WASHINGTON (AP) — A device to discourage texting while driving. A self-powered hydroelectric water purification device. A test of whether foam really is the best material to pad the inside of a safety helmet.
These projects weren't put together by some of the country's best scientists, but were assembled by up-and-comers who won a range of science, technology, engineering and math competitions. They brought their projects to a science fair at the White House on Monday.
President Barack Obama reveled in it. He spent nearly an hour viewing 11 science projects on display in the State Dining Room, ranging from cancer therapies to solar-power cars, water purification systems and robotic wheelchairs. And he intensely questioned the presenters.
"It's hard to describe just how impressive these young people are," Obama, who is emphasizing math and science education, said afterward at a reception. Their work "is a testament to the
