The White House and President Barack Obama hosted the fifth annual Science Fair today, bringing together top projects from young scientists around the country.
Exhibitors presented their work to Obama and other esteemed guests, including Bill Nye the Science Guy. According to the White House, “this year’s Fair also includes a specific focus on girls and women who are excelling in STEM and inspiring the next generation with their work.” Go to the White House Science Fair page for a full list of exhibitors.
Projects from young women included a solar-heating system for off-the-grid communities lacking electricity; fashionable exercise wear that lights up and tracks stats like your heart rate; and a bracelet that wirelessly charges your cell phone.
A group of girls from the Tri-Cities’ Tri-Tech Skills Center also presented Safe&Sound, an app that is designed to help teens deal with stress, anxiety and depression with helpline numbers, advice and tips. The girls won the Verizon Innovative App Challenge before taking it to the White House, and they are blogging about their experience on their Tumblr page.
Other amazing projects included a sustainable city of the future, water-purification system and even a hiccup-curing lollipop!
"We’ve got to celebrate the winners of our science fairs as much as the winners of football or basketball" —President Obama #WHScienceFair
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) March 23, 2015
The White House also welcomed innovative ideas we’ve seen in the past year, including our favorite dog with 3D-printed legs:
You can watch the science fair and the president’s comments below. It was a live broadcast so the action starts around 28 minutes in, with Obama visiting the projects around 1:40:00, and his speech starting around 2:40:00:
