A group lobbying for more health care services in French says the New Brunswick government isn't keeping up its end of a deal struck two years ago.
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Francophone group says province failing on health commitments
Monthly Archives: August 2012
Health care tax credit available for business owners, but is it worth the headache?
Posted: 11:15 am Tue, August 14, 2012 By DanHeilman Tags: Andrew R. Biebl, CliftonLarsonAllen, Health Care, Internal Revenue Service, Lehrman Flom & Co., Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, Steve Warren, U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Image: Dreamstime
Buried deep in the health care reform law is a provision that seems set up to reward small businesses for providing health coverage for their employees. But does it really do that or much of anything?
The Internal Revenue Service has said that 15,400 small businesses are eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, which is aimed at making health insurance more affordable for their employees.
Congress created the tax credit (available on IRS Form 8941) in 2010 as part of the overhaul of the health care system, and it was intended to be an incentive for small businesses to offer health insurance.
But companies and their accountants have found that the process for filing a claim is top-heavy, and the potential credits start to vanish if businesses dont meet exacting standards.
Nobodys using it, and not because they dont know about it, said Andrew R. Biebl, a certified public accountant and partner with CliftonLarsonAllen in Minneapolis.
The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, whose constitutionality was upheld in June by the U.S. Supreme Court, provides a tax credit thats 35 percent of a businesss health premium as long as the business meets a three-part standard:
The instructions should be reviewed [by] anyone considering completing the form, said Steve Warren, CPA, and director of taxation with Lehrman, Flom & Co. in St. Louis Park. The calculation can be relatively time-consuming and complex.
Assuming your business meets the three criteria, you would look at all of your health premiums and compute 35 percent of that as your tax credit. If youre a nonprofit, its 25 percent of the premiums. Also, the law doesnt require a timely election, so business owners who have missed out to this point can file two amended returns to claim back credits.
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Health care tax credit available for business owners, but is it worth the headache?
For Health Equity, Docs Prescribe Public Health Care
YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES--(Marketwire -08/14/12)- An equitable health care system is built on the foundation of a public, non-profit system, according to research by Canadian Doctors for Medicare.
Taking Action on Health Equity in Canada, a new policy document by Canadian Doctors for Medicare builds on the excellent CMA papers and focus on equity at General Council, but goes further to call for action needed by governments for an equitable health care system.
"We can't have an equitable health care system if it's based on Canadians' ability to pay instead of their health care needs - we must address the inequities created by for-profit delivery of health care, and lack of access to life-saving medications," said Dr. Vanessa Brcic, executive board member of Canadian Doctors for Medicare.
The policy paper outlines six essential areas where the CMA can play an essential role in advocating for conditions that would improve health equity in Canada:
"An equitable health care system is also a sustainable one," said Dr. Bob Woollard, board member of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. "Evidence shows that a public health care system costs less and produces better outcomes for patients - we need our leaders, both among physicians and politicians - to recognize that the right thing to do is the smart thing to do."
The full report can be found at http://www.canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca.
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Cris Cyborg: 'Ronda Rousey Is Running to Not Fight Me'
Ronda Rousey may be the star of the show for women'sMMAat the moment, but don't forget about Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. The Brazilian is entering the home stretch of her suspension due to a failed drug test and is eagerly waiting to step back into the cage.
"Cyborg" spoke to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com onThe MMA Hourand expressed interest in fighting one woman in particular.
"I really wanna fight Ronda," she said."I really want to."
When asked why she seemed so focused on fighting Rousey, "Cyborg" elaborated that she wasn't happy with some of the comments made by Rousey following Santos' suspension.
"She says bad things about me. I never say bad things about my opponent," Santos said. "I want to do my best in the Octagon, and if she says she wants to fight me, she can come to my weight or at 140."
The leanest "Cyborg" has ever weighed in at is 140 pounds, which was for her United States debut in 2008. "Cyborg" admitted that a cut to 135 pounds would be too difficult but told Helwani that she is around 160 pounds right now and considers herself to be "very skinny."
