OSA NEWS

October 28, 2004

Remarks made by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Optical Society of America's Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics October 11, 2004

Thank you, Peter. Well, thank you and thank you for that very kind introduction and that very warm welcome. I'm delighted to be here with you and I am proud of the great history that Rochester can boast of in the field of optics and photonics and the kind of work that has been done here for so many years. I think it really is fair to welcome you to the optics capital of the world. And therefore, I am pleased that the Optical Society of America would be meeting here and inviting me to spend a few minutes with you. And it is a real delight because we have out in this audience, I know, some of the top names in optics and photonics, not only from our country, but indeed around the world. And, it says a lot that we would be recognizing the significance of this field in this way at a time when the frontiers in optics hold such promise for advancement of science and the quality of our lives.

When you think back to the founding of this society in Rochester 88 years ago and all the cutting-edge research and applications of that research that has taken place, it's a tremendous tribute to the work that not only has been done here but is being done. You know the whole world saw the images beamed back by the Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, and they were captured through lenses made by Optimax Systems right here in Rochester. Researchers at the University of Rochester's Institute of Optics meanwhile have developed the highest resolution image, small enough to capture carbon structures just a billionth of an inch across --technology which could very well change medicine at the cellular level. And the Center for Imaging Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology is image processing ancient documents by enhancing and reconstructing the images that are captured on them -- documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

So while we are exploring the future, we're also trying to learn more about the past. From the far reaches of space to the smallest images imaginable, I really think that New York State's long history in optics research and commerce is something that not only we can look back at with pride but to the future with confidence. Right now, New York ranks first in the nation in photonics manufacturing with 13,500 jobs. And, the Institute, as you well know, the University of Rochester's Institute, is holding its 75th celebration. The very first program of higher education in the field of optics and it has granted more than half of all the bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in optics in the nation. So, this is a key place to be at this time and the distinguished faculties and researchers and scientists who are here are among those who will chart the future, who will cross the frontiers that are being discussed.

So how do we look at the future? Well, the innovation that is happening in our first-class institutions of learning is matched by those large companies which have their roots here, companies like Kodak and Xerox and Bausch & Lomb and Corning, as well as the countless medium and small-sized firms. More than 75% of the optics imaging and photonics businesses have 50 employees or fewer. And we know that optics is an enabling technology, that its applications can be found nearly everywhere -- in every home, every office, every manufacturing plant -- from telecommunications to Internet connectivity to photocopiers and security systems. And so, we see the present and we now are imagining, and you are creating, the future.

These latest applications, some of which I was briefed on, from improvements in fingerprint identification to tools that help medical technicians find a vein to draw blood or transfer life-saving medicine and you know, having gone through a week in the hospital with my husband, you know, finding veins is something that I have a lot of personal interest in seeing improved. And, so I think that the research here at this conference will have so many applications and perhaps even remove and destroy every cancer cell with a fiber optic probe, to detect cancer with a light that can look beneath the tissue's surface and measure cell features, to know that the nucleus enlarges in pre-cancerous cells, changing its light-scattering properties so that we can actually see cancer before it takes root. So, there is so much that is occurring and the connection with Rochester is one that I'm very proud of and the collaboration that exists here among the public and private and academic sectors really shows the way for what we're going to be doing in the future.

In addition to the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology, I also want to mention the work being done by Monroe Community College, the first college in the nation to offer a two-year degree for technicians in the optical field. And I really applaud the college because this is an area that community colleges can become more active in, and once again, Rochester is leading the way. So, I hope that these partnerships will make the research more fruitful and the applications more possible, and therefore, building on this very rich history. The idea behind these partnerships is what drove the Infotonics Technology Center, which itself is a model of public and private partnership here in the Rochester region. This is something that I think holds great promise because we believe that it is a unique kind of partnership which will take root and bring even more researchers and others to the region working with the state and federal government. The transition from research laboratory prototypes is a difficult and painstaking path and then the path from the prototypes to commercial application is even rockier. The Infotonics Center will help to make that transition easier and we hope it will also through collaboration with universities and private businesses help us to pull resources to decrease the risk for venture capital funds. And, to really help support those small entrepreneurs who may very well have the cutting-edge ideas.

