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

Latest Blog Posts

  • President Obama Honors Early-Career Scientists and Engineers

    White House Science and Technology Advisor John Holdren confers the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) to 96 outstanding researchers.

  • Panel Shows What’s Possible in Education Technology

    Last Monday, at a Capitol Hill briefing co-sponsored by Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Michael Bennet of Colorado, a panel of experts described some of the innovative learning technologies being brought to bear in public education and ways in which the Obama Administration’s proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-ED) could speed the development and deployment of these valuable technologies.

  • Better Building Federal Award Underway

    The nomination period for the 2013 Better Building Federal Award (BBFA) is now open. This contest builds on the Federal Government’s goal to reduce energy intensity – or energy consumed per square foot – by 30 percent by 2015 through encouraging, recognizing, and rewarding Federal agencies that achieve the greatest annual savings in energy intensity.

  • Fueling Education Innovation with Open Data

    Earlier this month, as part of the Education Data Initiative, a diverse set of educational technology experts and entrepreneurs joined staff from the White House and Department of Education to participate in an “Education Data Jam” at the George Washington School of Business. One of the goals of the half-day workshop was to brainstorm how open data might be used by entrepreneurs and innovators for new products, services, or apps that improve student outcomes or help families with college selection and affordability.

  • Detroit Maker Faire: Celebrating Tinkerers, Inventors, and the Next Generation

    This weekend, a two-day celebration of making by a rising generation of tinkerers, inventors, and innovators—includes 450 makers from Michigan and around the United States—is taking place with one of the best collections of innovation in the world as its backdrop.

  • Making the Most of the Wireless Spectrum

    Today the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its latest report, "Realizing the Full Potential of Government-Held Spectrum to Spur Economic Growth", which provides valuable insight on innovative ways to meet President Obama’s goal of maintaining and enhancing American leadership in cutting-edge wireless services — an important part of this Administration’s overall strategy to create jobs and increase growth.

  • Brainstorming Apps for a Clean Energy Future

    Building off the recent launch of the Energy Data Initiative, fifty technologists, entrepreneurs, and investors joined staff from the White House, Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency to participate in an “Energy Data Jam” last week in New York City. One of the goals of the half-day workshop was to brainstorm how freely available datasets—i.e., open data—might be used by clean-energy entrepreneurs for new products, services, or apps.

  • Growing Momentum for Digital Promise

    Less than a year ago, the White House and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the launch of “Digital Promise,” a new national effort to accelerate innovation in education with technology. Yesterday, The Office of Science and Technology Policy joined superintendents from across the country in Digital Promise’s first Innovation Workshop, held in Washington D.C.

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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