US Chief Technology Officer Todd Park welcomed the inaugural class of Presidential Innovation Fellows to the White House at an event that overviewed the five projects that are working to innovate government and included a ceremonial swearing-in by Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry. To learn more about these projects you can check out wh.gov/innovationfellows, read Todd Park's blog post here, and see the full press release here.

Following the event, US CTO Todd Park and White House Director of Digital Strategy Macon Phillips answered your questions on Twitter.  You can check out the full question and answer session below or on Storify.

Watch the launch of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program here.

And today is just the beginning. These 18 Fellows have six months to deliver results and they're looking for your feedback - whether it's providing your opinion on a new idea or "forking" code on Github. You can contribute to the ongoing conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #innovategov and follow the projects on Twitter as they work to deliver results over the next six months:

• @ProjectMyGov
• @ProjectOpenData
• @ProjectBlueBtn
• @ProjectRFPEZ
• @ProjectTwenty

Attendees at today's event began with a briefing and question and answer session with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who spoke about a range of topics, from early learning to higher education. Secretary Duncan echoed President Obama's message that higher education can’t be a luxury – it’s an economic imperative that every American family should be able to afford.

Watch Secretary Arne Duncan's remarks here:

Following Secretary Duncan's session, Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy, led a series of briefings with other senior officials. The attendees discussed early learning with Miriam Calderon, a Senior Advisor in the White House Domestic Policy Council, K-12 Education with Steve Robinson, a Special Assistant in the White House Domestic Policy Council, Science, Technology, Math, and Education (STEM) with Kumar Garg, a Senior Advisor in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and College Affordability with Michael Dannenberg, a Senior Advisor at the Department of Education.

Roberto Rodriguez, Miriam Calderon, and Massie Ritsch participate in the White House Online Summit on Education, June 19, 2012. (by Joey Deveaux) June 19, 2012. (by Joey Deveaux)

Finally, participants engaged in a conversation about how the White House can better collaborate with online media with Macon Phillips, Director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, Jon Carson, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Kori Schulman, Director of Online Engagement in the White House Office of Digital Strategy, Massie Ritsch, Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs and Outreach at the Department of Education, and Cameron Brenchley, Director of Digital Engagement at the Department of Education.

The summit was part of an ongoing series aimed to reach out to online communities. The White House hosted personal finance sites in April and also last year. Additional discussions have included African-American and Latino-focused online publishers, as well as editors of prominent women's sites. 

Thanks to everyone who attended today’s event:

• Ranjit Sidhu: ACT, Inc.
• Brian Stewart: Campus Progress
• Kelly Field: The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Catherine McManus: CitiBank
• Carly Lindauer: The College Board
• Scott Kinney: Discovery
• Diana Charkalis: Disney Interactive Media Group
• Alyson Klein: Education Week
• Mark Kantrowitz: FastWeb | FinAid
• Sam Chaltain: Good
• Geoff Decker: Gotham Schools
• Carol Lloyd: GreatSchools
• Shaun Fanning: Hobsons
• Joy Resmovits: The Huffington Post
• Libby Nelson: Inside Higher Ed
• Kelly Wallace: iVillage
• Douglas Harbrecht: Kiplinger
• Stephanie Wood: Parenting
• Sherry Huang: Parents
• Alicia Levy: PBS
• Tyler Reed: Scholastic
• Torie Bosch: Slate
• Ben Wieder: Stateline
• Cynthia Dermody: The Stir by Café Mom
• Cappy Pratt: Yahoo! Education | Vantage Media

Monday, May 28th is Memorial Day, when we honor and reflect upon the sacrifices of the men and women who have defended our nation. Memorial Day also marks an opportunity to find ways for all of us to support veterans and military families.

To discuss Joining Forces and opportunities to mobilize all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the support they have earned, we’ll be hosting a session of Office Hours on Tuesday, May 29th at 2:00 pm ET with Brad Cooper, a Navy captain and the executive director of Joining Forces. Have questions?

Here’s how White House Office Hours work:

• Ask your questions now and during the live event on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
• Follow the Q&A live through the @JoiningForces Twitter account
• If you miss the live session, the full session will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/WhiteHouse

So, stop by for Office Hours at 2:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 29th with Brad Cooper and be sure to follow @JoiningForces on Twitter for the latest news and more opportunities to engage.

Here are some of the ways you can join forces to support our veterans and military families today:

• Pledge service hours and find opportunities to volunteer through our interactive volunteer portal
• Hire a veteran, as these companies have committed to doing
• Hire a military spouse - companies can join the Military Spouse Employment Partnership here
• Share a message of support here
• Learn about simple ways to recognize the contributions of military families everyday here

Have ideas or questions? Be sure to join us on Tuesday - we hope to see you there!