Rousey initially began her career at 145 pounds but dropped a weight class to challenge bantamweight title holder Miesha Tate earlier this year. Although it would seem Rousey made the decision based on the fact she would get a title shot and it was virtually the only big fight in WMMA Strikeforce could make at the time, "Cyborg" has other thoughts.
"...she's running to 135. She's running to not fight me," Santos said. "And after, she speaks a lot of s*** about me. I want to fight her soon."
The war of words between the ladies began when Rousey stated she hadno respect for "Cyborg"after her failed drug test. The two engaged in minor bickering exchanges, with the highlight from Santos' side coming after she shared a picture of a beaten Gina Carano, apparently threatening to duplicate the feat against Rousey.
Santos is anticipating the time when the talking will be over between the two.
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XCOR Aerospace headed for Florida
XCOR Aerospace next week will announce plans to build rocket engines and potentially a suborbital spacecraft in Florida, likely at Kennedy Space Center.
The California company expects to create 152 jobs with this operations and manufacturing business, which it will announce at 10 a.m. on Aug. 23 at the Astronaut Encounter Theater at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
An invitation to the announcement says XCOR will establish its new business in Florida, and the only Florida site the company has seriously scouted was KSC.
Reached earlier today, an XCOR spokesman declined to comment beyond the invitation.
The company has been racking up cash and incentives in Florida over the past few years.
Space Florida, the states space economic development group, has committed to investing up to $3 million in XCOR. And in late July, Brevard County commissioners approved $182,400 in incentives to help the company open a facility at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility. According to the company, the project would include hangar and flight operations, vehicle manufacturing, engine assembly and space tourism elements.
(KSC last week issued a request for commercial proposals to use the 15,000-foot runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility.)
The county incentives will act as a local match for nearly $1 million worth of state incentives for XCOR under the Florida Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Program.
A representative from XCOR, which was founded in 1999, told commissioners the company hopes to open its KSC center in October 2014. The 152 technical jobs, created over five years, would have an average wage of $60,833.
XCOR builds, tests, sells and operates reusable, rocket-powered space vehicles and rocket engines that can be used for suborbital, orbital and deep-space applications. It hopes to launch small satellites to low-earth orbit from Florida, as well as having a role in environmental and military-related missions. The company is designing a second stage engine for United Launch Alliance, which operates at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
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Removing hazardous substances from the air
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carbon-based compounds, many of which are hazardous to humans' health. EU-funded researchers coordinated efforts to apply nanotechnology to the capture and sequestration of these compounds.
VOCs evaporate into the air at room temperature. The evaporation process produces tiny air-borne molecules that may be unsafe to those who inhale them, come into contact with them via skin, or drink them in contaminated water supplies.
While the use of VOCs has been restricted in recent years, there are still thousands of products present in everyday life that contain VOCs. Removal of VOCs from waste air streams, whether at factories that use VOCs or at wastewater treatment plants that remove VOCs from wastewater, is commonly accomplished with separation membranes.
The application of nanotechnology (technology on the scale of atoms or molecules) to membrane filtration of VOCs in waste air streams may greatly enhance functionality.
Nanoparticles have the unique feature of having very high surface areas compared to their volumes. This surface area is extremely useful as a work surface for chemical reactions and absorption of other molecules.
However, integration of nanotechnology with membrane separation technology for more efficient and greener removal of VOCs from waste air streams is an emerging, developing field.
In order to coordinate efforts in research with those in industry and in policymaking bodies, European researchers initiated the ANVOC project.
The main goal of the project was to organise a symposium bringing together stakeholders from all areas to disseminate knowledge to end users and to facilitate cooperation among research and development (R&D) bodies.
ANVOC scientists met all goals, bringing together international experts in nanotechnology, membrane technology and air pollution control.
The symposium presented R&D results, identified the types of membranes used in recovery of VOCs, and demonstrated the use of membranes in gas separation. In addition, valuable possibilities for future research collaboration were identified.
