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Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

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White House Frontiers: Robots, Space Exploration, and the Future of American Innovation

The Frontiers conference will bring together innovators who are reimagining the boundaries of what’s possible and shaping the future.
October 7, 2016 at 4:28 PM ET by Cristin Dorgelo, Kristin Lee

The Global Connect Initiative: Catalyzing Internet Access World-wide

The Administration is working with 40 other countries to bridge the digital divide and connect at least another 1.5 billion people by 2020.
October 7, 2016 at 3:42 PM ET by Suhas Subramanyam, Office of Science and Technology Policy

New Actions to Tackle Climate through Sports

Responding to a call to action issued this summer, teams, venues, leagues, schools, and organizations are announcing new actions to use sports to combat climate change.
October 6, 2016 at 1:32 PM ET by Amanda Stone

Exploring Data Portability

We’d like to hear from you on whether and how to increase your ability to get and use your data.
September 30, 2016 at 11:27 AM ET by Alexander Macgillivray and Jay Shambaugh

Arctic Indigenous Leaders Share Priorities in Advance of White House Arctic Science Ministerial

Alaska Native leaders and representatives from five Indigenous organizations from across the Arctic share their perspectives.
September 27, 2016 at 6:33 PM ET by Renee Crain Wagner

PCAST Releases Report on Forensic Science in Criminal Courts

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommends actions to strengthen forensic science and promote its more rigorous use in the courtroom.
September 20, 2016 at 5:59 AM ET by Eric Lander, William Press, S. James Gates, Jr., Susan L. Graham, J. Michael McQuade, and Daniel Schrag

Building on 30 Years of Experience to Prepare for the Future of Biotechnology

EPA, FDA, and USDA unveil two documents as part of the Administration’s continuing effort to modernize the Federal regulatory system for biotechnology products.
September 16, 2016 at 11:19 AM ET by Robbie Barbero, Ted Boling, Julia Doherty, Melissa Goldstein, James Kim

Designing for All

White House showcases inclusive design, assistive technology, and prosthetics.
September 15, 2016 at 6:11 PM ET by Erin Szulman and Maria Town

How Behavioral Science Is Serving the American People

Today, the White House hosted the first-ever Summit on Behavioral Science Insights.
September 15, 2016 at 3:01 PM ET by Maya Shankar

Join the Movement to Give Every Student the Opportunity to Learn Computer Science

Today at 1:00pm ET, tune in to first-ever Summit on Computer Science for All, marking progress on President Obama’s call to action, and announcing new commitments.
September 14, 2016 at 8:56 AM ET by Ruthe Farmer

Honoring the Nation’s Leading Science and Mathematics Teachers and Announcing Active Learning Day

Join OSTP on Active Learning Day - October 25, 2016.
September 9, 2016 at 11:56 AM ET by Jo Handelsman and Quincy Brown

Listen to Vice President Biden on Training Americans for the Jobs of the Future

Tune in to hear Vice President Biden at the LaunchCode Mentor Center in St. Louis, Missouri -- one of the first TechHire communities.
September 9, 2016 at 10:57 AM ET by Ken Meyer

Public Input and Next Steps on the Future of Artificial Intelligence

Today, OSTP is releasing public comments on AI, sharing insights from events across the country, and announcing a new White House event on AI this fall.
September 6, 2016 at 6:27 PM ET by Ed Felten and Terah Lyons

A Call to Action to Help Reduce the Waiting List for Organ Transplants

The White House OSTP is inviting ideas and submissions on ways to reduce the organ waiting list.
September 1, 2016 at 5:25 PM ET by Jennifer Erickson, Robbie Barbero, and Megan Brewster

Polar Portraits: Storytelling from America’s Arctic

In a new project, the U.S. Arctic Research Commission is sharing individual stories from people who live in and work on the Nation’s Arctic.
August 31, 2016 at 4:54 PM ET by Fran Ulmer, Noël Bakhtian, and Ann Robertson

