At his Senate confirmation hearing, Marburger said, "More than any other nation, we have used science and technology wisely to create peace, advance democracy, and provide for the well being of our citizens." At the hearing, Rep. Boehlert praised Marburger as "an excellent manager" and "a natural leader." These are abilities that will be needed, Boehlert added, "to work with the turf-conscious R&D agencies and the Office of Management and Budget."

Prior to becoming Brookhaven Director in 1994 Marburger was President of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. "I believe my professional career over the last three decades - as a Professor of physics and electrical engineering, as a university Dean and President, and as the Director of the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory - has provided me with the knowledge and experience to meet the needs and expectations of this office," Marburger stated. He promised to "seek the counsel and wisdom of the best minds in the science and engineering community," and to "ensure that our science and technology portfolio is responsive to Presidential and Congressional intent, that our cross-cutting programs are well-coordinated, and that our research and development funds are efficiently used."

When asked how, "at a time when science is more important than ever before," Congress can ensure that it has the best possible science to inform its policy decisions, Marburger said that Congress must generally rely on outside sources for scientific information, and questioned whether it is possible to define a core set of principles for what constitutes "real science, as opposed to junk science." When asked whether the "peer-review process is flexible enough to be a pretty good guide," Marburger responded, that sometimes good ideas "come from left field." He said policies need to have sufficient flexibility for "an occasional wild card" or off-the-wall idea, and that ideas should not be discarded just because "most people don't agree with them." Taking this into account, he agreed that "peer-review is the right approach."

Regarding good practice, he asked, "as determined by whom?" He noted that "there are some awfully sloppy scientists...who are very brilliant," and cautioned that it was important to recognize that "science progresses in a very opportunistic way." An idea can "come out of the blue," he said, but if it stimulates new thought and new avenues of approach, it should be looked at, and tested against nature. He acknowledged that different fields have a diversity of methods, and pointed out that some areas of science are more amenable to modeling and simulation than others. But, he added, "nature has to be the final arbiter."

"If you try to get a broad range of opinion" on which to base policy, Marburger remarked, "sometimes you get just that; a broad range of opinion." He said someone was needed to integrate those opinions with knowledge and insight in order to craft effective policy. In general, Marburger thought the nation's regulatory mechanisms for science "are quite strong."

Marburger said he had been assured appropriate access to President Bush. He commented that he had felt "good vibes" in conversations with White House officials, and had felt comfortable expressing his opinions freely. "I expect that when I have something important to say," he said, "the President will hear it," either directly or through appropriate channels.