Tag Archives: Barack Obama

Reinvention Pays Off for Michigan Brothers

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Karin Rives writes on climate change and energy topics for America.gov.

A Luma Resources plant in Michigan

Robert and Gary Allen, two brothers whose Michigan roofing company fell on hard times when the economic recession hit in 2008, have reason to smile today.

In 2010, they secured a $500,000 federal loan through an economic stimulus act to retool their struggling roofing plant. Their new solar shingle business, Luma Resources, took off as the market for alternative energy grew. Five new employees have come on board so far, and the company expects to eventually have a staff of at least 20.

“In Robert’s words, ‘We reinvented ourselves,’” President Obama said, recognizing the brothers in his January 25 State of the Union Address. “That’s what Americans have done for over 200 years: We reinvented ourselves. And to spur on more success stories like the Allen Brothers, we’ve begun to reinvent our energy policy.” The Allen brothers listened to the president sitting in a coveted spot next to First Lady Michelle Obama.

On Wednesday morning, the day after the speech, phones were ringing steadily at Luma Resources.
“We’re getting a lot of inquiries about our products,” said Gayle Talmadge, the company’s business manager.

A Productive NATO Summit / Egyptian Queens

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President Obama attends the NATO summit in Lisbon, returning with agreements on Afghanistan, a new strategic concept and missile defense. An unlikely partnership has developed between Qatar and Oregon. And a Queens, New York, neighborhood has a distinctly Egyptian flavor.

NATO’s Afghan Plan
President Obama has joined NATO allies in a formal agreement to transfer security control of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces to Afghan forces starting in 2011. “My goal is to make sure that, by 2014, we have transitioned, Afghans are in the lead,” says Obama, above with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at a meeting at the White House

For NATO, a New Strategic Plan
The 28-nation NATO alliance has adopted a vision and an approach to collective security for the 21st century that considers such wide-ranging threats as terrorism, cyberattacks and missile attacks. At a Lisbon press conference, President Obama, above, says “the new Strategic Concept that we are embracing shows that NATO is fully united about the way forward and committing to addressing the full range of security challenges of this century.”

Missile Defense for NATO
NATO alliance leaders agree to develop a missile defense capability that will cover all NATO European territory and populations, as well as the United States. “This important step forward builds on the new Phased Adaptive Approach to missile defense that I announced for the United States last year,” President Obama says at the NATO Summit in Lisbon.

From Oregon to Qatar
The U.S. state of Oregon and the Middle East nation of Qatar are working together to find sustainable solutions to shared problems faced in arid climates.

 “Little Egypt,” in New York
So many Egyptian-, Lebanese- and Moroccan-owned shops and restaurants line Steinway Street in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York, that the area is known as Little Egypt. Astoria has long been a neighborhood of immigrants adapting to their new country and Little Egypt typifies the growth of an American immigrant neighborhood. Left, an Egyptian baker prepares dough at the Ageba market.

New U.S. Aid to the Palestinian Authority / Obama in Indonesia / A Young Indonesian Entrepreneur

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announces new aid to the Palestinian Authority. President Obama delivers remarks in Indonesia.  Australia and the U.S. are teaming up to meet green goals. The USAID is borrowing a page from the private sector’s play book in funding high-risk projects. It takes international cooperation to go after sophisticated criminal syndicates. And, finally, meet Goris Mustaqim a young Indonesian entrepreneur in a hurry.

$150 Million in New U.S. Aid to Palestinians
The United States has provided an additional $150 million in direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority, part of nearly $600 million in overall U.S. support for services and security in the West Bank and Gaza territories this year. “This figure underscores the strong determination of the American people and this administration to stand with our Palestinian friends even during difficult economic times,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says.

Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
President Obama says that since becoming president he has worked to repair relations between the United States and Muslim communities around the world that have been frayed over many years by mistrust and suspicion. “We can choose to be defined by our differences, and give in to a future of suspicion and mistrust. Or we can choose to do the hard work of forging common ground, and commit ourselves to the steady pursuit of progress,” he says.

