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2015 in Review: The White House’s Year in Science and Technology

January 4, 2016 at 7:01 PM ET by Kumar Garg, Kristin Lee

Summary:

As we kick off 2016, we’re taking a look back at some of this year’s top moments for science and technology at the White House.

As we kick off 2016, we’re taking a look back at some of this year’s top moments for science and technology at the White House. From launching the Precision Medicine Initiative to taking significant steps to combat climate change, this has been an incredible year for science and technology.

Join us at taking a look back at some of the most notable science and tech moments from the White House in 2015:

January 30, 2015: President Obama launched the Precision Medicine Initiative, a bold new research effort to revolutionize how we improve health and treat disease:

President Obama gives a speech launching the Precision Medicine Initiative in January 2015. — President Obama launches the Precision Medicine Initiative in January 2015. (Official White House Photo).

March 9, 2015: President Obama launched TechHire, a multi-sector effort and call to action to provide Americans with pathways to well-paying technology jobs.

March 23, 2015: President Obama hosted the 2015 White House Science Fair, welcoming young scientists and engineers from across the country to showcase their inventions, robots, and discoveries:

President Barack Obama hugs Emily Bergenroth, Alicia Cutter, Karissa Cheng, Addy O’Neal, and Emery Dodson, all six-year-old Girl Scouts, from Tulsa, Oklahoma after viewing their science exhibit during the 2015 White House Science Fair celebrating student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions, in the Red Room, March 23, 2015. The girls used Lego pieces and designed a battery-powered page turner to help people who are paralyzed or have arthritis. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 3, 2015: First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed students to the White House to help with the White House Kitchen Garden Harvest and celebrate the important role of pollinators in the healthy food we grow and consume.

First Lady Michelle Obama and students from across the country who participate in the ten “Let’s Move!” sub-initiative programs eat the food they have prepared during a White House Kitchen Garden harvest event in the East Room of the White House, June 3, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

May 18: President Obama launched the Police Data Initiative in Camden, New Jersey.

July 14, 2015: The President congratulates NASA on the New Horizon mission to Pluto.

July 20, 2015: We got a new Blue Marble.

POTUS tweets about the NASA Blue Marble Image.

August 1, 2015: President Obama announced American’s Clean Power Plan, an important step forward in addressing climate change.

August 4, 2015: The White House hosted our first-ever Demo Day focused on entrepreneurship, where we showcased the wide-ranging talents of innovators from across the country.

August 17, 2015: President Obama issued an Executive Order making the Presidential Innovation Fellows program permanent, helping to ensure a way for American technologists and innovators to serve a tour of duty in government.

September 2, 2015: When President Obama visited Alaska to shine a spotlight on the impacts of climate change:

President Obama in Bristol Bay, Alaska. — "'He was just excited to see you,' one of the salmon fisherwoman exclaimed after a salmon spawned on the President's feet at Kanakanak Beach in Bristol Bay, Alaska." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

September 15, 2015: The Administration announces new actions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Federal programs by leveraging behavioral research insights on how people participate in, engage with, and respond to programs.

October 20, 2015: Astronomers, astronauts, and students joined President Obama on the South Lawn for White House Astronomy Night:

President Obama at the 2015 White House Astronomy Night. — President Barack Obama looks at the moon through a telescope while talking with student Agatha Sofia "Sofy" Alvarez Bareiro during the White House Astronomy Night on the South Lawn of the White House, Oct. 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

November 24, 2015: President Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 distinguished Americans, including NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, a pioneer in American space history:

President Barack Obama presents former NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as professional baseball player Willie Mays, right, looks on, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls).

November 29, 2015: President Obama joined world leaders to launch “Mission Innovation,” an effort to drastically increase worldwide clean energy innovation to combat climate change.

And on December 12, 2015, President Obama and world leaders secured a historic global agreement to combat climate change.

In addition, the White House hosted the first-ever White House Tech Meetup, Mapathon, and Mental Health Hackathon; launched the Strategy for American Innovation on Back to the Future Day; secured critical increases in R&D in the budget agreement signed by the President; and wrapped up the year by encouraging more students to pursue science, tech, education, and math by celebrating Computer Science Education Week.

To engage with us and keep up on the latest science and technology issues policy news in the year ahead, follow us here on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy blog and on Twitter at @WhiteHouseOSTP.