Obama lauds young scientists, $240M in education pledges

David Jackson | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Obama praised an array of student science projects Monday, as well as up to $240 million in private sector pledges for education in what officials call STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Young scientists, mathematicians and engineers are "critical to our future" and will "define the contours of the 21st Century," Obama told the winners of the fifth annual White House Science Fair.

The president praised winning science projects that included efforts to turn algae into a fuel source, create a new treatment for curvature of the spine, and block hackers and other computer data thieves.

Other projects involve new blood tests to assess heart function, and an artificial intelligence program to speed up the process of finding the right drugs for certain diseases.

The president singled out a group of kindergarten and first-grade girls who developed a page-turning machine — made of Legos — for handicapped people who want to read.

The girls came up with the idea after a "brainstorming session," Obama said, and the machine is only a "prototype."

One of the girls asked, "'Mr. President, have you had brainstorming sessions?'" the president reported. "I said, yes, but I didn't come up with something as cool as this."

At another point, Obama said: "The robots I see keep getting smarter every year -- we are keeping an eye on that, by the way."

Obama said the science fair "has got to be the most fun event of the year — at least in the top three."

While the students are helping science, Obama says society needs to help the students.

The $240 million for STEM education will come from private businesses, schools and foundations, the president said.

"It's not enough for our country just to be proud of you," he told the young scientists. "We've got to support you."