At the second White House Science Fair President Obama congratulated students for their exciting and meaningful projects and pledged new money for STEM education.

"Pay attention to this. This is important," Obama advised members of the press attending this week’s science fair in the East Room of the White House. "This doesn't just belong on the back pages of a newspaper. We've got to lift this up and emphasize how important this is and recognize these incredible young people."

The fair, which was held on February 7, celebrates the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. According a White House press release, this year’s participants included “over 100 students from over 45 states, representing over 40 different competitions and organizations that work with students and inspire them to excel in STEM.”

Winners included:

• A group of Girl Scouts and FIRST LEGO League Team members from Ames, Iowa, who developed a prosthetic hand device to help a three-year-old toddler without fingers write

• A student from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who won recognition in Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair for her designs focusing on detecting and removing abandoned landmines in former war zones around the world.

• Detroit students overcoming odds, including the loss of their school to a fire, and creating award-winning designs for an energy-efficient city of the future.

In addition to meeting with, congratulating, and learning from the young winners, President Obama announced new federal and private-sector initiatives to encourage “a nation of tinkerers and dreamers.”

In a report released on the same day as the White House Science Fair, a presidential advisory council said that one million additional graduates would be needed to fill the expected jobs requiring math and science skills in the next decade. The President will seek to dedicate $80 million for the Education Department — supplemented by more than $20 million from corporations and foundations led by Carnegie Corporation — to support programs to prepare teachers in STEM education.

Sources:

• Obama Announces Education Initiatives at White House Science Fair, NY Times Politics and Government blog;

• Obama Makes 'Special Plea' To Press: Pay Attention To White House Science Fair Winners, the Huffington Post

• President Obama to Host White House Science Fair, The White House Office of the Press Secretary