Remarks Prepared for Delivery
Senator Ron Wyden
National Nanotechnology Initiative Lunch
April 2, 2004
I wanted to speak with you
today for one simple reason – the United States must be the world’s
nanotechnology leader.
Nanotechnology is going to
change America on a scale equal to, if not greater than, the computer
revolution. And I would go as far to
say that harnessing the power of nanotechnology is one of the keys to ensuring
that our nation continues to be an economic powerhouse in this new century.
America’s nanotechnology
effort must be nothing less than the equivalent of President Kennedy’s
commitment to landing a man on the moon.
Back in 1962, the idea of
landing on the moon sounded like something out of science fiction. There weren’t too many people who understood
how you could get a man from a launch pad in south Florida all the way up to
the moon’s Sea of Tranquility.
In 2004, the idea of growing
steel or highway pavement that can repair itself probably seems just as far
fetched to most Americans. But that’s
why America needs a nanotechnology “moon shot” to make America see the
possibilities of nanotechnology and realize its benefits.
This nanotechnology moon shot
is going to take a significant government investment in research. It’s going to take the best minds in the
nanotechnology field. It’s going to
take a partnership between government and business that’s focused on one goal –
making the United States the world’s nanotechnology leader.
Yet when I started looking at
our nation’s nanotechnology preparedness a couple of years ago, it became clear
that there wasn’t a long-term strategy in place to ensure that America is not
only in the race when it comes to nanotechnology, but prepared to win.
Back then, efforts in the
nanotechnology field were strewn across a half-dozen Federal agencies. The National Nanotechnology Initiative was
organized under the White House National Science and Technology Council. In effect, it existed at the whim of this
and future Administrations.
What became clear was that
America needed to marshal its various nanotechnology efforts into one driving
force in order to remain the world’s leader in this burgeoning field.
Stage One of our
nanotechnology moon shot was the passage of the 21st Century Nanotechnology
Research and Development Act. I think
it’s a big reason the United States is well on its way to making another giant
leap for humankind.
This legislation marshaled
America’s nanotechnology research efforts into a single driving force. It created a smart, accelerated, and
organized approach to our country’s nanotechnology research, development, and
education.
In addition to authorizing
nearly $3.7 billion for research over the next four years, the legislation
created a National Nanotechnology Program to coordinate research programs, as
well as several national nanotechnology research centers to be located around
the country.
The bill also creates an
American Nanotechnology Preparedness Center to evaluate the many effects –
environmental, societal, ethical, and labor, among others – that nanotechnology
will have in this country and around the world.
I’m excited about the
possibilities – both scientific and economic.
I know you understand the stakes.
But sustaining Federal support for nanotechnology will also require
educating the public. American
taxpayers need to know that a dollar of their money spent on nanotechnology is
a dollar well spent.
When I talk to Oregonians
about nanotechnology, I talk in terms of money and jobs. There is a lot of money coming in nanotechnology. In the next decade or so the global nanotechnology market should
be worth about $1 trillion.
I tell my constituents –
Think of the jobs America will create as the world lines up for smart drugs to treat cancers, cheap flat-screen
TVs the size of living room walls, and self-repairing concrete highways.
The 21st Century
Nanotechnology Research and Development Act is going to help ensure that
America is making those products and selling them to the world, not the other
way around. That’s the message
Americans need to hear when Congress is trying to boost our investment in
nanotechnology.
Here in Congress, there is
now a bipartisan consensus for this type of investment. I was proud to work with Senator George Allen
in passing the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development
Act. And I’m committed to continuing
this bipartisan effort with the new Congressional nanotechnology caucus.
But now it’s time for Stage
Two – securing funding for specific research projects, naming the several
nanotech centers authorized by the legislation, and preparing America’s
workforce to fill the nanotechnology jobs of the future.
I won’t kid you – securing
one of the centers is going to be a highly competitive process. Several states have developed strong
nanotechnology research hubs that will be strong contenders for some of this
federal money. But it’s going to be
worth the effort because getting a center is going help leverage additional
research dollars.
Of course, I think you’ll
excuse me if I make the case for a particular state in the Pacific
Northwest. Oregon clearly has the
expertise in microtechnology and nanotechnology. It has a strong high tech manufacturing base. But like everyone else, our state is going
to have to make our case to get one of the centers.
One thing that I think gives
Oregon a leg up is the alliance of research universities, the private sector,
and government officials. It’s called
the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, or ONAMI. It’s a strong collaborative effort that’s
going to help ensure that Oregon gets its share of the nanotechnology pie.
But fully realizing
nanotechnology’s potential will depend heavily on preparing our workforce for
the nanotechnology jobs of the future.
Nanotechnology holds the promise of growing steel girders or even
automobile chassis from scratch someday.
The nanotechnology industry needs to grow its future workforce right
now.
I believe the folks in this
room have a lot do with the future of this country’s nanotechnology
workforce. You should be advocating for
better math and science education in our nation’s elementary and secondary
schools. If America’s educational
system from pre-K to post-grad isn’t producing people with math, science and
technology expertise, this country will fall behind other nations who are
providing those skills.
I bet any number of regions
in our country that are looking to transition from industries of the past to
industries of the future would be glad to work with nanotechnology leaders like
yourselves. They’ll be willing to
prepare their children and their communities to provide a workforce for
nanotechnology efforts and a home base for nanotechnology advances. I know Oregon is ready to work with you in
that vein.
Together, all of us are well
on the way to unleashing a nanotechnology revolution. And the efforts of the people in this room are going to help
ensure that the United States going to win with nanotechnology.
It’s not just because our
nation has leading research universities and high-tech manufacturing. It’s because of America’s pioneering
spirit. And nanotechnology is the next
frontier.
The same pioneering spirit
that helped us breech the frontier of space is going to help ensure that we
conquer this new scientific frontier.
That’s why I know America is going to be the world’s nanotechnology
leader.
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Christopher Fitzgerald
Press Secretary
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3789
(202) 228-4597 (fax)