperation in science and engineering to a new level, this face-to-face meeting will further our understanding and strengthen our partnership. We look forward to hearing about the results of your discussions and wish you a very enjoyable visit to NSF and to Washington, DC.
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