Protecting Ocean Ecosystems for Future Generations

President Obama creates the world’s largest marine protected area; increases the resilience of this unique ecosystem against climate change.
August 31, 2016 at 10:08 AM ET by John P. Holdren

Prizes Creating “Waves” in the Energy Sector

Energy Department’s prizes for game-changing technology advancements comes to a head this month; finalists in the Wave Energy Prize compete for a total of $2.25 million.
August 31, 2016 at 9:15 AM ET by Noël Bakhtian, Austin Brown, and Christofer Nelson

Internet of Things: Examining Opportunities and Challenges

The Administration is working with stakeholders to understand and harness the benefits of connected devices while also assessing and addressing potential challenges.
August 30, 2016 at 7:15 PM ET by Afua Bruce, Dan Correa, and Suhas Subramanyam

President Obama to Host White House Frontiers Conference in Pittsburgh, PA

The White House will host the first-ever White House Frontiers Conference in Pittsburgh, PA to explore the future of innovation in America and around the world.
August 30, 2016 at 10:00 AM ET by John P. Holdren, Megan Smith

2015 Traffic Fatalities Data Has Just Been Released: A Call to Action to Download and Analyze

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is releasing 2015 traffic fatality data in raw format and putting out a call to action to jump in and analyze it.
August 29, 2016 at 12:54 PM ET by DJ Patil and Mark Rosekind

Email from Max Levchin: The next great immigrant inventor

Max Levchin, co-founder of Paypal and other successful startups, writes about the new proposed rule to welcome more international entrepreneurs to America.
August 26, 2016 at 11:54 AM ET by Amanda Stone

Conducting Citizen Science in America’s Polar Park

During the “BioBlitz,” citizens explored the biodiversity of the rapidly-changing Arctic.
August 25, 2016 at 3:09 PM ET by Herbert Frost, Noël Bakhtian, and Ann Robertson

A Call to Action: Incorporating Active STEM Learning Strategies into K-12 and Higher Education

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is issuing a national Call to Action to improve STEM education through the use of active learning.
August 17, 2016 at 9:30 AM ET by Jo Handelsman and Quincy Brown

Public Sector Prizes and Challenges Grow in Use and Sophistication as Agencies Build Infrastructure

OSTP releases its fifth annual comprehensive report describing the use of prize competitions and challenges by Federal agencies and detailing the 116 challenges in FY2015
August 10, 2016 at 9:58 AM ET by Christofer Nelson

A Call to Action to Celebrate the Manufacturing of Today and Tomorrow

On the 5th Manufacturing Day (October 7, 2016), the Nation will celebrate the vitality and reality of American manufacturing to youth and workers across the country.
August 8, 2016 at 11:06 AM ET by Thomas Kalil, Jason Miller

Dr. Ahmed Zewail (1946-2016)

Remembering Ahmed Zewail, past member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
August 5, 2016 at 9:02 AM ET by Diana Pankevich

Getting smart about how we finance disaster resilience

Today, the White House highlighted innovative ways that states, local communities, and the private sector are investing in disaster resilience.
August 3, 2016 at 1:32 PM ET by Jainey Bavishi, Alice C. Hill & Dr. Tamara Dickinson

Improving Nutrient Management and Reducing Pollution through Open Innovation Prizes

Challenges and prizes are underway to tackle nutrient pollution, including two that are currently open to sign-up by competitors
August 3, 2016 at 9:30 AM ET by Bruce Rodan

The Materials Genome Initiative: The First Five Years

The MGI has already sparked a paradigm shift in how new materials are discovered, developed, and deployed.
August 2, 2016 at 3:00 PM ET by Thomas Kalil, Lloyd Whitman

Harnessing the Potential of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technology

With today’s workshop, OSTP is announcing new public and private efforts to support the safe integration and innovative adoption of unmanned aircraft systems.
August 2, 2016 at 6:39 AM ET by Ted Wackler, Evan Cooke, and Terah Lyons