The final event that promoted my goal of learning molecular biology and using it to study memory occurred in 1983, when the Howard Hughes Medical Institute asked me to join the nucleus of a group devoted to this new science of mind…By 2004 the institute’s endowment had risen to over $11 billion, and it supported 350 investigators…The motto of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is “People, not projects.” It believes that science flourishes when outstanding researchers are provided both the resources and the intellectual flexibility to carry out bold, cutting-edge work…With the support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in hand, we could now address questions about genes and memory. (p.252)