Pete Domenici: “it is now over 60 years ago that a brilliant, charismatic man arrived on the scene in my home State of New Mexico. He…”

“it is now over 60 years ago that a brilliant, charismatic man arrived on the scene in my home State of New Mexico. He cut an odd figure and began a strange recruiting effort for a secret project at an undisclosed location for an undetermined period of time. Who was this man and what was the upshot? His name was J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant and charismatic American physicist. We all know something of him, and we might have different views, one from another. But he was collecting the best scientific minds of his time worldwide, not just Americans, for he had the Fermis from Italy, husband and wife. Some say, as they assessed the brilliance of the team, Enrico Fermi led the pack. I don't know which; it was 60 years ago. But I do know they were asked and recruited by Mr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. He was collecting the minds and taking them on a mysterious journey to a remote mesa in New Mexico. The task was to develop the first atomic bomb. The collective scientific brain power of the Manhattan Project, and the awesome power it produced, would change the world forever. The scientists at Los Alamos ushered in a new era. Their sacrifice and their ingenuity created a story for the ages. More specifically, their legacy for us is to consider today, and is to find out that there is great value in an awesome power of science and mathematics education. That is what brings me to the Senate floor, and that is why I rise in strong support of this bill under consideration.”