Obama Questions New Israeli Construction
President Obama says Israel’s plan to build 1,300 new apartments in East Jerusalem is not helping the ongoing peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking in Jakarta, Obama says he has not yet had a full briefing concerning Israel’s intentions in the announcement of the new construction, but said “this kind of activity is never helpful.”

PEPFAR Succeeding Against AIDS
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is having an “extraordinary impact” on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, with data showing that more than 2.5 million people have been directly supported by its treatments through 2009.

Green Teamwork
The United States and Australia are working together to meet their respective renewable energy goals. Australia wants 20 percent of its energy needs to be met by renewable power sources a decade from now. President Obama has said he wants one-quarter of all electricity consumed in the United States in 2025 to come from renewables.

Fast Track for Development Aid
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Development Innovation Ventures uses a venture-capital model of private-sector innovation to invest resources in high-risk, high-return projects that are often difficult to undertake through traditional agency structures.

Cooperation on Crime
The Obama administration is developing innovative global partnerships across the Pacific and Atlantic to fight increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal enterprises.

A Young Indonesian Entrepreneur
Goris Mustaqim of Bandung, Indonesia, is the founder of PT Resultan Nusantara, a technology firm that employs 35 people and has 10 billion rupiah — $1.1 million USD — in revenue. But the 27-year-old Mustaqim, right, has still bigger ambitions, including expanding his Asgar Muda Foundation to work with youth in half of Indonesia’s provinces, creating more businesses and landing on the list of Indonesia’s most wealthy. He also wants to enter politics.

Obama in Indonesia / A U.S.-Indonesian Partnership on Water / The Hispanic Vote in America

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President Obama delivers remarks in Indonesia. The U.S. and Indonesia team up to improve water services. It takes international cooperation to go after sophisticated criminal syndicates. The U.S. sets conditions that could lead to Sudan’s removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. In Australia, ministers meet. And, finally, the Hispanic vote flexes its muscle in U.S. elections.

Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
President Obama says that since becoming president he has worked to repair relations between the United States and Muslim communities around the world that have been frayed over many years by mistrust and suspicion. “We can choose to be defined by our differences, and give in to a future of suspicion and mistrust. Or we can choose to do the hard work of forging common ground, and commit ourselves to the steady pursuit of progress,” he says. Above, Obama talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta.

Obama Questions New Israeli Construction
President Obama says Israel’s plan to build 1,300 new apartments in East Jerusalem is not helping the ongoing peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking in Jakarta, Obama says he had not yet had a full briefing concerning Israel’s intentions in the announcement of the new construction, but said “this kind of activity is never helpful.”

Obama’s Return to Indonesia
Barack Obama said it felt “wonderful” to return to Indonesia as President of the United States many years after he had lived in the country for four years as a boy. “The sights and the sounds and the memories all feel very familiar and it’s wonderful to be able to come back as president and hopefully contribute to further understanding between the United States and Indonesia,” Obama said November 9 in a press conference with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A Water Partnership for Indonesia
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is continuing its partnership with Indonesian organizations to help 2 million people gain access to improved water supplies and 200,000 people gain access to adequate sanitation facilities. The effort builds on 66 months of programs across Indonesia through the USAID-funded Environmental Services Program.

Cooperation on Crime
The Obama administration is developing innovative global partnerships across the Pacific and Atlantic to fight increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal enterprises.

U.S. Makes Offer to Remove Sudan from Terror List
The United States has conditioned its willingness to accelerate the process of removing Sudan from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism provided that Sudan fully implements its obligations under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including preparing and conducting a January 9, 2011 referendum in southern Sudan and respecting the referendum results.

U.S.-Australia Talks
Women’s empowerment and military cooperation topped the agenda as the defense and foreign ministers of Australia and the United States met in Melbourne. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the session “a broad, far-reaching and extremely valuable set of consultations.”

