WASHINGTON — President Obama jumped on a stationary mountain bike and spun the pedals for the good of mankind yesterday as he lauded nerdy-but-neat inventions at the annual White House Science Fair.
“This is outstanding,” he told 100 students who came to display some of the nation’s top school projects.
Obama’s eyes were drawn to the bike, mounted on blocks and outfitted to filter deadly pathogens from water during emergencies. It was presented by Kiona Elliott, 18, and Payton Kaar, 16, of Oakland Park, Fla.
The students got the idea to make the bike, with its collapsible and easy-to-transport pump system, following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The device can produce enough clean water for up to 30 people during a 15-hour period.
Obama also dispensed some business advice to two Girl Scouts who came up with a way to help elderly people counter insomnia by using a cooling headband. Obama encouraged them to get a patent.
“You better, before someone gets an infomercial and peddles this,”the president said.
Obama also praised Sara Volz for breeding new types of algae, stored in her bedroom. “You have very supportive parents,” he quipped.
Three New Yorkers were honored, although they didn’t get to show their projects to the president. They were Nikita Rau of Bronx Science HS, Chris Hillenbrand of Regis HS, and Zainab Oni of Hudson HS of Learning Technologies.
“Young people like these have to make you hopeful about the future of our country,” Obama said of the student inventors.