President Barack Obama visited Pittsburgh on June 2, 2010, speaking about national economic issues from Carnegie Mellon University. He pointed to the Pittsburgh region’s economic, environmental and quality of life transformation – strongly propelled by excellence in technology, innovation and community collaboration – as an example of the bright future that’s possible through deliberate investment in innovative, sustainable solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems:
“The possibilities of where this research might lead us are endless. Imagine a new treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched, or regenerative medicine that ends the agonizing wait for an organ transplant. Imagine a lightweight vest for soldiers and police officers that can stop armor-piercing bullets, or educational software that's as effective and engaging as a personal tutor, or intelligent prosthetics that can enable a wounded veteran to play piano again. And now imagine all the workers and small business owners and consumers who would benefit from these discoveries.
“We can't know for certain what the future will bring … I'm sure there were times when [Pittsburgh] couldn't imagine life without steel mills and the heavy smog that filled these streets. And when that industry shrank and so many jobs were lost, who could've guessed that Pittsburgh would fare better than many other Rust Belt cities, and reemerge as a center for technology, green jobs, health care, and education? Who would've thought that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's logo would one day adorn the U.S. Steel Tower, or that this institute of higher education would be the region's largest employer?
All of this came to be because, as a community, you prepared and adapted and invested in a better future -- even if you weren't sure of what that future would look like.”
Read the full transcript.
Copyright (C) 2010 Allegheny Conference on Community Development All rights reserved.
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