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Helping More STEM Students get College-Ready

President Obama has emphasized that “higher education is still the best ticket to upward mobility in America.” More and more, well-paying jobs—especially those in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields—require education or training after high school. Educating the next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs is critical to the continued leadership of United States.
August 28, 2013 at 11:41 AM ET by Arun Seraphin and Danielle Carnival

Supporting American Manufacturing with Industrial Design

Today we congratulate our colleagues at the National Endowment for the Arts for their release of a new and fascinating report, "Valuing the Art of Industrial Design: A Profile of the Sector and Its Importance to Manufacturing, Technology, and Innovation"—the first comprehensive look by the Federal Government at the American industrial-design enterprise.
August 22, 2013 at 9:27 AM ET by Tom Kalil and Alex Slocum

We the (Immigrant) Geeks: Making the U.S. a Geek Magnet

Join us this Friday, August 23, at 12:00 pm EDT for a “We the (Immigrant) Geeks” Google+ Hangout on “Making the U.S. a Geek Magnet” – where you can meet extraordinary immigrant pioneers with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), who have made amazing discoveries, developed new inventions, founded high-growth companies, and conducted remarkable research.
August 21, 2013 at 10:27 AM ET by Bess Evans

Progress Toward Opening Government Data Resources

In May, the President signed an Executive Order to make government-held data more accessible to the public and to entrepreneurs and others as fuel for innovation, economic growth, and government efficiency. Today, we are building on this effort by releasing additional resources to help Federal agencies make data open and available in machine-readable form.
August 16, 2013 at 2:22 PM ET by Nick Sinai and Dominic Sale

Students Propose Innovative Ideas to Change Graduate Education

Earlier this summer, the National Science Foundation announced the winners of its Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge, the inaugural student challenge that invited graduate students to submit ideas on how to improve graduate education. Several recent reports have described a need to change graduate education to better prepare students for modern day challenges and for a range of career options in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
August 14, 2013 at 11:56 AM ET by Tom Kalil and Robbie Barbero

Honoring Tech Inclusion Champions of Change at the White House

Last week, the White House honored 11 heroes as Champions of Change for Tech Inclusion —leaders who have done extraordinary work to connect kids from underrepresented and underserved communities to tech skills and opportunities. President Obama has emphasized time and again that equipping students with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills is key to our Nation’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.
August 8, 2013 at 9:10 AM ET by Todd Park

We the Geeks: “Robots”

Join our next We the Geeks Google+ Hangout on Friday, August 9th to discuss robots.
August 6, 2013 at 1:41 PM ET by Phil Larson

Honoring Open Government and Civic Hacking Champions of Change

Last Tuesday, the White House honored 14 Open Government and Civic Hacking Champions of Change—extraordinary Americans working to improve their communities through technology, innovation, and civic participation. As entrepreneurs, innovators, organizers, and community leaders, these “Champions of Change” have made a tremendous positive impact.
July 29, 2013 at 10:44 AM ET by Brian Forde and Hollie Russon Gilman

Top White House Officials Convene All-Star Female Students for Candid Talk on Women in STEM

Today, at a private meeting in the West Wing of the White House, US Chief Technology Officer Todd Park, Deputy US Chief Technology Officer Jen Pahlka, and other senior Obama Administration officials specializing in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), met with five inspiring young women to discuss academic and career pathways in STEM—and barriers to the involvement of girls in those fields.
July 24, 2013 at 4:47 PM ET by Katie Dowd and Karrie Pitzer

We the Geeks Wrap Up: “Intelligence is our real Superpower”

Last week, the White House hosted another installment of its “We the Geeks” Google Hangout series, this time on “The Stuff Superheroes Are Made Of.” The Hangout featured top innovators working to develop materials and technologies that can enable real-life “superpowers” such as invisibility and super strength. Some of the participants even demoed their wares live on the air.
July 23, 2013 at 10:51 AM ET by Meredith Drosback

We the Geeks: The Stuff Superheroes Are Made Of

On Friday, June 19th, "We the Geeks" will be hosting a Google+ Hangout on "The Stuff Superheroes Are Made Of."
July 17, 2013 at 3:15 PM ET by Tom Kalil and Meredith Drosback

Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Common-Sense Immigration Reform

Last month, President Obama praised the Senate for passing commonsense immigration reform through a bipartisan bill that is the best opportunity we’ve had in years to fix the Nation's broken immigration system. If it were signed into law, this bill would benefit the U.S. economy, foster innovation, and encourage more job creation, as summarized in a recent White House report and animated video.
July 16, 2013 at 11:46 AM ET by Doug Rand

First Look at Next.Data.gov

Today, we’re excited to share a sneak preview of a new design for Data.gov, called Next.Data.gov. The upgrade builds on the President’s May 2013 Open Data Executive Order that aims to fuse open-data practices into the Federal Government’s DNA. Next.Data.gov is far from complete (think of it as a very early beta), but we couldn’t wait to share our design approach – knowing that we need your help to make it even better.
July 16, 2013 at 9:00 AM ET by Nick Sinai and Ryan Panchadsaram

A Smarter, More Innovative Government for the American People

This morning, the President held a meeting with his Cabinet and senior officials to lay out his vision for building a better, smarter, faster government over the course of his second term. During the meeting, the President directed Cabinet members and key officials in his Administration to build on the progress made over the first term, and he challenged us to innovate government even further.
July 8, 2013 at 1:49 PM ET by Steve VanRoekel and Todd Park

Golden Geese: Honking for Science

At a time when sequestration is forcing science-funding agencies to cut millions of dollars from their research budgets and short-sighted budget-cutters feel free to mock grant proposals just because they seem obscure or don’t have obvious potential for immediate impact, the story of William H. Coulter can be instructive.
July 3, 2013 at 6:14 PM ET by Bess Evans

