Dinner in Honor of the 2019 American Nobel Laureates

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao
Dinner in Honor of the 2019 American Nobel Laureates
House of Sweden
Washington, DC
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Thank you, Ambassador Olofsdotter, for hosting this beautiful dinner in honor of the 2019 American Nobel Laureates.

This is the second time I’ve had the pleasure of participating in this auspicious occasion, and the opportunity to meet the American Laureates. 

Tonight is a celebration of their seminal achievements.  But it’s also an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of exploration, ingenuity and innovation that characterizes our country’s history and makes it such a special place.

These qualities are reflected in the fact that in addition to the American Laureates, several other 2019 Nobel Laureates were affiliated with American universities at the time of their awards.  It is a source of pride that American institutions of higher learning continue to attract the best and the brightest minds from around the world, as they work to advance the boundaries of human knowledge and understanding.   

Whether it’s exploring the exquisite mechanisms of the human body, designing solutions to societal challenges, or understanding the cosmos, there are endless uncharted realms waiting to be discovered and understood.  Tonight’s dinner is a tribute to the special kind of pioneer who with vision, tenacity and courage devotes his or her lifetime to unraveling these mysteries.    

So congratulations to this year’s winners!  Thank you for everything you are doing to advance human knowledge, and hopefully to make the world a better place for all of us.

Salute!

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