Science education went to the head of the class at the White House on Tuesday, with President Barack Obama announcing a $35 million competition for teacher training programs - and checking out an all-star lineup of science fair projects.
'We're so proud of you,' Obama told Elana Simon, an 18-year-old from New York who survived a bout with a rare liver cancer when she was 12 and developed a genetic database for patients with the same disease. 'Can I just say, I did not do this at 12, 13, or 18. ... This is just a sample of the kind of outstanding young talent that we've got.'
The president chatted with kids from more than two dozen science-fair teams as he made his way through the State Dining Room. At one point, he lingered to play catch with a catapult that was built by a group of Massachusetts teens to study basketball shooting technique.
Obama played it safe by watching one of the kids demonstrate the mechanical basketball-hurler first.
'Last time I was here, there was a guy shooting marshmallows ... that thing went fast!' Obama said, recalling a science-fair demonstration that went viral in 2012. The president looked up at the ceiling and joked, 'That marshmallow might still be there.'
Obama has traditionally used science fairs to highlight programs that promote careers in science, technology, engineering and math - a group of disciplines known collectively as STEM.
Among this year's announcements was the latest twist in Obama's 'Educate to Innovate' campaign to spark interest in science careers: an additional $35 million in grants, to be awarded competitively to programs that provide preparation and training for STEM teachers.
Other newly announced initiatives included:
Expansion of the STEM AmeriCorps program, which was launched at last year's White House Science Fair, to provide learning opportunities for 18,000 low-income students this summer. New mentoring programs in seven cities, supported by the public-private US2020 effort. The cities include Allentown, Pennsylvania; Chicago; Indianapolis; North Carolina's Research Triangle Park; Philadelphia; San Francisco; and Wichita, Kansas. A nationwide campaign called 'Aprender es Triunfar,' aimed at inspiring Latino STEM students. A centerpiece of the campaign, launched by NBC Universal's Hispanic Enterprises and Content, is a new documentary film titled 'Underwater Dreams.' A series of interactive online lessons to help more students learn the math and science behind going to Mars, presented by Khan Academy and NASA.
This year's event, the fourth-ever White House Science Fair, put special emphasis on highlighting the role of girls and women in STEM. Obama noted that men still outnumber women when it comes to studying and working in science - particularly in such fields as engineering and computer science.
'Half our team we're not even putting on the field,' he said. 'We've got to change those numbers.'
Kari Byron, a host on the Discovery Channel's popular 'Mythbusters' TV show, joined Bill Nye the Science Guy as an emcee for the daylong event. One of the projects featured was the prize-winning 'Hello Navi' app for visually challenged students, which was developed by a team of sixth-grade girls at a Texas middle school.
Another science-fair star was Maria Hanes, a 19-year-old woman from California who designed a 'Concussion Cushion' for football players' helmets - and who aspires to become the first female head coach of a collegiate football team.
The youngest participants included a troop of 8-year-old Girl Scouts who invented a 'Flood Proof Bridge,' and a trio of Oklahoma second-graders who designed an alarm system for cars that get too hot.
First published May 27 2014, 9:01 AM
Alan BoyleAlan Boyle is the science editor for NBC News Digital. He joined MSNBC.com at its inception in July 1996, and took on the science role in July 1997 with the landing of NASA's Mars Pathfinder probe. Boyle is responsible for coverage of science and space for NBCNews.com.Boyle joined NBCNews.com from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, where he was the foreign desk editor from 1987 to 1996. Boyle has won awards for science journalism from numerous organizations, including the National Academies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Science Writers. Boyle is the author of 'The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference.' He lives in Bellevue, Wash.
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