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Removing hazardous substances from the air
Nanotechnlogy delivery system for breast cancer could be gamechanger for treating diseases
A novel nanotechnology drug delivery system under development to infiltrate breast cancer tumors could pave the way for treating other diseases.
Penn State College of Medicine received a $1 million grant from a state research fund set up with money from its tobacco settlement to assess the drug treatments commercialization potential.
The principal investigator for the nanotechnology delivery system is Mark Kester, a professor of pharmacology and director of the Penn State Center for NanoMedicine and Materials. He has been working for the past five to six years with Jim Adair with Penn States department of material sciences and engineering and Keystone Nano, a nanotechnology company spun out of Penn State University led by Jeff Davidson, the founder of the Biotechnology Institute and Pennsylvania Bio industry association.
The next generation of cancer fighting drugs, instead of going after cancer and non-cancer cells indiscriminately, specifically target cancer proteins. Although companies have recognized the ability of small interfering RNA as a small molecule that can be directed to interfere with the production of cancer cells, the toxicity of siRNA has proved a challenge in its use. Biotechnology companies and institutions have been studying ways to use different nanotechnology particles to house the toxic molecule.
In an interview with MedCity News, Kester explained that the team has developed non-toxic nanojackets using calcium phosphocillate nanoparticles, material that makes up teeth and bones, to deliver the toxic siRNA safely to the gene mutation, in this case the one that causes overexpression of an oncogenic protein in breast cancer patients.
Getting to this stage has taken five to six years. Kester estimates it will take another 1.5 years to get to the point where it will have enough data to submit an IND application. During that time it will work with contract research organizations across Pennsylvania to conduct preclinical trials using the nanojackets.
Even if the companys IND application is approved, it will take another five to eight years to get the technology to the point where it can be submitted for FDA approval.
A cursory search on Clinicaltrials.gov revealed that 10 clinical studies are using siRNA to combat diseases in clinical trials. The one that is using them to fight breast cancer uses fat cells to house the toxic molecule.
If successful, the siRNA molecule could theoretically be delivered to any protein mutation and destroy it, a development that would revolutionize not only cancer treatment but one that could lead to treating Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease and other unmet needs.
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Nanotechnlogy delivery system for breast cancer could be gamechanger for treating diseases
Independent committee recommends changes at Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center
By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff
An independent panel of scientists and veterinarians enlisted by Harvard Medical School to review its troubled primate research facility in Southborough is recommending that new leadership positions be created and a committee be formed to assure animal safety and foster closer ties with the main medical school.
The two-page executive summary of the report, released to the Globe by Deborah Kochevar, dean of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the chairwoman of the committee, calls for establishing a new veterinarian position and appointing a biosafety officer specifically dedicated to the New England Primate Research Center. The committee did not set out to investigate the specific lapses in animal care and procedures that resulted in death and harm to animals.
Our charge and our intent was the evaluation of process improvements and these long-term strategies that would impact the delivery of humane, effective animal care and also ensure productive research, Kochevar said in an interview. The information about recent primate deaths was part of our context, but we werent there to investigate those incidents.
Many of the recommended changes involve adding layers of oversight and direct reporting to Harvard, including the designation of a senior leader at the medical school who would act as an advocate for the primate center.
The new attending veterinarian specifically assigned to the primate center would report directly to Harvard Medical Schools executive dean for administration. The independent committee recommended a review of training and policies to ensure they encourage open communication and reporting of problems.
Similarly, authors of the review recommended that a subcommittee be formed with the express task of focusing on the care and use of primates at the Southborough center. Now, there is a single committee overseeing animal research and care at all of the medical schools research facilities.
In a statement, Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of the medical school, said Harvard accepted the recommendations.
We have begun a timely implementation of these recommendations, Flier said in the statement.
Of course, this has been a challenging period, for the primate center, Flier wrote, but it has also been a time of reflection and analysis that has led to more stringent oversight and to a rigorous process of quality improvement.
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Independent committee recommends changes at Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center
A new model for medical schools
A week or so ago, my wife and I drove from Santa Barbara to the University of California, Irvine, to attend a "White Coat" ceremony for the incoming class of medical students, including our son, at the UC Irvine Medical School.
