Ed Markey: “today, the Senate should confirm a visionary scientist and thinker and one who will serve with distinction as Director…”

“today, the Senate should confirm a visionary scientist and thinker and one who will serve with distinction as Director of the Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Eric Lander represents the kind of new American pioneer, one committed to exploring horizons defined not by the boundaries of land and shore but of genes and genius, a pioneer who sees unanswered questions not as barriers but as an expanse of possibility. He exemplifies what it means to represent a place where scientific progress is a part of our DNA. Eric's breadth of knowledge, unparalleled experience, and innovative spirit make him uniquely suited to lead. With Dr. Lander at the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, all Americans will be his students, sharing his passion for science, discovery, and achievement. Dr. Lander started his career as a mathematician. He has taught economics and has been one of the world's foremost biomedical scientists for decades. When I was a young boy who refused to do his homework, my mother would threaten that she would donate my brain to Harvard as a completely unused human organ. Somehow, she anticipated Dr. Lander and his work on the Human Genome Project and founding of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, which reflect his deep understanding of how science and policy can inform one another. At the Broad Institute, he pursued collaborative science, bringing together biologists, clinicians, chemists, engineers, and computational scientists.…”