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Teen calculus whiz meets President Obama at White House Science Fair
U.S. President Barack Obama looks at the project of Peyton Roberston (L) from Florida, winner of the Discovery 3M Young Scientist, for his "Sandless sand bags" project during the 2014 White House Science Fair at the White House, May 27, 2014 in Washington, DC.
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Aude Guerruccip-Pool/Getty Images
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As if getting a perfect score on his AP calculus exam wasn't enough to make Cedrick Argueta's final year of high school one to remember, on Wednesday he got to visit the White House. After word spread like fire about the Abraham Lincoln High School senior's AP score, he received an invitation to the White House Science Fair — via Twitter — from President Barack Obama.
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/693841529169952768
Along with students from Foshay Learning Center's robotics team, Argueta and his calculus teacher Anthony Yom attended the sixth and final White House Science Fair under the Obama administration.
"A few months ago, I never would have dreamed I'd get to the White House. I can't wait to meet other students who are also passionate about science and math — students who I'm sure will change the face of technology and help solve some of society's biggest problems, like fighting climate change and treating cancer," Argueta wrote in a note on the Los Angeles Unified School District's website.
The White House Science Fair features winners of prestigious science, technology, engineering and math competitions from around the country.
https://twitter.com/MichelleKingLA/status/720307349764767744
Foshay's robotics team won the Chairman’s Award at the 2015 FIRST Championship in St. Louis, leading to their invitation to the White House. Students Ana Hernandez and Jason Mares, along with their mentor Darryl Newhouse, represent the team which collectively logs 6,000 hours of community service per year.
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"FIRST Robotics Competition Team 597, The Wolverines, certainly build more than robots — they build community," says the description of Foshay's team on the White House Science Fair website.
Obama addressed the crowd filled more than 100 students who showcased their work at the science fair.
"We want to make sure every single one of our students — no matter where they’re from, what income their parents bring in, regardless of their backgrounds — we want to make sure that they’ve got access to hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math education," Obama said in his remarks.
Other honorees included a Connecticut student who created a diagnostic test for Ebola and a team from New York that designed a robot to clean up the subways.
Watch highlights of the White House Science Fairs below:
White House Science Fair highlights
Watch video of Obama at this year's fair below:
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Watch YouTube star/model Karlie Kloss outside the White House:
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