It was a very impressive event and, as parents, we felt very proud of our son, as we were a couple of years earlier when our daughter graduated from law school. But what I also found impressive about the ceremony where these would-be doctors are initiated into their first step as doctors by receiving their white doctor's coat was how diverse the students were. Not only were more than half of the students women, but ethnically, the mix was likewise impressive.
As a scholar of Latinos in the United States, I paid particular attention to the number of new Latino medical students, including my son. Here again, I was impressed. A good percentage was Latinos. What is important here is that UC Irvine is ahead of the curve with respect to the number and percentage of Latinos in our medical schools. Nationally, only about 5 percent of all medical students in the country are Latinos, while the percentage of Latinos in the U.S. is about 16 percent. Many Latinos, especially immigrants, do not regularly see doctors, and some studies suggest this has to do with the lack of Latino physicians.
Latinos as a whole suffer from many illnesses, including an almost epidemic number of diabetic cases, and the lack of Latino doctors in Latino communities only compounds the problem. I recently received a small grant to begin oral histories with the few Latino physicians in the Santa Barbara area as a way of using their stories to encourage potential Latino medical students to apply and to go to medical schools. I am encouraged at the same time by the Irvine model, where clearly the medical school understands the importance of recruiting qualified Latinos to attend medical school and to challenge the national lack of Latino medical students. My hope is that other major medical schools will follow this model. Much of our nation's health could depend on this because by 2050, Latinos are project to represent one-third of the national population.
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A new model for medical schools
10 Medical Schools With the Lowest Acceptance Rates
The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matters to you in your college or grad school search.
Becoming a doctor is hard work. Medical students spend three years studying symptoms, diseases, and treatments, endure long hours in residencies and fellowships, and then must pass a grueling series of board exams. But before any of that can happen, future M.D.'s need to get into medical school.
On average, fewer than 9 percent of medical school applications were accepted in 2011, according to data reported to U.S. News. In total, 500,900 applications were submitted in 2011 to the 111 medical schools reporting application and acceptance data to U.S. News in an annual survey. Prospective medical students often apply to multiple schools.
[Discover the top three reasons why med school applications are rejected.]
Grades, MCAT scores, letters of evaluation, and extracurricular activities all play a role in whether an application is accepted, but which programs students apply to can also impact their chances of getting into med school.
Among the 11 medical schools with the lowest acceptance rates, an average of 3.4 percent of applicants were accepted in 2011. (Due to ties, there are more than 10 schools on the list.) The Mayo Medical School in Minnesota accepted just 1.9 percent of applicants, the lowest acceptance rate among the medical schools that submitted acceptance data to U.S. News. George Washington University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences had the second lowest, sending acceptance letters to 2.5 percent of the 14,649 students who applied in 2011.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the University of North Dakota's School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Western University of Health Sciences's College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in California each accepted more than 25 percent of its 2011 applicants.
Below are the 11 medical schools with the lowest acceptance rates, based on applicant and acceptance data reported by the institutions to U.S. News:
Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Medical School Compass to find application and acceptance data for every school, residency statistics, and much more.
U.S. News surveyed more than 140 medical schools for our 2011 survey of research and primary care programs. Schools self-reported a myriad of data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News's data the most accurate and detailed collection of school facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Medical Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News's rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools.
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10 Medical Schools With the Lowest Acceptance Rates
Puma Biotechnology Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI), a development stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012.
For the quarter ended June 30, 2012, Puma reported a net loss applicable to common stock of $14.8 million, or $0.74 per share. Net loss applicable to common stock for the six months ended June 30, 2012, was $26.6 million, or $1.33 per share.
Net cash used in operating activities for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, was $8.8 million. Net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2012, was $11.6 million. As of June 30, 2012, Puma had cash and cash equivalents of $41.0 million, compared to $53.4 million at December 31, 2011.
