This is the 9/11 message I send to all my current and former students:

It’s a day to reflect on September 11.  One way to keep our country strong is to be relentless with learning.  You need to learn all you can so that you can help make our nation stronger by developing the best technology, engineering, materials, and medicines in the world.

One of your goals for your education is to prepare yourself for a future for which you do not yet know – you’re not just learning facts.  You are learning how to analyze, predict, think and create; these are the skills that the great leaders and scientists have implemented that have led us from tough times into great times for our nation.

It is YOUR responsibility to determine how you can make our nation stronger. You can do this with your talents and abilities, but it is mostly your dedication to hard work and continual learning that will make the difference and propel the United States to a great future.