Apr. 27 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 and hard work and patience; it takes training; can’t answer every question, and indeed, it it requires the support of a nation. But it holds seems at times the more we plumb the myster- a promise like no other area of human endeav- ies of the physical world, the more humble we or. must be. Science cannot supplant our ethics or In 1968, a year defined by loss and conflict our values, our principles or our faith. But sci- and tumult, Apollo 8 carried into space the ence can inform those things and help put first human beings ever to slip beyond Earth’s those values—these moral sentiments, that gravity, and the ship would circle the Moon 10 faith—can put those things to work, to feed a times before returning home. But on its fourth child or to heal the sick, to be good stewards of orbit, the capsule rotated and for the first time this Earth. Earth became visible through the windows. We are reminded that with each new dis- Bill Anders, one of the astronauts aboard covery and the new power it brings comes new Apollo 8, scrambled for a camera, and he took responsibility; that the fragility, the sheer spe- a photo that showed the Earth coming up over cialness of life requires us to move past our the Moon’s horizon. It was the first ever taken differences and to address our common prob- from so distant a vantage point, and it soon be- lems, to endure and continue humanity’s striv- came known as “Earthrise.” ings for a better world. Anders would say that the moment forever As President Kennedy said when he ad- changed him, to see our world, this pale blue dressed the National Academy of Sciences sphere, without borders, without divisions, at more than 45 years ago: “The challenge, in once so tranquil and beautiful and alone. “We short, may be our salvation.” came all this way to explore the Moon,” he Thank you all for all your past, present, and said, “and the most important thing is that we future discoveries. May God bless you. God discovered the Earth.” bless the United States of America. Yes, scientific innovation offers us a chance to achieve prosperity. It has offered us bene- NOTE: The President spoke at 9:12 a.m. In his fits that have improved our health and our remarks, he referred to Ralph J. Cicerone, lives, improvements we take too easily for president, National Academy of Sciences; granted. But it gives us something more. At John P. Holdren, Director, White House Of- root, science forces us to reckon with the truth fice of Science and Technology Policy; Secre- as best as we can ascertain it. tary of Homeland Security Janet A. Napolita- And some truths fill us with awe. Others no; Secretary of Energy Steven Chu; and Sec- force us to question long-held views. Science retary of Education Arne Duncan.

Remarks Honoring the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Champion University of Connecticut Huskies April 27, 2009

Hello, everybody. Please have a seat. Have a runs the UCONN program, from the assis- seat—except you guys. You guys can’t sit. tants to the trainers, to the students to the tick- [Laughter] It is just wonderful to be here on et-takers, and of course, the UCONN fans ev- this beautiful day. Congratulations to Coach erywhere, you should all be extraordinarily Geno on just the incredible season that took proud. place as a consequence of these extraordinary And I want to thank again Coach, and his young women. wife Kathy, for being here. Congratulations al- I want to just say that it is a thrill. This is one so on being coach of the year, although when of my favorite things about the job. I am a big you win by an average of 30 points, it’s not that fan. I want to congratulate everybody who hard of a selection to make. [Laughter] And

562 Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 / Apr. 27 we are thrilled that you’re going to be coaching They also spend time off the court in service the women’s basketball team in the 2012 Olym- to others. “Geno’s Cancer Team”—and I’m pics. You’re going to do a great job. wearing a bracelet that I just got, right here, I Under Coach Auriemma’s leadership, this want to show it off—raises money to fight can- Huskies program has redefined excellence cer. And these young women visit pediatric pa- again and again: six of the last 15 NCAA titles; tients, mentor at-risk youth to show they can five undefeated regular seasons; three unde- make something of themselves, and give their feated championship seasons; two 39 and 0 sea- time to folks in the communities who need it sons. But for this team, an undefeated season most. just wasn’t enough, they became the first team All of this makes the Storrs community stron- in NCAA history, men or women’s, to win every ger; it makes the State of Connecticut stronger; single game by double digits, which is just an it makes our country stronger, and I know this unbelievable statistic. team gets a lot out of it in return. I want to congratulate also Maya, who is I also want to say something as a father. You here—Maya Moore—there you are. Raise your know, it was this program in the mid-1990s as hand. Naismith Award, National Player of the much as anything that helped propel women’s Year, and an equally impressive achieve- basketball into the national consciousness. And ment—Maya was one of only five players cho- thanks to players like each of these women and sen nationwide as first-team Academic All- those who came before them, our young wom- American. So give it up for Maya. en today look at themselves differently, espe- cially tall young women, like my daughters. My Renee Montgomery—where’s Renee? There girls look at the TV when I’m watching you are, Renee, holding the ball—for winning SportsCenter and they see women staring back. the Honda Sports Award that recognizes the That shows them that they can be champions top women’s player in the country not just for too. And so, as a father, I want to thank all of athletics, but also academics, leadership, and you. Thank you to all the NCAA female athletes willingness to give back to her community; and who work hard day in, day out to set a positive to all the players who make a true team. example to which our daughters can all aspire, It’s clear these women have a competitive to be healthy and active, to be part of a team. streak, that’s from what I understand, they have Finally, I understand that Coach Geno has trouble sometimes turning off that competitive promised to go 40 and 0 next season. [Laughter] streak. I’ve heard that “Movie Pictionary” gets So, Coach, if that happens, I guarantee you that pretty fierce among the women here. [Laugh- you will be welcome back at the White House. ter] [Laughter] But Coach Geno and each of these women All right, give them a big round of applause. also understands that being champion doesn’t stop when you step off the court. Just last week, NOTE: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. on the these ladies were recognized by the NCAA for South Portico at the White House. In his re- top academic performance as a team. And over marks, he referred to Geno Auriemma, head the course of 24 seasons, Coach Geno’s teams coach, Maya Moore, forward, and Renee Mont- have a 100-percent graduation rate. That is wor- gomery, guard, University of Connecticut wom- thy of some applause. en’s basketball team.

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