Research excellence and diversity go hand in hand. In a competitive global economy, we cannot afford to leave any of our talent on the sidelines.
We know when people come from different backgrounds that they bring different experiences, ideas, and perspectives. This may allow them to ask different research questions and use different methodologies that are going to get results that benefit everyone.
I'll give you an example. I think of the first voice recognition software, which was calibrated to only male voices, or the first artificial heart valves, which were created by researchers who happened to be largely men. They created artificial heart valves that fitted only the male-sized heart.
We have excellent researchers in this country. I want them to have a shot. I have spent 25 years fighting for more diversity in research and I'm going to continue to do so.