Young Scientists Get Special White House Treatment
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Top athletes have been honored with presidential receptions and photo-ops for years, but on Monday President Barack Obama welcomed a younger, different set of victorious competitors at the first White House Science Fair. NY1's Shazia Khan filed the following report. There's always a sense of pride when showing off your science fair project, but Monday marked a special event when President Barack Obama hosted the first-ever White House Science Fair. Winners from national Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) competitions gathered at the State Dining Room for a presidential celebration of their achievements.
“When you win first place at a science fair, nobody's rushing the field or dumping Gatorade over your head, but in many ways our future depends on what happens in those contests," said the president.
“It was definitely encouraging to hear that someone at that level was so interested in a project that we are actually working on," said a science fair participant.
The White House Science Fair was organized as part of the president's "Educate To Innovate" initiative. The $700 million public and private campaign was launched a year ago to bolster the performance of students across the nation in math and science over the next 10 years. The president struck a familiar refrain.
“One assessment shows American 15-year-olds ranked 21st in science and 25th in math when compared to their peers around the world," said Obama.
“We're partnered with a team in Singapore and they are always up there in the rankings. You can see the difference in how things work and you really want to get to that sort of level," said a coach of some of the winners.
From rockets to robots to water filtration systems, the young innovators demonstrated their top-prize projects and shared their breakthrough research with the president.
Diego Vasquez and Antonio Hernandez developed a motorized chair to help people with physical disabilities.
“To invent something that people can use and benefit from is an amazing thing to do," said Hernandez.
Some of the members of "Inventioneers" who won this year's FIRST Lego League World Festival, showed their winning "smart wheel device," which is designed to prevent texting while driving.
Brian Evarts, who home schools his children, was on hand to cheer on his winning pupils.
“If they are interested in something, feed them, shovel as much as you can, as fast as you can and be able to support as they investigate these things," said Evarts.
The students also have some advice on how America can better compete.
“I think the first step is making all the students just making them aware of what engineering, science and technology are all about, because there are so many talents people who aren't exposed to it when they are young," said a student.
Obama said he hoped to see these young stars back at the White House, as perhaps future Nobel Prize winners.
NY1 and its parent company Time Warner Cable are major supporters of the Obama administration's ongoing attempt to increase math and science proficiency nationwide. Parents and students interested in pursuing after-school programs in science, technology, engineering and math can visit www.connectamillionminds.com for details.