A few months after his inauguration, President Obama was showing so much passion for science and scientific integrity that one observer characterized him as "almost strident" on the issue. I've always thought that was the wrong phrase.
The description put a negative spin on what I consider to be one of the president's more endearing qualities -- I can't think of a modern president who speaks as often and as enthusiastically about science as Obama.
Indeed, a couple of years ago, the president announced that, from now on, there will be an annual White House Science Fair. Obama explained at the time, "If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you've produced the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too. Scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models, and here at the White House we're going to lead by example. We're going to show young people how cool science can be."
President Obama at the 2010 White House Science Fair
The president will back up that talk at the White House today.
President Obama is living up to his 2009 pledge to use the White House to honor achievers in science as much as in athletics and entertainment -- no matter how young the achievers may be. Today he's hosting the second White House Science Fair -- which is essentially a fair of fairs, honoring awardees and leaders in dozens of separate competitions and programs aimed at nurturing the brightest students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- the collection of disciplines known as STEM in education circles.
Obama will also reportedly announce a plan to seek $80 million from Congress for a new Education Department competition to support math and science teacher preparation programs.
In the larger context, the science fair itself is a terrific gesture that sends a worthwhile signal. As Jonathan Cohn noted last year, "I'm sure this is not the first group of accomplished student innovators to win White House recognition. But I don't recall past presidents giving the event the trappings of a sports championship visit. And while it's just a public relations event, it also sends a broader message about the value this administration and its allies place on intellectual achievement."
America's future depends on our willingness to make a real commitment to innovation, science, research, and intellectual pursuits. The more science fairs, the better.
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Good luck with that. The flat-earth, science-is-a-lie, no-smarty-pants-kids-here, deficits-matter-more-than-anything-unless-we-create-them crowd is gonna say; Nope. Not gonna happen.
Damn it, Obama! There you go again, looking to the future!
He didn't get the message about the apocalypse......
And with this latest effort, the Obama Haters will once again achieve the state of apoplexy!
How can the President of the USA be so much of a science geek he'd forget how to pray; why would a Kenyan Muslim be interested in science in the first place; he's using science as a cover to promote abortions!
Yes, my dear loved ones on the far Right can't see anything worthwhile even when so much worthwhile things are going on all around them, without them!
Once again, no joy for Obama Haters! -Kevo
Just another crusade against science. ;)
This is in stark contrast to the Republican Party, many of whom think that The Flintstones was a biography.
How dare you, don't you know that God created us one and all; rich, republican, blue-eyed and Baptist! Flinstones were heathens, and we all know that dinosaurs didn't really exist.... <snark>
Actually dinosaurs did exist, when "man" was created by G-d, he created dinosaurs also, at least according to that museum in Kentucky, they said so, and being "good taliban christians" they should know.....
...and the rest of whom think The Flintstones was the first reality TV show.
I love that he's pro-science, and encourage him to keep it up.
That said, having a science fair at the White House sounds to my entertainment-soaked ears like a setup for an episode of Leverage or maybe an Ocean's nn sequel, to use a couple relatively innocuous examples.
Yay! Anything that gets children interested in the STEM classes or keeps them there is terrific in my book.
Perhaps if we mention that strong science and tech skills will help the U.S. with innnovation will help. Probably not.
Bravo to Pres. Obama! Between his spotlighting the importance of teaching science to kids and Mrs. Obama's effort to get kids to eat healthy, if they have an impact on even just a handful of children and teenagers it will be to the nation's benefit.
I've been around through a lot of administrations and this is the first time I can recall a president bringing a large group of really bright, creative, inventive kids to the White House to give them the recognition they've earned and deserve. The only other thing that I remember coming close was when Jack Kennedy held a state dinner for all of the living Nobel Prize winners. In his formal toast, the president said, "This is the greatest collection of intellect ever gathered in the house at one time - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
These types of events are the real reason the GOP says President Obama has declared war on religion.
The religious right and the conservative right have both been waging a war on science. They attempt to discredit climate scientists and during the Bush years they threw out science altogether as as a rational for policy.
When we talk about the GOP living in it's own reality, we are saying that same thing. It is all of a piece. When Fox News says "We are the only one to trust" and Sarah Palin decries the '"Lame StreamMedia" it is all with the same intent.
President Obama is playing long ball. He is influencing the basic implicit assumptions that have such profound consequences to our society as a whole.
