Press Statement 18-007

Statement on White House Community College Innovation Challenge event

Innovative students in NSF-led competition honored with White House reception

NSF staff employees outside

NSF is committed to maintaining the U.S. status as the worldwide leader in innovation.


June 15, 2018

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), hosted the fourth annual Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) this week. This competition encourages innovative, entrepreneurial students to use science and engineering to propose solutions to real-world challenges, from energy generation to landmine detection. This year, 10 finalist teams were invited to the White House to present their ideas to a panel of expert judges, and met with senior administration officials, including Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios, Senior Policy Advisor in STEM Education for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Jeff Weld, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination Chris Liddell, and NASA's Associate Administrator James (Jim) Reuter, as well as members of the National Science Board. NSF Director France Córdova issued the following statement on the event:

NSF is pleased that the administration hosted this year's Community College Innovation Challenge event. CCIC requires months of work, training and learning from these students, and this visit to the White House was a wonderful way to honor their efforts. I'm impressed by the innovations these finalists created, and by the professionalism they showed in presenting them. I would like to personally thank the officials who took the time to meet with the finalists, including Representative Rick Nolan, Michael Kratsios, Jeff Weld, Chris Liddell, Jim Reuter and Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of the AACC.

NSF is committed to maintaining the U.S. status as the worldwide leader in science and engineering innovation. Doing so requires empowering more of our nation';s students to pursue employment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Community colleges present people with curiosity and ambition, invaluable options for learning and career training. We are proud to work with the White House, the AACC and a wide variety of additional partners to help prepare the next generation of U.S. STEM workers.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Sarah Bates, NSF, (703) 292-7738, email: sabates@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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