Now, I was pleased to work on, from my end in Washington, on helping to fund some of these ventures. I worked to help achieve an appropriation of $1.7 million for the Infotonics Center and also an additional $1 million for the Center for Optics Manufacturing at the University of Rochester. But this is just the beginning of what we need; because as much progress as we've made, we're doing it in the context of a very discouraging and disheartening draw-down and backing off of funding basic research in our country.

There is no greater investment to generate long-term return to the economy than basic research. And the U.S. model for federal support for basic research conducted in our universities has not only fueled our economy but driven innovation around the world. Now this comes primarily from the federal government because the federal government can look at the longer term and does not have to justify quarterly returns and justify spending money on research that the marketing department wants spent on marketing. But we are seeing a slow down and a retrenchment when it comes to the federal commitment. Congress passed the National Science Foundation Authorizing Act in 2002 that authorized a 15% per year budget increase and I was very pleased about that because I thought that would put us on the right track through fiscal year 2007, yet the budget for this upcoming year has only a 3% increase and the federal budget investments in basic research is not as broad-based as it needs to be. It is, I think, ignoring, at our peril, science, engineering and mathematics.

Now, by contrast, we have made a very significant federal investment in biomedical research. In fact, we've doubled it over the last five years. It is now time for us to balance the federal R&D investment in basic science and to renew an emphasis of support on science. And support for the science and technology budget in the Department of Defense, the Office of Science in the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation should all be priorities.

Not only is research supported by these agencies crucial to the missions that they are charged with pursuing, but many of these do have direct commercial applications. The research money supports graduate students; this is a cornerstone of the ongoing efforts in our country to, you know, continue our lead in basic science. Since 1980, the number of non-academic science and engineering jobs has grown at more than 4 times the rate of the U.S. labor force as a whole. The Monroe County Community College program is an example of how that can work. According to the National Science Foundation's 2004 Science and Technology Indicators, universities and colleges perform nearly 54% of all basic research in 2002, far more than any other sector. And their commitment on campus to intellectual freedom and diversity are ideally suited to carry out basic research and to serve as a training ground for future scientists and high-tech workers.

So I'm a strong supporter of federal funding for research and development. I was an original co-sponsor of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, which did become law in December 2003. And I have strongly supported, from my position on the Armed Services Committee, the research expenditures in the Department of Defense Reauthorization Bill which provided $12 billion for science and technology. But we do see a leveling off; we don't see the kind of commitment commensurate with the opportunities that lie ahead.

We also need to do more through education. The National Science Foundation is encouraging more minority students to pursue careers in optics and photonics, and the NSF-funded “Making an Impact with Light” focuses on minority students, providing them with the nurturing and science education that all students need to succeed. So we have to make sure that our rhetoric about education is matched with resources and we're falling down there as well.

Finally, we need cooperation and we need open-mindedness. I know this is a non-partisan group, but I feel, I really do feel constrained to say that I think there is an assault on science. You know I have said that the current administration has tried to turn Washington at least into an evidence-free zone. And I think that the skepticism towards science, even the suppression of research, the changing of federal government Web sites to eliminate information that is ideologically uncomfortable is very troubling. And I know that a number of scientists have joined together over the last months and through a series of statements and papers have made your voices known on these issues and I hope you will continue to do so because we have made so many advances in the last century on the basis of investment in science and on the attraction of people from all over the world who have an open mind and the skills and talent necessary to subject any problem to a scientific inquiry, especially in optics and photonics, the subject of the conference. We know that there are boundless, limitless opportunities here whether we're speeding the transfer of information or redefining how we collect and share knowledge. We're really bound only by our imaginations that can help us to unlock the power of light and really serve as a beacon of light for advances in our nation.

And finally, I think that the role of scientists in public discourse is as important today in our country as it ever has been. We have a great need for voices to speak up and speak out. Often times when I speak with scientists or researchers, the last thing in the world they want to do is become a public figure and mount some kind of soap box to talk about the importance of science, but we do need your voices. We need your strong advocacy for science, and we need to remember that much of what we have achieved that is the real hallmark of the nation we've created is because we have up until now been unafraid and willing to stand up for science and research. I think if we ever turn from that, it will be not only a great disservice to ourselves, but it will be breaking faith with so many who struggled for the right of science to take its place in our world going back so many centuries. So I thank you for attending this conference, I thank you for the work you are doing, and I thank you for visiting Rochester which is really where it all started. Thank you all very much.