 Greetings. Welcome to the Firestone Medical Research Building, the latest addition to UVM's campus, and the newest site for the fulfillment of our research mission. Great modern universities not only pass on long-established truths, they also embrace and foster a spirit of inquiry to produce new knowledge. Knowledge for its own sake and knowledge to solve real-world problems. As a leading public research university, the University of Vermont plays a vital role in creating new knowledge. Our faculty, staff, and student researchers are building on our distinctive strengths in creating healthy societies and a healthy environment. They perform their work at lab benches and in a host of other places such as the Proctor Maple Research Center, on Lake Champlain aboard our new research vessel, the Marcel, through statewide UVM extension programs and even at the summit of Mount Mansfield. In fact, UVM's research impact extends far beyond Vermont. Projects in locations around the globe deliver better human health, fight the advance of climate change, and help achieve a more equitable, just, and sustainable world. UVM's also a proud incubator of innovations that become successful businesses and attract more highly educated people to Vermont's workforce than any other organization. Thanks to the hard work of all involved, our research enterprise and our impact continue to grow. The National Science Foundation now ranks UVM among the nation's top 100 public research universities and last year our researchers garnered a record $250 million in external funding. And we're on track to continue our upward trajectory. The most significant products of our success are the discoveries and innovations that our research delivers to deal with the most pressing needs of our time. UVM's two newest research entities, the Food Systems Research Center and the Institute for Agroecology are key examples of our multi-disciplinary approach to addressing timely challenges and opportunities. Soon, they'll be followed by our new Institute for Rural Partnerships. Research makes a difference in this world and our students, both undergraduate and graduate, choose UVM because here they know they can make a difference from day one on campus. As an active researcher myself, I can attest to the crucial role students play in driving research forward. Our UVM students are the next generation of scientists, humanists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. While we work to solve the problems of today, it's just as important that we prepare the problem solvers of tomorrow. This is the promise of UVM's research success. Innovative, sustainable, impactful solutions for a better Vermont and a better world. Thank you.