As the Wall Street Journal notes, Gates spoke today at an alternative energy conference outside of Washington today that was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

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He took a course designed by a geneticist who helped launch the Human Genome Project, Harvard colleague George Church. (Mr. Gates passed the course, he proudly notes, with a required score of 100.) He also boned up via laptop with video lectures from the Teaching Company, and often consults Ivy League peers by email.

WSJ: Henry Louis Gates Jr. on 'Finding Your Roots'

Mike Davidson, former assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, notes that Gates is respected among military officers.

NPR: What to Expect from a Gates Pentagon

Not that he resents everything the Gates Foundation did to combat malaria: governments, he notes, had failed to invest in this area, so the foundation's decision to throw money at malaria was laudable.

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He also notes that as a member of the Baker panel, Gates will bring perspective on the issues facing the administration on Iraq.

NPR: What to Expect from a Gates Pentagon