Total operating expenses for the quarter ended June 30, 2012 were $14.8 million. Total operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2012, were $26.6 million. The operating expenses in the quarter were primarily driven by clinical development expenses for our lead product candidate, PB272 (neratinib), the transition of the PB272 clinical trial program to Puma from the drugs licensor, hiring staff and building out our corporate infrastructure.
General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2012 were $1.7 million. Total general and administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2012, were $2.9 million.
Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2012 were $13.0 million. Total research and development expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2012, were $23.6 million. Included in the research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2012 are outside clinical development expenses of $10.3 million related to the transition of the ongoing PB272 clinical trials to Puma from the licensor, approximately $3 million of which represented duplicate costs incurred for the licensors services in connection with these trials. The Company anticipates that as this transition has largely been completed, these costs will decrease significantly in future quarters.
The second quarter of 2012 brought many significant achievements and advancements for Puma as we continued to make progress with the clinical development of our drug candidate PB272 and continued to build our corporate infrastructure, said Alan H. Auerbach, Chief Executive Officer and President. We will continue to move forward aggressively with the clinical development of PB272 during 2012. Our clinical development plan includes (i) initiating our Phase III clinical trial of PB272 in combination with chemotherapy in HER2+ metastatic breast cancer patients who have failed previous HER2 directed therapy, which we anticipate will occur later this year; (ii) completing the ongoing Phase II trial of neratinib in combination with temsirolimus in fourth line HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, which we anticipate reporting additional data from later in 2012, and subsequently initiating the Phase III trial of the combination of neratinib plus temsirolimus; (iii) completing the ongoing Phase II trial of PB272 in patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain, which we also anticipate reporting data from in 2012, (iv) completing our ongoing Phase II trial of PB272 as a neoadjuvant treatment for patients with HER2+ breast cancer, which we expect to report data from in 2013; (v) initiating a Phase II trial of PB272 in patients with HER2 mutated non-small cell lung cancer, which we expect will occur later this year; and (vi) initiating a Phase II trial of PB272 in breast cancer patients with a newly identified genetic mutation, which we also expect will occur later this year.
About Puma Biotechnology
Puma Biotechnology, Inc. is a development stage biopharmaceutical company that acquires and develops innovative products for the treatment of various forms of cancer. The Company focuses on in-licensing drug candidates that are undergoing or have already completed initial clinical testing for the treatment of cancer and then seeks to further develop those drug candidates for commercial use. The Company is initially focused on the development of PB272 (oral neratinib), a potent irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer.
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Puma Biotechnology Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results
Anatomy of a movie
Readmore: Local, Education, Community, Anatomy of a Murder, Anatomy 59, Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee, James Stewart, Baraga
NEGAUNEE -- The Tuesday lecture series at the Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee continues with a look at Anatomy '59. It's a film made by local journalist John Pepin that takes a behind the scenes look at the movie Anatomy of a Murder. Pepin made the film to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film. It includes a look at the actual events that led to the book and movie.
"It's a big part of U.P. history because more than 50 years later its still remains a very popular topic with people and a lot of people don't know about the history of the area and how there was a true crime and this actually fits the three together," said Filmmaker John Pepin.
The Tuesday lecture series wraps up at the Iron Industry Museum next Tuesday with a look at the film Iron Spirits: Life on the Michigan Iron Range.
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Anatomy of a movie
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Among the most stimulating series of events at this year's Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh will be the provocative 'Scottish Six' talks by broadcaster Lesley Riddoch and land reformer Andy Wightman.
"After much talk about the need to debate Scotlands future, and the prospect of a Scottish debate-free zone on the Fringe, Andy and myself have decided to join forces and stick our heids oer the parapet," says Lesley.
"So well have a show on at six oclock most weekday nights from August 14-17 and 20-24 as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace
"Its called The Scottish Six - debates you dont get on TV. But the BBC and Scottish media will figure only fleetingly in the first gig. Our much bigger concern is the way that inequality, entitlement and disempowerment disfigure Scotland and limit the ways most Scots can imagine the future.
