We meet in an hour of change and challenge
In a decade of hope and fear
In an age of both knowledge and ignorance
The greater our knowledge increases
The greater our ignorance unfolds
Despite the striking fact
That most of the scientists that the world has ever known
Are alive and working today
Despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower
Is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth
More than three times that of our population as a whole
Despite that
The vast stretches of the unknown
And the unanswered
Still far outstrip
Our collective comprehension