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Obama announces $240M in new pledges for STEM education

President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 20, 2015, during the second-annual White House Student Film Festival. This year’s competition was an opportunity for K-12 students to produce short films on the idea of service and helping your community. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 20, 2015, during the second-annual White House Student Film Festival. This year’s competition was an opportunity for K-12 students to produce short films on the idea of service and helping your community. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 20, 2015, during the second-annual White House Student Film Festival. This year’s competition was an opportunity for K-12 students to produce short films on the idea of service and helping your community. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By Associated Press 2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama is highlighting private-sector efforts to encourage more students from underrepresented groups to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math.

At the White House Science Fair on Monday, Obama announced more than $240 million in pledges to boost the study of those fields, known as STEM. This year’s fair is focused on diversity.

Obama said the new commitments have brought total financial and material support for these programs to $1 billion.

“It’s not enough for our country just to be proud of you. We’ve got to support you,” Obama said.

The pledges the president announced include a $150 million philanthropic effort to encourage promising early-career scientists to stay on track and a $90 million campaign to expand STEM opportunities to underrepresented youth, such as minorities and girls.