"There are a lot of kids your age who cannot dream the way in which you can dream," he said. "You owe something to the society that has given you the opportunity and has allowed you to be successful. So, as you go forward, remember there are a lot of kids your age who are having trouble, just getting into high school, staying in high school and graduating. There are a lot of kids who have not been given the opportunity that you have."
To sustained applause, he said, "When you reach down and keep a kid in school and keep that kid moving forward, maybe the kid only graduates with a 2.5, but you never know where that kid might turn up later in life! I assure you, when you do that, when you touch a life like that, it will give you far greater satisfaction and warmth in your heart and soul than any award you might get through this program."
Science is "a wonderful profession," said Nobel Laureate and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who delivered the keynote address. "Most of the great discoveries are yet to be discovered. For example, 95 percent of all the matter of the universe, all the stuff of the universe, is something we don't have a clue as to what it is -- seriously!"
Craig R Barrett, chairman, Intel Corporation board, said, "Let's redouble our efforts going forward as a society, as a group, as a country -- to make sure that all of our young people have the education opportunity that these 40 finalists we see tonight have. That is our future."
Image: Nilesh Tripuraneni (center) of Fresno, California being awarded ninth place in the Intel Science Talent Search 2009 by Craig Barrett and Elezabeth Marincola.
Also see: Indian kids rule
Advertisement