The Hispanic Vote in America
The 2010 midterm elections in the United States demonstrated the growing importance of the Hispanic vote across party lines, according to election analysts. Hispanics generally favored Democratic candidates over Republicans, and some analysts credit them with keeping the Senate in Democratic hands. At right, Nevada Democrat Harry Reid greets Hispanic supporters at an October rally.

Obama in India / Clinton in Australia / Dengue Fever

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President Obama says the United States will support India in its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He also addresses the flawed vote in Burma, trade, terrorism and relations between India and Pakistan, during his three-day visit to India. At the same time, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Australia as her trip to the Asia-Pacific region continues. There are few treatments for Dengue fever, but researchers from the United States and Indonesia are seeking ways to control the painful, sometimes deadly, disease.

U.S. Backs India Security Council Bid
President Obama says the United States would support India’s bid for a permanent seat on a reformed United Nations Security Council. Speaking to a joint session of the Indian parliament in New Delhi, Obama says the United States “not only welcomes India as a rising global power, we fervently support it, and we have worked to help make it a reality.”

Obama Condemns Burma Vote
President Obama says that Burma’s parliamentary elections on November 7 were neither free nor fair and failed to meet any internationally accepted standards. “The elections…demonstrated the regime’s continued preference for repression and restriction over inclusion and transparency,” Obama said in a statement.

Obama on India-Pakistan Relations
President Obama tells Indian college students that their country is taking “its rightful place” in the world and urges India to work toward a peace settlement with neighboring Pakistan. “I am absolutely convinced that the country that has the biggest stake in Pakistan’s success is India,” Obama, at right with students, says during a town hall meeting at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai.

India’s Resolve Against Terror
President Obama pays tribute to terror victims and the resilience of Indian society, during a visit to the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel buildings in Mumbai which were attacked by terrorists in 2008. Since the attacks, the governments of India and the United States have worked together more closely “sharing intelligence, preventing more attacks, and demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice,” Obama says.

Obama Promotes U.S.-India Trade
President Obama says increased trade will be a “win-win proposition” for the United States and India and welcomed India’s rapid economic rise as “one of the most stunning achievements in human history.” He says trade ties are “a dynamic, two-way relationship that is creating jobs, growth, and higher living standards in both our countries.”

Clinton on U.S.-Australia Trade
Trade between the United States and Australia is vital to generating jobs, creating economic opportunities, and improving lives and livelihoods, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. “Done right, free trade and open markets are powerful tools to improve living standards far and wide,” Clinton says during a speech at the Port of Melbourne Education Center.

Enhancing U.S., Australia Ties
The United States and Australia pledge to strengthen military and defense cooperation as the two nations celebrate more than 70 years of close diplomatic relations. “Our relationship continues to be a strategic anchor of security and prosperity in this region and beyond, and our countries are working closely together,” Secretary Clinton says.

Controlling Dengue Fever
Indonesian and U.S. universities, government agencies and nonprofit organizations are working together to control dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that can be fatal. Dengue affects 50 million people annually worldwide, and drug treatment and vaccinations are currently not available. Right, investigators from Indonesia and the United States examine a well in Yogjakarta.

Clinton in New Zealand / Help for Haiti / The World’s Small Farms

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continues her Asia Pacific trip, stopping in New Zealand. The U.S. is helping Haiti deal with nature’s latest onslaught. We’ve got two reports on the U.S. congressional elections, one looking at the balance of power in the Senate and another at its impact on President Obama’s agenda. On the eve of President Obama’s trip to India, there is a call for a renewed U.S.-India partnership. Indonesia has become a test bed for entrepreneurship. And finally, in agriculture, there is a focus on small farms.

