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White House Celebrates Science Fair Winners


President Obama looks over science projects from the winners of the White House Science Fair.
Today, the President hosted the first-ever White House Science Fair celebrating the winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions.  The President  viewed exhibits of these students’ work, ranging from breakthrough basic research to new inventions, and followed by remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to our country’s economic future. 

Said President Obama, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too,” the President said.



In attendance: Secretary Steven Chu, Department of Energy;  Director John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy; Director Melody Barnes, White House Domestic Policy Council; Director Regina Dugan, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); Director Subra Suresh, National Science Foundation (NSF); Director Patrick Gallagher, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Deputy Director Cora Marrett, National Science Foundation (NSF); Associate Director and Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, Technology Division, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Associate Director Philip Coyle, National Security & International Affairs Division, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Associate Director Shere Abbott, Energy & Environment Division, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Deputy Associate Administrator John Hickey, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Nobel Laureates in attendance:  Dr. Baruch Blumberg, Dr. John Mather, Dr. Harold Varmus, Director, National Cancer Institute.

Leading STEM Educators in attendance: Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, MythBusters; Bill Nye of Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Major STEM Advocates in attendance: Norm Augustine, former Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin, Dean Kamen, Founder, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), Dr. Alan Leshner, CEO, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

For the list of exhibits and winners, click here.

The president is scheduled to appear on a December 8, 2010 episode of Discovery Channel’s MythBusters, a popular television show which uses science to determine the truth behind urban legends.

Video link.
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