By Dr. Rita R. Colwell, Director, U.S. National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A, August 4, 2000
(Read to conference attendees by Dr. Win Aung at Opening Ceremony on August 14, 2000, at the Grand Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.)
(The following is a JPEG version of the original letter; print it for a high quality version)