U.S., New Zealand Sign Accord
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray Stuart McCully signed The Wellington Declaration to enhance the partnership between the nations. The agreement is designed to address a variety of issues including nuclear nonproliferation, counterterrorism and climate change. “This Wellington Declaration makes it clear that we want to cooperate across the board in every aspect of our civilian efforts and our military as well,” says Clinton.

U.S. to Provide Storm Relief in Haiti
The United States has supported the Haitian government’s response to Tropical Storm Tomas by prepositioning relief supplies for 125,000. An official said U.S. relief supplies are stockpiled in several areas of the country and they are able to get these supplies out quickly to those in need.

Democrats Keep Senate Gavel
The results of U.S. midterm elections will shift the composition of the Senate a bit to the right as Republicans gain seats, but Democrats will retain control of the chamber when the next Congress convenes. The Democrats will control at least 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, with the outcome of the race in Alaska yet to be determined.

After Election, No Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy
Republican gains in the November 2 congressional elections will present new challenges for President Obama and his legislative agenda, but his foreign policy objectives are not expected to change.

McCain: Expand U.S.-India Ties
Senator John McCain says the U.S.-India strategic partnership, substantial though it is, should be expanded greatly in coming years for the benefit of both countries and the Asia-Pacific region. “The potential to expand our partnership is immense,” McCain said on the eve of President Obama’s state visit to India.

Indonesia’s Entrepreneurs
As Indonesia gets ready to welcome President Obama November 9, the country already has become a test bed for his administration’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship. Indonesian entrepreneurs have formed the Global Enterprise Program Indonesia, which launches in Jakarta in mid-November as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

New Tools Boost Small Farms
Agribusinesses are designing tools to help smallholder farmers in countries seeking to produce more food. Such measures may slow down a predicted food shortage in years ahead, as the world’s population continues to grow, especially in regions like Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. At right, an Indian farmer heads to work on a tractor designed for use on small plots.

Recapping the U.S. Election / Clinton’s Day in Asia / A Month to Honor American Indians

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The Republicans make big gains in U.S. midterm elections and President Obama offers his assessment. Secretary Clinton’s Asian travels take her to Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Catch up with Brad Pitt and his effort to bring green housing to New Orleans. Learn about ArtsLink, a program that brings artists from around the world to the United States. Tajikistan is getting an energy boost. A 1,000-year-old Iranian poem is the inspiration for some awesome illustrations. And, it’s American Indian Heritage Month in America.

Election Gains for Republicans
Republicans gain at least 60 seats in the House of Representatives in U.S. elections November 2, more than enough to wrest control of the chamber from the Democrats. This means a divided government for at least the next two years, as Democratic President Obama shares power with Republicans in the House. Democrats retain control of the Senate, but with a reduced majority.

Obama: The Economy Hurt Democrats
The American electorate demonstrated its frustration with the state of the economy when it stripped Democrats of their majority in the House of Representatives and trimmed their majority in the Senate, President Obama says.

Clinton Praises Malaysia’s Religious Tolerance
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is praising Malaysia’s commitment to religious tolerance during her visit to the Muslim-majority country. “Extremism is not a path to building sustainable prosperity, peace, stability or democracy – it only promotes conflicts and hardens hearts,” she says. 

Human Rights in Papua New Guinea
During a visit to Papua New Guinea, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton encouraged the country to address its human rights conditions and to strengthen anti-corruption efforts. Clinton also offered to help the government set up a sovereign wealth fund to manage resource revenue from oil and natural gas fields, in order to translate “natural resources into widespread prosperity.”

Green Homes Make it Right
Make It Right, a foundation created by actor and film producer Brad Pitt, builds energy-efficient, green homes to replace housing destroyed in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. In three years, the foundation has completed 50 homes in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward. Another 30 are under construction.

ArtsLink Fellows Come to America
Visual artists, photographers, filmmakers and arts managers from 14 countries are currently enjoying five-week residencies in the United States under awards offered by U.S.-based international arts organization, CEC ArtsLink.

