Obama Pushes for STEM Achievement

Since the beginning of his presidency, Obama has stressed the importance of STEM in the movement to grow the U.S. economy, promote innovation and compete globally.

This morning at 11:40 a.m. EST, Obama will launch the "Educate to Innovate" campaign, a nationwide effort to promote and expand this STEM movement.

This announcement comes at a critical time as education and government officials have been warning of a shortage of U.S. scientists and engineers, and foreign nations such as China and India have been graduating more students in those fields. Obama has promised to train 100,000 scientists and engineers during his presidency.

In his announcement, he will highlight partnerships among universities, foundations and STEM-related organizations as part of the push to motivate and inspire young students.

You can watch the announcement live through WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Afterward the announcement, at 1 p.m., you can also join Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren for a live chat on Facebook.

In response to Obama's intiative, Discovery Communications is launching a new multimedia, multi-year initiative called "Be The Future," which include a programming block, education curriculum and STEM learning tools, primarily through its Science Channel and Discovery Education.

"Through 'Be the Future,' we will spark the innate curiosity in school-aged viewers and people of all ages, help drive interest and leadership in science-related careers and inspire a lifelong interest in how science shapes our everyday lives," John S. Hendricks, founder and chairman, Discovery Communications, said in a release.

DirecTV will give millions of its subscribers access to the network's science programming, highlighted by the new commercial-free children's block.
 
Also, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced a $2 million open competition, calling all inventors  designers, researchers and entrepreneurs to develop new digital media ideas that will help young students explore STEM concepts in new and creative ways. The competition, designed to promote “participatory learning,” includes three rounds of submissions and begins on December 7. For more information, visit www.dmlcompetition.net.

Additional funding of $7.5 million in mathematics and science education for preschoolers was also announced by Sesame Workshop and the PNC Foundation.