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By The President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
At its core,
science is an international endeavor. The fundamental workings of nature
-- the function of a gene, the quantum behavior of matter and energy, the
chemistry of the atmosphere -- are not the sole province of any one
nation. At the same time, many of the greatest challenges our Nation
faces are of global concern. Issues such as poverty, disease, pollution,
and sustainable energy production transcend national boundaries, and their
solutions require international collaboration. With the advent of the
Internet and the revolution in communications technology, such cooperation is
more achievable -- and more productive -- than ever before.
In recent years, America has participated in numerous scientific
endeavors that illustrate the feasibility and the benefits of international
cooperation. For example, as one of 16 participating nations, we are
advancing the frontiers of space exploration through a partnership to build the
International Space Station. Working together in the unique environment
of space, we will strive to solve crucial problems in medicine and ecology and
lay the foundations for developing space-based commerce.
We are also participating in an international scientific effort to map
and sequence all human chromosomes. With the completion of the Human
Genome Project, we will have unprecedented knowledge about the cause of such
genetic diseases as muscular dystrophy and Alzheimer's and greater hope of
preventing them in the future.
Since the 1980s, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment
Program and the World Meteorological Organization, American scientists have
been working with hundreds of scientists around the world to identify,
understand, and raise public awareness about the threat to our planet's ozone
layer. Our collaborative efforts have led to an international agreement
to eliminate nearly all production of offending chemicals in industrialized
countries and to work to reduce their production in developing countries.
Our Nation continues to reap rewards from these and other important
international scientific efforts. We benefit enormously from the large
and growing international scientific community within our borders. For
generations, the world's brightest scientists have come to our country to study
and conduct research, and many choose to remain here permanently. From
Albert Einstein to four of this year's Nobel laureates, foreign-born scientists
in America have made extraordinary contributions to science and technology and
have played a vital role in the unprecedented prosperity and economic growth we
have experienced in recent years.
The great French scientist Louis Pasteur noted more than a century ago
that "science knows no country, because knowledge
belongs to humanity, and
is the torch which illuminates the world." During Global Science and
Technology Week, America joins the world community in celebrating the
immeasurable benefits we have enjoyed from international scientific
collaboration and looks forward to a future of even greater achievements.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 7 to May 13, 2000, as Global
Science and Technology Week. I call upon students, educators, and all the
people of the United States to learn more about the international nature of
science and technology and the contributions that international scientists have
made to our Nation's progress and prosperity.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May,
in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
Office of Science
and Technology Policy
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W
Washington, DC 20502
202.395.7347
Information@ostp.eop.gov
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