Open Government is an Open Conversation

As part of our ongoing commitment to the international Open Government Partnership, the Obama Administration has committed to develop a second National Action Plan on Open Government. To accomplish this task effectively, we’ll need all-hands-on-deck. That’s why we plan to solicit and incorporate your input as we develop the National Action Plan “2.0.”
July 3, 2013 at 6:08 PM ET by Lisa Ellman and Hollie Russon Gilman

Leveraging Mental Muscle for Academic Excellence

Last month, a group of leading researchers, practitioners, and industry representatives convened to discuss how students’ beliefs about their academic abilities can affect how much they learn in school. Research demonstrates that when students learn that their academic ability is not a fixed trait, like eye color, but instead is like a muscle that can grow and develop with hard work, they do better in school.
June 28, 2013 at 11:32 AM ET by Maya Shankar and Tom Kalil

Hanging Out to Innovate for Global Good

The White House hosted a Google+ Hangout today to discuss science, engineering, and entrepreneurial skills and how they can improve the lives of the global poor.
June 27, 2013 at 6:33 PM ET by Robynn Steffen

Nominate a White House Champion of Change for Civic Hacking

Today, civic hackers—innovators applying their tech skills for civic good—are empowered by open government data to build tools, apps, and services that meet public needs at the national, state, and community level. That’s why we’re inviting you to nominate extraordinary civic hackers you know as White House Champion of Change.
June 27, 2013 at 9:51 AM ET by Brian Forde

The President's Action Plan to Fight Climate Change

Yesterday, in a speech at Georgetown University, President Obama laid out his comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, prepare our country for the impacts of climate change, and lead global efforts to fight it. The Plan recognizes that climate change is unequivocal, its primary cause is greenhouse gas pollution from burning fossil fuels, and it is threatening the health of our communities, families, and economy.
June 26, 2013 at 11:29 AM ET by

Mozilla Ignite Challenge Winners Announced

A year ago this month, OSTP and the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched the US Ignite initiative to jumpstart the development of software applications able to take advantage of the Nation’s growing but underutilized network of very-high-speed, gigabyte/second Internet connections. On Tuesday, at the US Ignite Partnership’s Application Summit in Chicago, IL, NSF and Mozilla announced the winners of the $500,000 Mozilla Ignite Challenge.
June 25, 2013 at 1:00 PM ET by Nick Maynard

We the Geeks: Innovation for Global Good

Geeks have had a lasting positive impact on the lives of millions of people in the developing world. The White House will host a “We The Geeks” Google+ Hangout this Thursday to discuss innovation for global good with some of the creative minds making it happen.
June 24, 2013 at 7:49 PM ET by Tom Kalil, Robynn Sturm Steffen

Two Years Later, Bold New Steps for the Materials Genome Initiative

Two years ago today, President Obama launched the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), a collaborative endeavor of the public and private sectors designed to double the pace of innovation, manufacture, and deployment of high-tech materials in America.Today, universities, companies, Federal agencies, and other partners announced more than twenty new commitments to kick-start an ambitious third year for the MGI.
June 24, 2013 at 9:07 AM ET by Tom Kalil and Cyrus Wadia

Celebrating “Open Science” Champions of Change at the White House

Yesterday at the White House, Obama Administration officials honored 13 extraordinary leaders and organizations selected as “Champions of Change” for their work using and promoting open scientific data and publications to grow our economy and improve our world. At the event, the Champions were invited to highlight projects and initiatives that are helping make “open” the default for scientific research results.
June 21, 2013 at 4:44 PM ET by Anjelika Deogirikar and Michael Stebbins

We the Geeks: Building a 21st Century Resume

Digital badges are becoming an important resume builder in today's society. On Thursday, the White House is hosting a "We The Geeks" Google+ Hangout to discuss digital badges.
June 19, 2013 at 4:50 PM ET by Thomas Kalil

Open Data Going Global

The Open Data Charter outlines principles that member countries—the US, UK, France, Canada, Germany, Russia, Italy, and Japan–will act on, including an expectation that all government data will be published openly by default, and that signatories will work to increase the quality, quantity, and re-use of released data. The G8 Open Data charter builds upon recent historic steps the US has taken domestically.
June 19, 2013 at 3:50 PM ET by Nick Sinai and Marina Martin

Nominate a White House Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion

This July, the White House will host a “Champions of Change” event on Tech Inclusion. This event will celebrate and honor local change-agents who are making these moments of wonder and discovery happen for kids – specifically those making a difference for kids from communities underrepresented in technology, like girls and minorities.
June 18, 2013 at 3:45 PM ET by Todd Park

New Tools to Help the Hungry and Malnourished

Last week, following the publishing of a new series on maternal and child nutrition in the medical journal The Lancet , governments, donors, non-profits, academia, and the private sector came together to focus on undernutrition at events in London and Washington, DC. The events provided an opportunity for the United States and other participants to highlight existing and planned actions to address undernutrition.
June 18, 2013 at 12:43 PM ET by Hillary Chen

Innovators Address the Wage Gap with Apps and Open Data

Last week, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act by President Kennedy, President Obama recognized innovators who have used open government data to build tools that address the wage gap.That gap has grown considerably smaller since the Kennedy era, but it has not disappeared.
June 17, 2013 at 12:33 PM ET by Xavier Hughes and Brian Forde

R&D Roadmap Points Way to Biological Preparedness

OSTP today released the National Biosurveillance Science and Technology Roadmap, which identifies and prioritizes research and development (R&D) needs with the goal of giving decision makers and responders the information they need to protect the public from biological threats. The Roadmap builds upon the National Strategy for Biosurveillance, published in July 2012.
June 17, 2013 at 9:14 AM ET by Franca Jones