Wheeler said federal support will help a new generation of scientists, engineers and workers "find new ways to defend our country, create new technologies and cure diseases."
Nils Hasselmo, President of the Association of American Universities, a coalition of leading research schools, said government spending in basic research will pay real-life dividends.
Past federal investments, he said, "have led to significant improvements in the health, wealth and security of this country including a host of high-tech advances such as the Internet, the MRI and the global positioning system that we now take for granted."
Bush called for doubling federal spending on critical research programs in the physical sciences over 10 years, a proposed increase of $50 billion.
He asked for training an additional 70,000 teachers over five years to teach advanced math and science courses in high school, where demand for such classes has soared nationwide. He also proposed new math programs for elementary and middle school students, and reiterated his goal to lure thousands of mathematicians and scientists to become adjunct high school teachers.
— Associated Press
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