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BOULDER, Colo. — One of the first visitors at the University of Colorado Boulder’s new Aerospace Engineering Sciences Building was the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who took a tour of the facilities Friday morning.

Jim Bridenstine, the head of NASA, said Colorado gets more funding from NASA compared to other states. He said both the professionals and students in the state play a role in forwarding the country’s goals.

“I’m thrilled to be here,” Bridenstine said.

Christopher Chaote, a staff engineer, said it was nice to have someone so high profile visit, and student Neil Benerjee agreed.

“It’s good to see that administration is interested in that kind of touring,” Benerjee said.

The relationship between the University of Colorado Boulder and NASA has been highly beneficial for students, Bridenstine said.

“Science books have been re-written based on what comes out of Colorado, history books have been re-written based on what comes out of Colorado,” he said. “So this is a great state for NASA and it’s why I’m here.”