President Barack Obama walks along the Colonnade with John Holdren, Nov. 4, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Latest Blog Posts

  • First-Time Public Voting for Top Health Innovations at HHS, Vote Now!

    Typically when you think of government, the word “innovation” isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Well it’s time to change that!

  • Challenge.gov: Two Years and 200 Prizes Later

    Two years after the Obama Administration created Challenge.gov, the first online listing of incentive prizes offered or supported by Federal agencies, the innovative site has hit an impressive milestone: its 200th listing of a challenge in search of a solution by the American public.

  • From Mohawks to Making, New Steps to Mobilize the Science Talent in Federal Agencies

    Last week, the President called the Mars Science Lab Team and a “special Mohawk guy” and pointed out how their work on Curiosity was inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

  • NSF-Funded “Design Squad Nation” Wins Emmy

    The interactive web site for the PBS series “Design Squad Nation” took home an Emmy in June for “outstanding new approaches” in children’s daytime television. An extension into broadband media by the producers of the WGBH TV show, the website serves as a destination for creative ‘tweens and teens that encourages youth to “dream big,” be creative, solve problems and make things that help people.

  • NSF Innovation Corps: From Science Lab to Startup

    Sophie Lebrecht is a joint post-doctoral researcher in the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC) and the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She is also an entrepreneur, thanks to the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (or I-Corps), a program created to allow researchers the opportunity to apply their research to the commercial world. I talked with Lebrecht about I-Corps and her experience as a scientist-turned-entrepreneur.

  • Senate Confirms Four Nominees to Privacy & Civil Liberties Board

    Last night, the Senate advanced the cause of protecting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties by unanimously confirming four of the President’s five nominees to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB): Rachel Brand, Elisabeth Cook, Jim Dempsey, and Judge Patricia Wald.

  • Inventing Solutions to The World’s Challenges

    Patents for Humanity, a new pilot program developed by the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), seeks to encourage inventors who develop and help make availablepatented technologies that address the world's humanitarian challenges and improve the lives of the poor. As an incentive, winners will receive a certificate for expedited processing of certain matters before the USPTO, as well as public recognition for their contributions.

  • Skilled Volunteers and Mentors Helping Improve Student Performance

    President Obama is committed to raising America’s game in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. I recently spoke with Eric Schwarz, co-founder and CEO of Citizen Schools, and Leo Flanagan, principal of the Clarence Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, MA. Since 2006, Citizen Schools has partnered with the Edwards Middle School as an expanded learning time partner to lengthen the school day by three hours a day and bring in a hundreds of volunteers to teach apprenticeships.

Advanced Manufacturing

On July 17, 2012, the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee, working within the framework of PCAST and co-chaired by Andrew Liveris of Dow Chemical and Susan Hockfield of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, outlined recommendations for spurring investment and positioning the U.S. for long-term leadership in advanced manufacturing in a new report, Capturing Domestic Competitive Advantage in Advanced Manufacturing.



US IGNITE

On June 14, 2012, the President signed an Executive Order to make broadband construction along Federal roadways and properties up to 90 percent cheaper and more efficient. Additionally, the White House announced that nearly 100 partners—including cities, national research institutions, and industry supporters—have formed a new public-private partnership called “US Ignite.” The US Ignite Partnership will create a new wave of services that take advantage of state-of-the-art broadband networks running up to 100 times faster than today’s Internet.



PRIZES TO SPUR INNOVATION

On April 10, 2012, OSTP released a comprehensive report detailing the use of prizes and competitions by agencies to spur innovation and solve grand challenges. Those efforts have expanded in recent months under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, which granted all Federal agencies authority to conduct prize competitions to spur innovation, solve tough problems, and advance their core missions.



WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE FAIR


On February 7th, 2012, President Obama hosted 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 announced key steps the Administration and its partners are taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects.


PRESSROOM

July 17, 2012 - Report to President Outlines Approaches to Spur Domestic Manufacturing Investment and Innovation (pdf)

June 20, 2012 - Statement of Dr. John P. Holdren to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology United States House of Representatives (pdf)

May 2, 2012 - New Industry Commitments to Give Over 3 Million New Households and Businesses Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills (pdf)

April 26, 2012 - National Bioeconomy Blueprint (pdf)

April 10, 2012 - Implementation of Federal Prize Authority: Progress Report (pdf)

March 29, 2012 - Big Data Fact Sheet (pdf)

March 29, 2012 - Big Data Press Release (pdf)

March 22, 2012 - Statements of Support for Green Button Initiative

March 22, 2012 - New Industry Commitments to Give 15 Million Households Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills

February 29, 2012 - Statement of Dr. John P. Holdren to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives on Research and Development in the President's Fiscal Year 2013 Budget (pdf)

February 17, 2012 - Statement of Dr. John P. Holdren to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, on Research and Development in the President's Fiscal Year 2013 Budget (pdf)

February 13, 2012 - Innovation for America’s Economy, America’s Energy, and American Skills: The FY 2013 Science and Technology R&D Budget (pdf)

February 7, 2012 - Background on the Exhibits, Students and Competitions at the White House Science Fair

February 7, 2012 - President Obama to Host White House Science Fair

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