A while back I got quite upset wth a couple decisions thet were not far enough left for my taste. I read the daily news and the blogs and got real upset. Looking back after the 24/7 news cycle has moved on the news du jour I wonder why I was so upset over what in hindsight were very low consequence decisions.
Now I look back and reveiw the most consequential issues and analyze how the President acted I see that a long, slow, cool wisdom as his trade mark.
He's not perfect of course, think about the Chip Gates police controversy that he jumped into. Not many remeber what he said exactly but we all remember the "Beer Summit". He made a mistake and fixed it.
Being old tends tends to make you pause and reflect more often. I'm not sure if I learned to do that bcause it's a smart thingto do occaisionally or it is merely because I'm too old and tired to do anything else.
Looking back I'm impressed by the President and in a decade or so when his goals come to fruition many historians will begin to realize what this man's place in history will be.
I think he is actually far better than we deserve.
Our local high school's robotics team was one of the groups invited to the White House for that science fair in 2010. It was an amazing honor for them and I'm glad to hear about this proposal to start and support more programs like the robotics team!
I love that the President is once again holding a science fair at the White House. I enjoy volunteering at the state finals annually just to see what the kids are working on, many of which are continuing projects they have been working on for a few years and not just that one.
Science, math and technology is definitely the way of the future for us all and without our children learning it, our country will be way behind those who focus their education in science. With so many in the GOP dismissing many of the conclusions that scientists have found in various topics that concern our daily lives, I fear that we may be headed for a serious awakening if they are elected into the White House this year.
We need to listen to those who have the knowledge and understanding along with the data to prove their conclusions.
As Rachel has said in past programs..."Geeks shall inherit the Earth!" I don't think that is too far off the truth.
It is odd that Republicans are so opposed to science and keep saying that China is going to overtake us. They are right, so long as there is hostility to teaching real science and a lack of funding for education. If we are going to be in the forefront for technology, then we need to spend money for R & D in a lot of areas as well as education.
Putting money into teacher preparation in sci/ma is very important, particularly for elementary teachers, most of whom don't see science as their forte, but also for teachers in the upper grades who tend to have little personal experience actually DOING science and therefore struggle to help kids understand the value of doing/learning science (beyond memorizing a bunch of stuff to pass a test to get into college). Anything the WH can do to support better sci and ma ed in K-12 is important, but it's also CRITICAL to bring public (and parents') attention to the value and pleasure of learning science and how to think scientifically -- even if one does not go into a STEM (science/technology/engineering/math)-related job. These skills are incredibly valuable in other types of jobs as well as in general life as a voter, parent, consumer, etc. A study (in the mid west) showed that most high school students and their parents thought that science was "important" but for SOMEONE ELSE to learn/do, not themselves (or their children). Yikes! Who will do those good-paying middle class jobs involving science/technology/engineering that we are so eager for someone to create? Other research shows that if a child is not seriously interested in science by 7th grade, there's little chance he/she will enter a science-related career. But currently, students have very little science education in the elementary years. The No Child Left Behind ed law of the past decade has so emphasized language arts and math that many principals have told their elementary teachers they must focus on just those subjects and not to waste time teaching social studies and science! Many people who do go into science became interested in it early, by about 3rd grade -- often from parents who encouraged them to spend time in nature and be curious about the world and who later supported those interests. Furthermore, students who have had a chance to be in some sort of internship experience where they meet and work with real scientists, are more likely to see the value and excitement in science-related jobs, see them as personally possible, and actually go into them. But these experiences are very few and most parents don't know about them, so money and visibility for such experiences would also be very welcome!
This can't be stressed enough. Why should anyone learn geometry, with all those stupid rules and proofs? Because it teaches you how to think. It teaches you the difference between fact and fiction, what a logical fallacy is, etc., etc. And that's why science, as opposed to "faith," is so scary to some.
And it started even earlier. I may have been the only person on the Mall who got a tear in his eye when the president gave a shout-out to science in his inaugural address:
Oh, no! There goes that Nobama showing signs of anti-christ-like behavior! He's tebowing to a science project, the heathen!
I love having a smart and nice president who thinks science is awesome.
American universities are creating a myth that American students cannot compete with Chinese students for positions in graduate engineering programs in the US. In 2010, 57% of the PhDs awarded in engineering went to foreign students. That might be good in the short term for the professor who got his research project done but it does great harm to our economy and national security. US taxpayer funded grants should not pay for foreign graduate students. We should be encouraging American univesities to train American engineers. Read more at www.china-threat.com