Learn more about Joining Forces initiative: Visit JoiningForces.gov, like Joining Forces on Facebook and follow @JoiningForces on Twitter.

To engage with Latinos active in social media, the White House Office of Public Engagement held a briefing for LATISM bloggers with Senior White House and Administration officials. Over 75  people from across the country attended the event at the White House to discuss a diverse range of issues important to the Latino community. Take a look at the tweets shared by #LatismAtTheWH attendees below or on Storify. Stay connected to the White House en español at WhiteHouse.gov/Espanol, follow us on Twitter @lacasablanca, and sign up for email updates here.

Learn more about the topics discussed during today’s briefing:

• College Affordability: http://wh.gov/double
• Education Civil Rights: Know your Rights (English) | Recursos de la Oficina Para Derechos Civiles (en Español)
• Health Care: Healthcare.gov (English) | Cuidadodesalud.gov (en Español)
• Nutrition: www.myplate.gov (English) | Mi Plato (en Español)
• Fixing Our Broken Immigration System: President’s Blueprint on Immigration Reform (English) | (en Español)
• The Hamilton Project Speech by Cecilia Muñoz: watch video here | text of remarks (English) | text of remarks (en Español)

In honor of the upcoming Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 11 and in support of military families celebrating Mother’s Day this Sunday, May 13, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden host a Joining Forces Mother’s Day event at the White House for three generations of military families – military mothers, as well as their mothers and their children. Tune in live as Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden deliver remarks from the East Room of the White House to honor military moms at 1:45pm today.

Learn how you can show your support for military moms by visiting our Joining Forces site dedicated to thanking military moms and contribute to the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #ThankAMilitaryMom.

Take a look what people are sharing below and contribute to the conversation using the hashtag #ThankATeacher.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, participate in the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Warrior Games at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 30, 2012. Floating cottonwood seeds can be seen in the photo. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Honorary torchbearers Melissa Stockwell and Capt. Simon Maxwell stood with the First Lady at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado as the wounded, ill and injured veterans and service members arrived. These brave men and women are exemplifying their resilience through competitions in archery, swimming, cycling, shooting, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, track and field.

First Lady Michelle Obama, with honorary torchbearers Melissa Stockwell and Capt. Simon Maxwell, participates in the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Warrior Games at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 30, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

The First Lady praised the participants saying, “No matter how seriously you're injured, no matter what obstacles or setbacks you face, you just keep moving forward... You just keep pushing yourselves to succeed in ways that just mystify and leave us all in awe.” She highlighted athletes like Captain Disbro, whose leg was amputated below the knee after being wounded in Iraq in 2004, noting, “today, he is the reigning Warrior Games ultimate champion for his performances in swimming, shooting, sprinting, hiking, and the shot put. Whew, I’m just tired mentioning all that.”

Concluding her remarks, the First Lady noted, “your work, your commitment, your devotion to this country does not go unnoticed. It truly does not… you have got a First Lady and a President who is cheering you on not just today, but truly every single day. And you have an entire country that loves you and respects you, and strives to live up to the example that all of you set.” 

To learn more about opportunities to recognize those who serve our country, visit JoiningForces.gov, follow us on Twitter @JoiningForces and on Facebook -- and continue to cheer on our veterans and service members participating in the Warrior Games using the hashtag #WarriorGames.

The White House Council on Women and Girls is excited to announce a White House event that features a panel of trailblazing women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields who will share their experiences and encourage young women to follow in their footsteps – or blaze a trail of their own. Watch the event live at www.wh.gov/live tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 10:30am ET. During the event, panelists will answer questions from a live audience and also take questions submitted online. Ask your questions here or on Twitter using the hashtag #GirlsInSTEM.

This event will also include the very first public screening of “Girls in STEM,” a video on girls in STEM, featuring footage from girls who participated in the 2012 White House Science Fair.

Event Agenda:

• 10:30-10:35am: Remarks by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
• 10:35-10:45am: Premiere of “Girls in STEM” video, featuring girls who participated in the 2012 White House Science Fair
• 10:45-11:30am: Panel on Women and Girls in STEM moderated by Administrator Jackson and featuring the following panelists:
  • Dr. Cady Coleman, NASA Astronaut, Colonel, U.S. Air Force, retired
  • Jocelyn Goldfein, Director of Engineering, Facebook
  • Dr. Jean Hernandez, President, Edmonds Community College
  • Bianca Bailey, President, Howard University Chapter of Engineers Without Borders

The White House is committed to proving opportunities for all students to engage in STEM. Below is a photograph from the second White House Science Fair that recognized achievements in STEM from across the country.

