U.S. Sen. Elizabeth A. Warren of Massachusetts does not mince words regarding her support for research in her remarks to a packed house at the opening of Northeastern’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex. “I believe in science,” she says to overwhelming applause, “strong independent science that asks the hard questions and goes wherever the data leads.”

Warren cites Alzheimer’s disease as an area of crucial investigation, as well as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and climate change. “Research is a part of our belief in the future,” she says. “We believe in the power of ideas, we believe in the power of learning more, we believe in a giant pipeline of ideas.”

ISEC will help fuel that power, she concludes. “This place will be a true temple of science.”

In earlier remarks, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey says ISEC “promises to be the hub of scientific breakthroughs and innovative engineering for years to come.”

He notes that Northeastern is helping create the 21st-century infrastructure in areas such as renewable energy, transportation, communications, health systems, climate change, coastal sustainability, and cybersecurity. “It’s all going to be housed here in one building,” he said. He also highlights Northeastern’s world-renowned co-op program, and that many students have worked in his offices in Massachusetts and Washington.

“Part of what makes Northeastern so special is that it works to ensure students are prepared to join the 21st-century workplace when they graduate,” he says.