President Obama’s LinkedIn Town Hall: How Does STEM Education Fit with the American Jobs Act?

On September 26^th, President Obama and LinkedIn presented a Town Hall discussion at the Computer History Museum in Palo Alto, CA. The theme of the Town Hall, “Putting America Back to Work,” was aimed at addressing questions about the proposed American Jobs Act. Participants at the Town Hall included LinkedIn members and employees and was moderated by the CEO of LinkedIn, Jeff Weiner. I was lucky to be one of the approximately 20 members chosen to attend the event and have the chance to ask the President a question about how he plans to get America back to work.

LinkedIn set up a discussion group (which is still active) asking its members to submit questions. The company also reached out to active members through a survey and direct contacts. The team coordinating the event selected questions and attendees that represented a variety of interests and groups from all across the country—our questions topics ranged from unemployment insurance, Medicare and Social Security, tax reform, encouragement and tips for job seekers, and of course, education.

I’ve expressed in previous blog posts the idea that investing in STEM afterschool education is important for educating America’s future workforce. The President has expressed interest and support for STEM education in the past—as in his 2009 launch of the Educate to Innovate initiative—so I was curious to find out if and how support for STEM education was specifically included in the American Jobs Act.

While I wasn’t able to ask my question due to time constraints, the President did include science and math education in some of his answers to other questions asked by audience members, including the need to recruit and train qualified teachers and provide incentives for students to study science and math. He described a partnership between New York Public Schools and IBM to get kids excited about learning STEM skills:

“IBM is engaged in a really interesting experience in New York… and this is not for the kids who are in the top 1 percent, this is for ordinary public school kids…. You follow this program, you work hard, IBM will hire you at the end of this process. And it suddenly gives kids an incentive. They say, oh, the reason I'm studying math and science is there's a practical outcome here. I will have a job. And there are practical applications to what I'm doing in the classroom.”

The ideas that the President expressed in his support for STEM education are an integral part of many afterschool programs, and out-of-school time represents an important opportunity for getting students excited about STEM. Students already have little time for science learning—a 2007 study done in the San Francisco Bay Area showed that 80% of K-5 teachers spent 60 minutes or less per week on science, with 16% spending no time at all. While clearly reforms need to be made for school-day learning, afterschool learning time can help to fill the gap as well as promote experiences that may never be a part of the school day. Out-of-school learning can range from internships and research apprenticeships with scientists to robotics teams to science center exhibits—all of which have the power to activate and inspire learning and future STEM workers.

Thank you to LinkedIn and the White House for this incredible opportunity. I encourage all of our readers to watch the rest of the event (or read a transcript) and to continue to promote out-of-school time STEM learning opportunities in their communities.

--Kalie Sacco, Manager, Coalition for Science After School

"At the Science Fair"

Science fairs are a big part of both in-school and out-of-school time science learning, and the idea has gotten a lot of high-profile publicity over the last few months, from the White House to Google's Global Science Fair to gyms and auditoriums across the country. 

We were recently contacted by a parent whose son, a high-school student named Kevin, created a video to teach middle school students about science fairs. Kevin did this as part of a project for his IB program, combing his tech skills with science outreach in an engaging way. Check it out! 

Science Fairs: From the School Gym to the White House

When I think of traditional science fairs, the image that comes to mind is of rows of colorful trifold posters with maybe a baking soda and vinegar volcano or two. But science fairs in the 21st century are a lot more sophisticated than what took place in my elementary school gymnasium! With projects ranging from solar cars to cancer cures, student scientists from across the country are doing interesting projects of great value to the larger scientific community. And the students are benefiting too. As Elizabeth Marincola, the President of the Society for Science & the Public, put it last week, "Research has shown that science competitions benefit students by helping them gain self confidence; explore career opportunities; learn to take risks, and be rewarded for their ingenuity."

That idea got a boost today when President Obama hosted the White House Science Fair, which honored winning science fair entries from across the country. President Obama stressed the importance of science education in his administrative agenda: "If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too."

The projects that were honored truly are achievements that deserve national attention. Teams of high school students built a carbon-fiber solar car from scratch, developed a therapy using light energy to beat cancer, and invented a water purifier to ensure water quality in remote rural areas. Middle schoolers were represented too, including a team that designed a model city for earthquake refugees, eighth-graders who used nanotechnology to create a recyclable printer ink, and seventh graders that experimented with different materials to create a safer helmet for kids. You can see the full list of projects at the White House blog. 


As an afterschool science institution, science fairs encourage kids to work in teams to create their own ideas and projects. The social aspect of science fairs gives kids an important support group that can help social and emotional development too. The nature of science fairs also links kids up with mentors in their communities, which is important for encouraging a long-lasting interest in science. And giving recognition to science projects, as President Obama did, goes a long way in encouraging other kids to participate in science too. Let's hope that the White House Science Fair becomes a tradition!