President Barack Obama hosts the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President talked with Samantha Garvey, 18, of Bay Shore, N.Y., about her environmental sciences project examining the effect of physical environment and predators on a specific species of mussel, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Feb. 7, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This morning, President Obama spoke at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to commemorate the Holocaust, saying, "We must tell our children. But more than that, we must teach them. Because remembrance without resolve is a hollow gesture. Awareness without action changes nothing. In this sense, "never again" is a challenge to us all -- to pause and to look within." Read the President's full remarks here.

This afternoon, the White House is hosting an event to honor the pledge of "never again" and we are inviting all of you to join in the interactive discussion. Beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET, you can watch the White House event with Administration officials, student leaders and organizations about how communities across America are mobilizing and playing a role in saving lives around the word. 

The agenda for the event, which begins at 1:00 p.m. ET, includes:

Introductory Remarks

• Jon Carson, Director, White House Office of Public Engagement
• Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President

Discussion with the Atrocities Prevention Board

Moderator: Samantha Power, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the National Security Council

Panel Discussion: “Never Again”

Moderator: Mike Abramowitz, Director, US Holocaust Memorial Museum Genocide Prevention Program, with panelists:

• Monique Beadle, Advocacy Director, Falling Whistles
• Stacy Burdett, Director of Government and National Affairs, Anti-Defamation League
• Omer Ismail, Enough Advisor, The Enough Project
• Daniel Solomon, Student Director, STAND

Panel Discussion: Modern Tools for an Ongoing Challenge

Moderator: Alec Ross, Senior Advisor for Innovation, U.S. Department of State, with panelists:

• Sam Gregory, Program Director, WITNESS
• Jon Hutson, Satellite Sentinel Project
• Benjamin Keesey, CEO, Invisible Children
• Don Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, USAID

Panel Discussion: Sudan and South Sudan, and the LRA: What More Can Be Done?

Moderator: Samantha Power, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, with panelists:

• Grant Harris, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council
• Princeton Lyman, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan

Closing Remarks by Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) invites you to join an expedition to explore deep-sea habitats and marine life in the northern Gulf of Mexico LIVE from the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, America’s Ship for Ocean Exploration. Advancing our understanding of the largely unknown ocean through exploration and research via expeditions such as this is directly in line with President Obama’s draft Ocean Policy Implementation Plan.

Using satellite and high-speed Internet pathways, live seafloor video is streamed to scientists around the world. Scientists can follow along, providing input and helping to guide the expedition. These same live video feeds are available online 24/7, so that anyone, anywhere can follow the exploration.

Despite their importance to our nation as a source for economic and natural resources, we know very little about deep-water habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of the current Okeanos Explorer expedition is to help reduce that large unknown, by mapping and imaging features and creatures that may never have been seen before. During the expedition, scientists have already observed and documented previously unexplored shipwrecks, and deep-sea corals and associated communities of life. They will continue to explore through and are also testing methods to measure the rate that gas rises from seeps in the seafloor.

To learn more about the expedition, you can access mission logs, daily updates, photos and video clips, maps, and educational materials. You can also follow the expedition on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to keep up-to-date on the latest dive plans, operations, and discoveries.

So get ready to dive in and be a virtual ocean explorer. Between now and April 28, watch live as scientists explore the unknown, potentially encountering shipwrecks, coral, fish, gaseous seeps, and fascinating ocean ecosystems, and prepare to witness active scientific exploration and discovery of America's underwater territory.

More than 30,000 people attended the White House event from all 50 states and many of the attendees captured priceless moments from the experience. Take a look at pictures shared by #EasterEggRoll attendees below or on Storify.

Each day this week we are releasing the names of the special guests and performers who will be joining us at the Easter Egg Roll – from celebrity readers to athletes to main stage entertainers – through Let's Move! social networks.  For the latest talent updates, follow Let's Move! on Twitter and Facebook or check out the Easter Egg Roll Storify below or here.

All of the activities, including sports courts, dancing and cooking, encourage children to lead healthy and active lives, which is a central part of the First Lady’s Let's Move! initiative, a national campaign to combat childhood obesity.

To learn more about the Easter Egg Roll visit obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/eastereggroll and http://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov.  Tune in for live streams from the South Lawn all day on April 9^th, 2012 on WhiteHouse.gov/live and join the conversation online using the hashtag #EasterEggRoll.