We are fortunate to have a diverse population in this country. Diversity brings toughness. Unfortunately, we have not recognized it as the goldmine that it is. Our diversity provides us with different perspectives, unique problem-solving skills, talents to compete in the world as well as in domestic markets and a mix that strengthens our national establishments.

We, the National Science Foundation (NSF), are united in the need to diversify the science and technology workforce so that it looks like the ever-changing composition of our national character. It is not only the right thing to do or the just thing; it is the smart thing. It is the best move we can make to ensure our nation's future, for there is not better way to capture world leadership than by capitalizing on our nation's extraordinary diversity.

The increasing complexity of the sciences and engineering today demand that we marshal different perspectives and bring them to the table where issues are defined and solutions are created. Our society is rooted in science and technology, and it simply cannot sustain itself, let alone be robust, without a world-class cadre of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. So, diversification is vital to maintaining our science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce and our ability to compete. Our entire workforce must be educated and trained just to remain fluid in a society that is increasingly complex. Students must be functionally literate across disciplinary boundaries.

Yesterday, workers mastered their profession and worked within the limited walls of a sole discipline. Now, workers take the tools of their individual disciplines and expand them to adapt to new interactions, changing the character of their disciplines in their wakes while expanding knowledge and research. These sophisticated tools empower us to perform the extraordinary. They herald new ways to answer questions and they push fields to the frontiers, to the leading edge of forward progress. Our STEM workforce, in particular, will be critical to this task. Participation in this specialized workforce must come from the underrepresented and mostly untapped potential of minorities. They can be called America's competitive edge for the 21st century.

As nations with high tech economies begin to grow they become our competitors for products. Even though the U.S. leads other nations in specific fields of science and technology that lead may be only temporary. Many nations excel in imitation and application rather than innovation. The U.S. had the clear lead in information technologies ten years ago. Now, competitive nations are aggressively investing in information technology and diminishing our lead. How are we going to compete if we don't have the necessary human resources?

We have already seen the convergence of knowledge in the natural sciences through the expansion of interdisciplinary work that includes the social, behavioral and economic sciences. They must now join in full partnership with STEM research. For example, science, technology, engineering and mathematics must work together to protect us and to help us prevent future terrorist acts. The social and behavioral sciences can help us understand and anticipate the reactions and responses of the human universe. The social sciences play an important role in addressing systemic problems, issues as diverse as the war on terrorism and workforce competency. Social science is integral if we are going to proceed with insight and understand the context and background of these problems. That is why the NSF in its 2003 budget request has included a new priority for the social, behavioral and economic research that will explore the interactions between technology and society.

The social sciences help us empower the workforce and by doing so we empower society. If we are going to have a productive workforce, we need to reexamine our assumptions about education across the board-from kindergarten to life-long learning. The NSF is committed to this task, and we are here to help. Our mission is to promote better education and greater opportunity throughout the country. Science is the frontier of progress-especially human progress. The seeds of innovation are here, and our nation's progress will come from you (underrepresented students) and those who guide you. We commend the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) for a job well done in creating excitement and encouraging of minority populations to participate enthusiastically in STEM careers, and remind you that we are all still at the beginning of a long and difficult process.

To the students…I encourage you; I urge you; I exhort you to pursue graduate school careers, earn your Ph.D.s and enter into productive lives as scientists, engineers or mathematicians. It is your creativity, your arguments and your opinions that are essential to our nation's forward progress. Your success will serve as an inspiration to others who will be encouraged to follow in your footsteps. You will be the movers and shakers to attract others into STEM disciplines. With your help, we are changing the composition of science and engineering graduate programs, a step that will go a long way to diversifying participation in the STEM workforce.