Green Energy for Tajikistan
The U.S. embassy in Dushanbe, Tajik government agencies and international partners, are working together to bring alternative energy solutions to Central Asia. The projects include the use of solar, water and wind power to provide energy to remote locations.

Shahnameh on Display
The Smithsonian Institution is celebrating the Shahnameh’s 1,000 years with an exhibition of some of the best illustrations ever created for Iran’s greatest epic poem. The Shahnameh’s stories cover the reigns of 50 kings, real and imagined, from the creation of the world up to the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century.

American Indian Heritage Month
November is National American Indian Heritage Month, which celebrates the heritage and contributions of American Indians and Alaska Natives — the first Americans — to the history and culture of the United States. Right, members of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian tribe from Livingston, Texas, wait to perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April 2010.

Secretary Clinton on the “Ultimate Purpose of Politics”

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Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participated in a town hall meeting with students in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. During the event, one participant asked her about her decision to support then-candidate Barack Obama in 2008 after losing to him in a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, and her later decision to serve as his Secretary of State.

“When [President-elect Obama] asked me to be in his government, I was surprised,” she said. “But we talked about it, and we decided that it would be important to demonstrate to our country how two people can be opposed to each other but then work with each other for the good of the country. I believe so strongly that, at a certain point in every country’s political development, you cannot let politics be personal; you cannot let politics interfere with the good of the country.”

Clinton noted that in many young democracies people “get so wrapped up in politics” that they can’t imagine working with their opposition. But, she said, “I think helping to bring people together on behalf of your country is really the ultimate purpose of politics. You are in politics not just to run for election and win. You are in politics to make a difference to help people.”

Obama’s Asia Agenda / Clinton on Vietnam / Foreign Journalists

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Preparing for his trip to Asia, President Obama’s travel agenda is packed. Currently in Asia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visits Vietnam and encourages engagement. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke gives an update on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The U.S. is ramping up its efforts to combat human trafficking. Meanwhile, the midterms are next week; learn more about political reporting and the concept of divided government. And, finally, foreign journalists visit the State Department as part of a unique program.

Obama’s Asia Engagement
Senior White House officials say President Obama’s nine-day visit to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan is aimed at renewing U.S. engagement across Asia. The president’s November 6-14 visit includes meetings of the Group of 20 major economies in Seoul and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama.


Clinton in Vietnam
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Hanoi, Vietnam, to meet with national leaders and to attend the East Asia Summit, where she is emphasizing the U.S. commitment to strengthened engagement with Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region.

Afghanistan, Pakistan Agree on Trade
The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan have signed a trade agreement that will expand trade and investment opportunities for both countries, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke says. “This is the most important agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan since Pakistan’s independence,” says Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Combating Modern Day Slavery
The United States is intensifying its efforts to combat human trafficking, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, Holder says the Department of Justice will strengthen the ability of federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute human trafficking crimes.

Nonstop Political Reporting
“Ideological” Internet and cable television news shows running day and night with commentators expressing personal opinions about political candidates could affect the outcome of the November 2 midterm elections, political experts say.

Can a Divided Government Work?
The prospect of a divided U.S. government — with a president of one party and at least one chamber of Congress dominated by the other party — has raised questions about what the next two years might be like in Washington.

Foreign Journalists Visit U.S.
The State Department welcomed more than 150 young international media professionals representing 125 countries to the nation’s capital as part of the fifth annual Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists. The program, named for Murrow, a pioneer in broadcast journalism, provides foreign journalists the opportunity to experience the United States firsthand while exchanging ideas with their American colleagues. At left, some of the program participants gather at the State Department.

