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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

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Open Data for a Clean, Secure Energy Future

The Obama Administration recently launched a series of Open Data Initiatives—in health, public safety, education, and energy. The Energy Data Initiative (EDI) aims to help Americans benefit from entrepreneurial innovation enabled by open energy data from the US government and other sources. By making energy data available to entrepreneurs, new products and services will continue to emerge to help American families and business save energy and money, protect the environment, and ensure a reliable energy future.
July 12, 2012 at 11:42 AM ET by Todd Park, David Danielson and Richard Kauffman

@TechGirls: Brilliant, Fearless and Passionate

A group of young women from the Middle East and North Africa interested in careers in science and technology – also known as TechGirls – visited the White House for an interactive discussion about the ways women can utilize innovation and technology to make a difference in the world
July 6, 2012 at 12:27 PM ET by Suzanne Philion

Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden Honor Nation’s Top Science and Math Teachers

A group of nearly 100 junior high and high school teachers from across the country received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) this week. Today, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden, a longtime educator, met with these teachers at the White House to thank them for their commitment to our Nation’s students.
June 29, 2012 at 4:54 PM ET by

A Big Step Forward For Actors’ Rights Around the World

Today in Beijing, China, the United States and the other member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) finalized an important new treaty to strengthen the economic rights of film actors and other performers.
June 26, 2012 at 3:12 PM ET by Quentin Palfrey

Talking to Explorers Underwater

Yesterday I placed a call to the explorers currently undertaking a 12-day mission beneath the waves of the Florida Keys to help us test and prove concepts for outer space missions. The 16th crew of NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) is focusing their activities on helping us understand what a mission to an asteroid will be like.
June 21, 2012 at 3:41 PM ET by Administrator Charles Bolden

NASA, FAA: Working Together to Expand U.S. Space Travel

Today, NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the signing of an historic agreement to coordinate standards for transporting both government and non-government astronauts to and from space.
June 18, 2012 at 5:43 PM ET by Bobby Dresser

Unleashing Innovation & Deepening Democracy Through Prizes

Today in Washington, hundreds of leaders from the White House and Federal agencies joined their peers from the Nation's most recognizable companies and organizations to develop strategies to use prizes and competitions as a key method to spark innovation and deepen citizen engagement.
June 12, 2012 at 2:15 PM ET by Jean Case

Disability Employment App Challenge: Educating Employers and Job Seekers with Disabilities

The Department of Labor is challenging entrepreneurs and developers to create apps, using government data, that improve access to job training and transportation resources for those with disabilities.
June 12, 2012 at 11:57 AM ET by Kareem Dale and Brian Forde

Income-Based Repayment: Tell Us Your Story!

Last week, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum that will streamline the application process for “Income Based Repayment” (IBR), a way for borrowers to cap their monthly student loan payments at 15% of income. The President has also taken action to lower this cap to just 10% by the end of 2012, likely reducing monthly student loan payments for over 1.6 million responsible student borrowers.
June 11, 2012 at 2:20 PM ET by Doug Rand

Participate Tomorrow in Online Public-Sector Prizes Event

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Case Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation invite you to virtually attend tomorrow’s Collaborative Innovation: Public Sector Prizes event. Public- and private-sector innovators will share noteworthy examples to help inspire the creation of additional high-impact incentive prizes, challenges, and other open-innovation initiatives in the public sector.
June 11, 2012 at 11:15 AM ET by Cristin Dorgelo

Dr. Holdren Highlights Tech Development and Commercialization in New Mexico

OSTP Director John Holdren met with about 50 New Mexico science and technology business leaders in Albuquerque yesterday to discuss Administration initiatives that support technology development and commercialization, and to find out what issues are at the top of the New Mexico tech community’s agenda.
June 8, 2012 at 5:52 PM ET by Bobby Dresser

Safety Data Jam connects Tech Innovators with Public Safety Officers

Government data are being released in unprecedented quantities as part of the Administration’s commitment to increase transparency, public participation, and collaboration.
June 8, 2012 at 11:08 AM ET by Todd Park, Brian Forde, and Jo Strang

What It Means to be a Presidential Innovation Fellow

The new Presidential Innovation Fellows initiative, announced at TechCrunch Disrupt last month, will pair top innovators from the private sector, academia, and non-profits with top innovators in government to work together to deliver game-changing solutions for the American people.
June 7, 2012 at 4:09 PM ET by Doug Rand and John Paul Farmer

Green Button Momentum

To make it easier for business and consumers to save energy and money, we need to make it easier for them to understand how they use energy.
June 7, 2012 at 11:30 AM ET by Nancy Sutley and Todd Park

