Apr 14, 2016 | By Alec

The White House is known for being a very busy place, like any center of government should be. But last Wednesday, it looked more like a busy middle school during the sixth annual White House Science Fair. Featuring a very diverse range of science projects from across the country, President Obama took the time for all of them and offered encouragement to what will be the next generation of makers. While most of the participants were in their teens, Jacob Leggette from Baltimore is just nine years old, and showed the president his 3D printed creations, including a functional bubble blowing wand that the president just had to try.

The White House Science Fair is one of those fantastic events that encourages science education and shows young boys and girls that a STEM can be fun, inspiring and accessible. The event was started at the president’s own initiative six years ago, arguing at the time that if athletic champions were invited to the White House, promising students should be able to enjoy the same privilege. This was Obama’s last science fair in office, and he remarked that some of his fondest memories as president came from the fair. It always, he said, both inspired him and made him feel a little bit inadequate. “There’s nothing that makes me more hopeful about the future than seeing young people like the ones who are here,” he told the lucky students.

But of course the event also has important policy implications and Obama has repeatedly touted the importance of promoting STEM education and providing an inspiring platform for children. “[There are] structural biases that exist in science. A lot of them are unconscious. But the fact is, that we've got to get more of our young women and minorities into science and technology, engineering and math, and computer science,” he told the assembled students, many of whom were girls. “We're not going to succeed if we've got half the team on the bench, especially when it’s the smarter half of the team.”

That American kids from all walks of life can have a future in science was also emphasized at the science fair, where a very wide variety of students and projects were assembled. The president noted an “alarming number of robots”, while there was even a live chicken. But the emphasis was definitely on helpful and inspiring projects. Twelve-year-old Hari Bhimaraju from California brought her interactive tool that can teach blind students about the periodic table, while the seventeen-year-old Olivia Hallisey developed a faster and cost effective Ebola test. Sixteen-year-old Anarudh Ganesan even brought a mobile refrigeration unit that can be used to transport vaccines to remote regions. “I will be keenly following your progress so that when you invent some cancer cure or find some new source of cheap, clean energy, I will take some of the credit. I’ll say, 'if it hadn’t been for the White House Science Fair, who knows what might have happened’,” the president joked.

But the show was definitely stolen by the nine-year-old Jacob Leggette from Baltimore, who caught the 3D printing virus at a very early age. “Jacob signed up for one of our summer camps, our 3D printing summer camp and through there he just really took to 3D printing,” recalls Shawn Grimes, the executive director of the Digital Harbor Foundation. “He was kind of an extra staff member in the room helping out all the other kids.” The foundation itself is a fantastic Baltimore initiative that offers science programs for people of all ages.

After visiting one of those programs at the age of eight, he was hooked. “My favorite part of 3D printing is planning what I’m going to print,” the boy explained. “I make 3D print lists and then pick things from the list to print.” Desperately wanting a 3D printer of his own, he began writing letters to 3D printing companies (with a little help from parents and teachers). In exchange for a 3D printer, he argued, he would offer feedback on making hardware more accessible to kids.

His sales pitch was very successful, and he has been a 3D printing addict ever since. Though he 3D prints a lot of different stuff, his favorite creation is a “Beauty and the Beast” castle, because that is his mother’s favorite Disney movie. But Jacob is also very serious about his work, and for his final project for the Digital Harbor Foundation he worked on his very own toy company. After lots of brainstorming and looking at the pros and cons of certain products, he made a 3D printed ‘Tender Hugs’ bear. “[It was modeled] after my own teddy bear that I sleep with every night. I wanted other kids to have the same experience that I had with my Teddy,” Jacob explained. Some of his other creations include 3D printed cups, bowls, cookie cutters and even a game cartridge box.

This entrepreneurship evidently caught the eye of the White House, as he was one of the 42 projects chosen for the science fair. Though by far the youngest, he was chosen for his drive and natural curiosity. “Jacob has always been a sponge when it comes to learning. He picks up subject matter pretty quick and then runs with it, especially when it comes to technology,” his mother explained to VOA. “That has always been where he shines the most. But most of all, Jacob is persistent. He just keeps trying with everything he does and that takes heart!”

What’s more, the president was very impressed with Jacob’s creations. Obama was especially fascinated with a 3D printed bubble blowing wand, and even (mostly unsuccessfully) blew bubbles with it. “Clearly, I'm out of practice,” Obama told the budding scientist. Jacob also showed the president a 3D printed model of the White House. But Obama was even more impressed with how Jacob got his hands on a 3D printer. “So clearly he's a good negotiator and business person,” the president said.

Jacob, meanwhile, had a few questions for the president as well. “I have a question, Mr. President,” he asked. “Do you have a child science adviser?” Obama was very interested, but was dreaming even bigger: a kid's science advisory committee, a junior version of the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology. “We’re going to follow up on that,” Obama said. Jacob, meanwhile, is even already dreaming about his own future. “I would like to program robots. And make artificial organs,” he said when asked what he wanted to be when he grows up. The future of 3D printing is clearly in good hands.

 

 

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