Human Rights in Burma / A U.S. Election Update / Kids And Robots

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton backs a probe of human rights violations in Burma. We also have three more reports in our continuing coverage of the U.S. midterm elections, including one on President Obama’s campaign travels. The U.S. and Japan mark a 50 year relationship. The U.S.  urges support for the Lebanese government. Obama’s portfolio for his coming trip to India is packed largely with economic issues.  Learn how lost early American films turned up in a Russian film archive. You can study anything, virtually. In an international program for journalists, Bob Woodward stresses the importance of facts. Meet American fine-art photographer Peter Steinhauer and his Southeast Asian inspirations. And finally, here’s yet another reason robots are cool.

A Focus on Human Rights in Burma
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton backs an international inquiry into human rights abuses in Burma and pledges U.S. support for efforts to improve the lives of its citizens. Speaking in Hawaii at the beginning of a 13-day visit to the Asia-Pacific region, Clinton, right, promises to “seek accountability for the human rights violations that have occurred in Burma.”


Obama’s Daily Campaigning
President Obama was warmly welcomed to the popular comedy program The Daily Show, but during his lengthy interview with host Jon Stewart it became clear the appearance was very much a campaign stop. With congressional Democrats facing tough challenges in the 2010 midterm elections, the comedy show’s first interview with a sitting U.S. president was another in a series of more than 25 campaign stops for Obama in recent weeks.

The Muslim Vote in America
The week before national midterm elections in the U.S., discussions over Islam’s place in America is prompting American Muslims to make their voices heard through voting. Various Muslim organizations are working to acquaint American Muslims with the voting process and to encourage voter turnout.

America’s Endangered Senators
On Election Day, only 37 U.S. senators will be chosen, but some of those political contests are among the most contentious in the 2010 elections. The 2010 midterm elections include 12 Democrats and 11 Republicans seeking re-election and 14 “open” seats (no incumbent running) that currently are split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

The U.S.-Japan Alliance at 50
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan alliance with praise for a relationship “based on deep friendship between our people, on mutual respect, and on common goals and values.” The two met in Honolulu on the first day of Clinton’s seven-nation Asia-Pacific tour. 

U.S. Urges Support for Lebanon
The United States urges support for the Lebanese government as it works to reduce the threat posed by instability and conflict, says U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice.

Economy Tops Obama India Agenda
Expanding economic ties and growing business relationships between the United States and India will be atop the agenda as President Obama travels to South Asia beginning Nov. 6. Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs Mike Froman says India represents “one of the most important emerging economic relationships for the United States, both multilaterally and bilaterally.”

“Lost” Silent Films Found
Some of America’s early film history that was thought to have been lost forever has been recovered. Ten films from Hollywood’s silent film era have been found in Gosfilmofond, the Russian state film archive, restored, copied and presented to the Library of Congress. “This is like finding a lost Picasso,” says Pat Loughney, chief of the library’s $200 million Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation. At left, a still image from the 1922 crime drama Kick In, one of the found films.

Learning Virtually Anything
Salman Khan hopes to make his online classroom “the world’s first free, world-class virtual school where anyone can learn anything.” Based in California, the Khan Academy received a $2 million grant from Google to build the software needed to translate its content into the world’s most-spoken languages.

Woodward on Journalism
American investigative journalist Bob Woodward met with some 150 journalists from 125 countries in an interactive session at the U.S. Department of State as part of the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, named for the award-winning and pioneering broadcast journalist. Woodward stressed the importance of what he called “neutral fact-getting” and meticulous reporting.

Visions of Vietnam 
American Peter Steinhauer is a successful Hong Kong-based fine-art photographer whose work is displayed in museums and galleries worldwide, and also at the U.S. embassies and consulates in Vietnam and Burma. Steinhauer was inspired by a 1993 trip to Vietnam, and his work primarily consists of landscapes and portraits portraying Vietnamese culture.

Robots Draw Kids to Science
Robots that kick soccer balls, solar-powered vehicles and helmets that offer virtual bike rides were some of the attractions at America’s first national science exposition, the grand finale of two weeks of activities intended to motivate more young people to pursue careers in science. The expo drew an estimated half million visitors to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.