Gilbert Gutknecht: “Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate the National Science Foundation on its 50th anniversary. What the NSF…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate the National Science Foundation on its 50th anniversary. What the NSF does is very important to all of us and to future generations of America. The National Science Foundation was created to promote the progress of science, for health, economic, and defense purposes through basic research. Now basic research is critical to the future of the country because it serves as the building block for other research that many times private industry will not or cannot afford to do. This base of innovation provided by the NSF can then be utilized and built upon by private industry and help develop new sectors for our economy. Research and discoveries made and supported by the NSF affect our daily lives, from Doppler radar systems to Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRIs, to all kind of innovations which we enjoy today in America. NSF supports research and development in science and engineering through various partnerships from the elementary to the university level, as well as small business and nonprofit organizations, by providing grants to help fund these projects. In the end, America depends on science. Science fuels our economic booms, medical successes, and national security. Over 50 percent of our future economic growth will come from developments resulting from scientific research.”