President Obama Admits It: He's a Science Nerd

I confessed, I am a science geek, I'm a nerd.

(audience applause)

And I don't make any apologies for it.

I don't make any apologies for it.

It's cool stuff.

And it is that thing that sets us apart.

That ability to imagine and hypothesize, and then test,

and figure stuff out and tinker, and make things.

And make 'em better.

And then break 'em down and rework 'em.

And that's why I get so riled up

when I hear people willfully ignore facts.

Or stick their heads in the sand

about basic scientific consensus.

It's not just that that position leads to bad policy.

It's also that it undermines the very thing

that has always made America the engine

for innovation around the world.

It's not just that they're saying climate change is a hoax,

or taking a snowball on the second floor to prove

that the planet's not gettin' warmer.

It's that they're doing everything they can

to gut funding for research and development.

Failing to make the kinds of investments

that brought up breakthroughs like GPS and MRIs,

and put Siri in our smartphones.

And stonewalling even military plans

that don't adhere to ideology.

That's not who we are.