Advanced Materials: Giving Soldiers a Decisive Edge in Combat

The science of advanced materials is increasingly providing the technological foundation for protecting our Nation’s warfighters.
June 6, 2012 at 10:57 AM ET by Reed Skaggs and Cyrus Wadia

Brainstorming With Energy Data

Building on the success of the Green Button initiative—which is providing consumers with secure access to their own energy data and has facilitated the voluntary release of energy-use data in computer-readable form to encourage private-sector innovation—the Energy Data Initiative aims to harness the power of energy data through a combination of technology and ingenuity.
June 5, 2012 at 6:01 PM ET by Nick Sinai and Monisha Shah

Making It Easier for Veterans to Get Quality Advanced Manufacturing Jobs

Speaking at Honeywell’s Golden Valley facility in Minnesota last week, the President announced a new initiative that will help thousands of U.S. military members obtain portable, industry-recognized credentials that will help them land quality jobs in advanced manufacturing and other fields after they leave the service.
June 5, 2012 at 4:25 PM ET by David Hart

Startup America Policy Challenge: Tapping Citizen Solvers to Drive Innovation

From his first day in office, President Obama committed his Administration to a new era of open government, which includes embracing innovative ways for the public to participate and collaborate with their government.
June 1, 2012 at 5:27 PM ET by Tom Kalil and Doug Rand

Progress on Preparing More Undergraduates with STEM Degrees and Teaching Credentials

A commitment to President Obama's call to action to train high-quality science, technology, engineering, and math teachers is well ahead of schedule.
May 30, 2012 at 4:18 PM ET by Tom Kalil and Kumar Garg

Space Community Leaders on Historic Berthing of Dragon to the International Space Station

Today, history was made in space. For the first time, an American private spacecraft is now docked with the International Space Station. Some leaders in the space community issued the following statements.
May 25, 2012 at 12:29 PM ET by Phil Larson

The Dragon Spacecraft has Berthed with the International Space Station

Dr. John P. Holdren, the President’s science and technology advisor, issues a statement on “a key milepost in President Obama’s vision for America’s continued leadership in space.”
May 25, 2012 at 12:28 PM ET by

Student Winners Create Games for Learning

The second annual National STEM Video Game Challenge concluded on Tuesday with winners being honored at The Atlantic’s Technologies in Education Forum in Washington, DC.
May 24, 2012 at 4:40 PM ET by Cristin Dorgelo

Healthy Food, Digital Tools at G8 Food Security Events

In advance of the G8 Summit at Camp David last weekend, President Obama joined four African Heads of State, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, private-sector leaders, and Bono from the band U2 and the ONE Campaign at the 3rd Annual Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security.
May 24, 2012 at 2:10 PM ET by Hillary Chen

Nominate Your Mentor for the Presidential Award in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring

Do you know someone who has been an excellent example, role model, and mentor to others in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines? If so, consider nominating them for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).
May 23, 2012 at 3:12 PM ET by Nafeesa Owens

Unlocking the Power of Energy Data

The U.S. Government, as well as the private sector, is sitting on a vast – and in many cases, untapped – supply of energy data. Sets of data aren’t what most people think of when we talk about safely and responsibly developing American energy resources such as wind, solar, oil, and gas. But data are also essential components of the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy.
May 22, 2012 at 8:00 PM ET by Todd Park, Jason Bordoff, and Dave Danielson

Statement from the White House on the Falcon 9 Launch

May 22, 2012 at 4:18 AM ET by

Evidence Points to Benefits of Active Teaching in STEM Education

An exciting new report was released today by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academies, provides some clear direction, backed by extensive evidence, on how to improve science and engineering education in this country.
May 21, 2012 at 5:32 PM ET by Carl Wieman

Administration Safety Data Initiative Challenges App Developers

Safety is the number one priority at the US Department of Transportation (DOT), so National Transportation Week is the perfect time for DOT to help launch the Obama Administration's critical Safety Data Initiative.
May 18, 2012 at 11:20 AM ET by Secretary Ray LaHood, Ray LaHood and Todd Park

Responding to the President’s Call, a New Effort to Help More Students be Makers

Earlier this year at the White House Science Fair, President Obama met Joey Hudy, a 14 year old from Arizona who developed the “extreme marshmallow cannon.” Joey showed the President his business card. It had a simple motto: “Don’t be bored. Make something.”
May 17, 2012 at 7:14 PM ET by Tom Kalil and Kumar Garg

Robotics Initiative Gets DOD Boost

The Department of Defense adds momentum of its own to the National Robotics Initiative, encouraging proposals for advancing robotics research.
May 17, 2012 at 11:15 AM ET by Tom Kalil and Chuck Thorpe