This afternoon, President Barack Obama welcomed over 100 students into the White House Science Fair, a celebration of tomorrow's leaders and today's makers. Accompanied by special guests Bill Nye and LaVar Burton, of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' fame, Obama used the event to champion the administration's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiative. Burton and Nye even took to Twitter Vine to promote the event in the White House's very first post using the service.
During his speech, The President explained: "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."
A White House Press release notes that 30 student teams were given the space to show off their gadgets at the prestigious event.
"The science fair projects of today could become the products and businesses of tomorrow," adds Obama. "Three students -Evan Jackson, Alec Jackson, and Caleb Robinson - these are the folks I talked about. They're from Flippen Elementary School. Keep in mind, they're in third, fourth grade, and they've already got this idea for COOL Pads so that [athletes don't] get overheated [when they're out on the field. If you're inventing stuff in the third grade, what are you going to do by the time you get to college?"
The federal government plans to invest heavily into the STEM program, starting with a $3.1 billion package to bolster education throughout the United States (via IVN).
"I'm proud to celebrate outstanding students at the White House Science Fair, and to announce new steps my Administration and its partners are taking to help more young people succeed in these critical subjects," concludes Obama.
For those of you who wish to indulge your nostalgia, Bill Nye also participated in a Google + hangout, which can be viewed below (via CNET). While the production values are more sparse than Nye's legendary TV series, the high dosage of science should be more than adequate for fans looking to get their fix.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
