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1967 STS Finalist Martha Verbrugge Meets Vice President Humphrey 
2004 STS Finalists Meet President George W. Bush at the White House
First Lady Michelle Obama Invites ISEF Top Winner Amy Chyao to State of the Union Address
1991 STS finalist Yves Jeanty discusses his research with President Bush
1961 STS finalist William Tate meets President Kennedy 
2013 President Obama poses with Broadcom MASTERS finalists
President Truman Speaks to STS Finalists in the Oval Office 
1944 STS finalists meet with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
1960 STS finalists meet Senator Johnson at the Capitol
2014 Society Staff and CEO Meet President Obama at the White House
1983 President Reagan delivers remarks to STS finalists
1993 STS Finalist 1993 Wei-Hwa Huang and President Bill Clinton
1991 President George HW Bush at the STS Awards Gala
1965 President Johnson’s dog performs tricks for STS finalists 
2015 President Obama stands with Nikhil Behari in front of his project
1955 President Dwight Eisenhower visits with STS 1955 finalists Carol MacKay (left) and Roberta Colman (right). For her research project, MacKay developed her own vaccine to test whether mice could be successfully vaccinated against a strain of influenza
2019 STS finalists meet Senator Kamala Harris on Capitol Hill

White House Photo Gallery

Beginning in 1942, the White House has welcomed finalists from the Society for Science’s renowned science research competitions. These finalists have had the opportunity to meet with presidents, vice presidents and first ladies who were eager to promote STEM education and honor our nation’s young talent for developing solutions to society’s most urgent challenges.

This gallery was created to tell the story of the extraordinary relationship the Society has with the White House and their shared commitment to STEM research and scholarship in America.

We hope you draw inspiration as you explore these extraordinary photos. If you would like to share a photo of your visit to the White House as a finalist, please email alumni@societyforscience.org with “White House Gallery” in the subject line.

Please visit our Regeneron ISEF, Regeneron Science Talent Search and Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) pages to learn more about the Society’s world-class science research competitions.

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science talent search
1942
STS finalists with Vice President Wallace

STS finalists pose with Vice President Henry Wallace at the U.S. Capitol Building during the first Science Talent Institute in 1942. Wallace, a scientist himself, conversed with the students about their research and how science could aid the war effort.

Society for Science
STS finalists with Vice President Wallace STS finalists with Vice President Wallace
STS finalists with Vice President Wallace
1942
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science talent search
1943
STS Finalists pose with Vice President Wallace 

Vice President Henry Wallace meets with 1943 STS finalists during their visit to the Capitol Building. During their trip to Washington, D.C., the students also toured NBC Studios with Westinghouse scientists, as Westinghouse owned several NBC affiliate radio stations at the time.

Society for Science
STS Finalists pose with Vice President Wallace  STS Finalists pose with Vice President Wallace 
STS Finalists pose with Vice President Wallace 
1943
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science talent search
1944
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt shakes hands with finalists 

1944 STS finalists are greeted by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt outside the White House. Following their meeting with the First Lady, the students toured the White House’s most famous rooms.

Society for Science
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt shakes hands with finalists  First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt shakes hands with finalists 
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt shakes hands with finalists 
1944
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science talent search
1944
Vice President Wallace greets STS finalists at the Capitol 

Vice President Henry Wallace welcomes STS finalists to the Capitol Building in 1944. One of the 1944 STS finalists, Ben Mottelson (pictured in the front row, fourth from left), went on to win the Nobel Prize in physics in 1975.

Society for Science
Vice President Wallace greets STS finalists at the Capitol  Vice President Wallace greets STS finalists at the Capitol 
Vice President Wallace greets STS finalists at the Capitol 
1944
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science talent search
1944
STS finalists meet with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt speaks with STS finalists at the White House in 1944. This meeting marked the first time finalists visited the White House as part of their weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., starting a tradition that continues today.

Society for Science
STS finalists meet with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt STS finalists meet with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
STS finalists meet with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
1944
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science talent search
1945
STS finalists visit Vice President Truman's office

1945 STS finalists meet with Vice President Harry Truman in his office at the Capitol Building. Shaking hands with Truman is top female winner Marion Joswick, whose project explored fluorescent minerals.

Society for Science
STS finalists visit Vice President Truman's office STS finalists visit Vice President Truman's office
STS finalists visit Vice President Truman's office
1945
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science talent search
1947
President Truman receives STS finalists in the Oval Office 

President Harry Truman meets with STS finalists in the Oval Office in 1947. The top winner that year, Martin Karplus (second row, fourth from right), later became a member of the Society’s Honorary Board and won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2013.

Society for Science
President Truman receives STS finalists in the Oval Office  President Truman receives STS finalists in the Oval Office 
President Truman receives STS finalists in the Oval Office 
1947
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science talent search
1948
STS finalists meet First Lady Elizabeth Truman at the White House 

First Lady Elizabeth “Bess” Truman poses for a photo in front of the White House with the 1948 STS finalists. The students also visited the Agricultural Research Center and the National Bureau of Standards during their week-long trip to the capital.

Society for Science
STS finalists meet First Lady Elizabeth Truman at the White House  STS finalists meet First Lady Elizabeth Truman at the White House 
STS finalists meet First Lady Elizabeth Truman at the White House 
1948
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science talent search
1949
President Truman visits with STS finalists in the Oval Office 

1949 STS finalists meet President Harry Truman in the Oval Office. During their visit, Truman stated, “I am sincerely hoping that all of you will go ahead with what you have started.” Two finalists from that year, Edward Thorp and Walter Gilbert, later became members of the Society’s Honorary Board.

Society for Science
President Truman visits with STS finalists in the Oval Office  President Truman visits with STS finalists in the Oval Office 
President Truman visits with STS finalists in the Oval Office 
1949
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science talent search
1950
President Truman receives STS finalists at the White House 

1950 STS finalists, including future Society Honorary Board member Sheldon Glashow, gather around President Harry Truman’s desk in the Oval Office. At the Awards Banquet that year, Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer—the theoretical physicist known as the “father of the atomic bomb”—delivered the keynote address.

Society for Science
President Truman receives STS finalists at the White House  President Truman receives STS finalists at the White House 
President Truman receives STS finalists at the White House 
1950
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science talent search
1951
President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office 

President Harry Truman welcomes STS finalists to the Oval Office in 1951. Truman urged the students to pursue careers in science, stating, “The power and welfare of this country is wrapped up in scientific research.”

Society for Science
President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office  President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office 
President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office 
1951
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science talent search
1952
STS finalists meet with President Truman on the White House lawn 

1952 STS finalists meet with President Harry Truman in the White House Rose Garden. Truman remarked to the students, “I rather think we are going to have a peaceful world over the next century, and it will be your turn some day to make that world operate.”

Society for Science
STS finalists meet with President Truman on the White House lawn  STS finalists meet with President Truman on the White House lawn 
STS finalists meet with President Truman on the White House lawn 
1952
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science talent search
1951
President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office 

President Harry Truman welcomes STS finalists to the Oval Office in 1951. Truman urged the students to pursue careers in science, stating, “The power and welfare of this country is wrapped up in scientific research.”

Society for Science
President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office  President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office 
President Truman speaks to STS finalists in the Oval Office 
1951

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