White House Photo Gallery

President Dwight D. Eisenhower meets with 1955 STS finalists at the White House. Seated in the front row, second from left, is finalist Roald Hoffmann. Hoffmann went on to win the 1981 Nobel Prize in chemistry and become a member of the Society’s Honorary Board.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower visits with 1955 STS 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.

A 1958 STS finalist shows her project to Vice President Richard Nixon. Every year, the 40 finalists exhibit their projects to the public in the nation’s capital.

1958 STS finalist Leslie Smith discusses his research project with Vice President Richard Nixon. Smith’s project examined the effects of high voltage, high frequency electricity, using an Oudin coil (seen in the center of the image) to generate the current.

STS finalists meet with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Oval Office in 1959. The president expressed his wish that more American students be encouraged to study science diligently and pursue scientific careers like the STS finalists.

1960 STS finalists meet with then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson in his office at the Capitol Building. Finalist Gayle Wilson (second from left), now a member of the Society’s Honorary Board, received a congratulatory letter from Johnson after their meeting.

President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson address the 1961 STS finalists in the White House Rose Garden. Finalist Mary Sue Coleman (front row, left) went on to become president of the University of Michigan and chairwoman of the Society’s Board of Trustees.

1961 STS finalists pose for a photo with President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Photographs from the students’ visit to the White House appeared in newspapers nationwide.

1961 STS finalists meet President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House. The president greeted each student personally and discussed their research projects and future plans with them.

President John F. Kennedy talks with 1961 STS finalists Rita Manak (front left) and Laura Kaufman (front right) in the Oval Office. Manak’s project examined metabolism in white blood cells and Kaufman’s project investigated factors affecting the perception of lines.

1961 STS finalist William Tate meets President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office. For his project, Tate tested the efficacy of different mixtures of zinc sulfur as a rocket fuel.

The cover of the March 17, 1962, edition of Science News shows President John F. Kennedy greeting STS finalists at the White House. Kennedy met the students in the Roosevelt Room (called the “Fish Room” during his presidency because a large fish Kennedy had caught was mounted on the wall).