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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

  • We the Geeks: “Robots”

    Posted by Phil Larson on August 6, 2013 at 1:41 PM EDT

    Ed. note: This event has concluded. Watch the full hangout below.

    “As president, I believe that robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering. And I also want to keep an eye on those robots in case they try anything.”

    - President Barack Obama at the launch of his Educate to Innovate Campaign

    Here at the White House, we’re hard at work keeping our eye on the robots, and as we celebrate one car-sized robotic rover’s 1st year on Mars, we wanted to update you on the state of American robotics and the possibilities for robots to improve life on Earth.

    Join us on Friday, August 9th, at 2:00 pm EDT for a “We the Geeks” Google+ Hangout on “Robots” – where pioneering scientists will discuss how robots can help transform everything from school classrooms to the factory floor and operating rooms to the way we explore the Solar System.

    You’ll meet American inventors giving robots incredible new capabilities in manufacturing and medicine. You’ll also hear how the Obama Administration’s National Robotics Initiative is accelerating innovations that will expand the horizons of human capacity and potentially add over $100 billion to the American economy in the next decade.

    The Hangout will be moderated by Vijay Kumar, Assistant Director for Robotics and Cyberphysical Systems, and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. John Green, best selling author and popular video blogger, will join the discussion and curate questions for a panel of these leading experts:

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  • Honoring Open Government and Civic Hacking Champions of Change

    Posted by Brian Forde and Hollie Russon Gilman on July 29, 2013 at 10:44 AM EDT

    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 by building high-tech tools to help health workers and disaster-response crews better serve communities; piloting innovative programs to involve traditionally disengaged communities in local governance; using new technologies to enhance government transparency and collaboration; and more.

    The honorees reflect the many kinds of new and diverse opportunities to engage in public service that the digital age has unleashed—as well as the important role of our citizens in making our democracy more transparent, participatory, effective, and efficient.

    Indeed, when presenting his new management agenda earlier this month, President Obama said, "...We the people recognize that this government belongs to us, and it's up to each of us and every one of us to make it work better... We all have a stake in government success—because the government is us."

    Leaders in the public and private sectors have recognized this—and are embracing the opportunity to collaborate with talented individuals who are working to make a positive impact in their communities.

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

    Posted by Katie Dowd and Karrie Pitzer on July 24, 2013 at 4:47 PM EDT

    Google Science Fair Girls 2013

    On July 24, 2013, five young women who are past winners or current finalists of the Google Science Fair met with Senior Obama Administration Officials to discuss issues related to girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). From left to right: Brittany Wenger, Valerie Ding, Naomi Shah, Lizzie Zhao, and Lauren Hodge. (Photo by Karrie Pitzer)

    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. The students were past winners and current finalists of the annual Google Science Fair—an online science competition open to high-school-aged students that solicits “ideas that will change the world.” 

    Since the earliest days of his Administration, President Obama has made it a top priority to provide students with the skills they need to excel in the well-paying and highly rewarding STEM fields, with a particular focus on women and girls. He understands that increasing the number of women engaged in STEM is essential to our Nation’s ability to out-build, out-educate, and out-innovate future competitors.

    The young participants in today’s meeting embody that potential. At the meeting, the students each described their breakthrough science projects, their career aspirations, and shared their views on what barriers could be overcome to help further increase the participation of girls in STEM studies.

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

    Posted by Meredith Drosback on July 23, 2013 at 10:51 AM EDT

    Last week, as Comi-Con-induced excitement permeated the geek community, 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 scientists and engineers 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.

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  • We the Geeks: The Stuff Superheroes Are Made Of

    Posted by Tom Kalil and Meredith Drosback on July 17, 2013 at 3:15 PM EDT

    Ed. note: This event has concluded. Watch the full hangout below.

    This week, as thousands of sci-fi and superhero enthusiasts gather in San Diego for Comic-Con, here at the White House we’ll be gathering some of the Nation’s top innovators who are designing materials to enable real-life superpowers—including invisibility and super-strength.

    This Friday, July 19th at 12:00 pm EDT for a “We the Geeks” Google+ Hangout on “The Stuff Superheroes Are Made Of” – where we’ll be talking about some of the most exciting new developments in materials science and how they can change our world for the better.

    You’ll meet American scientists and innovators working on materials and technologies with amazing capabilities—seemingly ripped straight from the pages of a comic book or film script—including invisibility cloaks, impenetrable liquid armor, self-healing, touch-sensitive synthetic skin, and more. You’ll also hear how the Obama Administration’s Materials Genome Initiative – which just celebrated its second birthday – is helping to enable and accelerate these breakthroughs with the goal of making them happen faster and cheaper than ever before.

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  • Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Common-Sense Immigration Reform

    Posted by Doug Rand on July 16, 2013 at 11:46 AM EDT

    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.

    These benefits stem in part from the significant contributions of immigrant entrepreneurs, who have started one of every four small businesses and high-tech startups across America.  More than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies—from GE and Ford to Google and Yahoo!—were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants.

    Prior to the bipartisan bill passing in the Senate in a 68-32 vote, the President said:

    So immigration isn’t just part of our national character…it is a driving force in our economy that creates jobs and prosperity for all of our citizens… Right now, our immigration system invites the best and the brightest from all over the world to come and study at our top universities, and then once they finish -- once they’ve gotten the training they need to build a new invention or create a new business -- our system too often tells them to go back home so that other countries can reap the benefits, the new jobs, the new businesses, the new industries.  That’s not smart.  But that’s the broken system we have today.

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