"Each night, land campaigner Andy Wightman (Who Owns Scotland and The Poor Had no Lawyers) will kick off The Scottish Six with a characteristically hard-hitting look at how the nexus of money, politics and property has created an unequal society in which too many people are powerless to make a positive contribution."
14-17th and 20-24th August in the Hall at St John's Church (Venue 127, corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road, Edinburgh). Tickets on the door or via the Hub (http://t.co/4aF8TOM8). 6 (4).
* The Scottish Six: http://www.scottishsix.com/
Ekklesia is a sponsor and media partner of the Festival
* Follow regular updates from the Festival on Spirituality and Peace News: http://festivalofspirituality.blogspot.co.uk/
* Follow the Festival of Spirituality and Peace on Ekklesia: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/festivalofspirituality
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Beliefnet Appoints Tara MacLaren As New Director of Sales
Beliefnet, the comprehensive multi-faith online resource for inspiration and spirituality, has hired Tara MacLaren as Director of Sales. MacLaren will be responsible for new business acquisitions and advertisement sales.Norfolk, VA (PRWEB) August 14, 2012 Beliefnet, the comprehensive multi-faith online resource for inspiration and spirituality, has hired Tara MacLaren as Director of Sales ...
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Test Stands Make Way for Reusable Robotic Lander
Marshall Center engineers Logan Kennedy, right, and Adam Lacock check out the lander prototype, dubbed the "Mighty Eagle." (NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton)
The landscape around two historic test stands at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has changed and now features a free-flying robotic lander that will demonstrate automated rendezvous and capture technology.
This guidance, navigation and control software could aid in the capture of orbiting space debris, in-space docking with a fuel depot, docking of a robotic lander with an orbiting command module and the rendezvous of multiple unmanned stages for deep space human exploration of the solar system.
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The "Mighty Eagle" robotic prototype lander is now being tested near Marshall's historic Saturn-IC Static and F-1 test stands. (NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton)
The test series begins with strap down tests to check out the lander's control systems, continuing with higher altitude flights and moving into hover and translation flights, ascending to a maximum height of 180 feet.
This smart, versatile, robotic lander was developed by the Marshall Center and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., for NASA's Planetary Sciences Division, Headquarters Science Mission Directorate. Key partners in this project include the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation, which includes the Science Applications International Corporation, Dynetics Corp. and Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., all of Huntsville.
Provided by NASA
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Obama Calls to Congratulate NASA's Mars Curiosity Team
In a congratulatory phone call today to the NASA team behind Mars rover Curiosity, President Barack Obama pledged a strong focus on technology and science, as well as revealing his next possible hairdo.
Speaking to mission operation personnel who were in a control room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Obama applauded their effort.
"We know you're all hard at work," the president said. "I just wanted to call and say congratulations to the entire team [] and all of JPL," he said, citing specific members of the crew and their position within the mission.
Obama said that he and his administration couldn't be more excited about what NASA has been doing, calling it "mind-boggling" what the agency has been able to accomplish.
Noting the focus his administration has put on improving science, technology, engineering, and math, the president called the Mars rover "incredibly impressive," telling the crowd that, "through your dedicated efforts, Curiosity stuck the landing and captured the attention and imagination of millions of people [] all around the world."
Those people include kids across the country, who may have been inspired by the Red Planet landing and are running to their parents with dreams of being an astronaut, maybe even the first person to walk on Mars, Obama said.
"That kind of inspiration is the by-product of the sort of work you have done," he said.
The Obama administration has its critics inside NASA, however, who were disappointed by budget cuts that tabled some of the space agency's efforts. Last year, NASA retired its space shuttle program to focus on deep-space exploration. NASA astronauts have since been hitching rides on Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station while NASA transitions to trips manned by commercial entities, like SpaceX.
Still, Obama praised the NASA team for being a shining example of what makes the human species so great: curiosity (no pun intended). The yearning to discovery, to know more, and to push the boundaries of knowledge, he said, are commendable traits.
In a nod toward viral sensation Bobak "Mohawk Guy" Ferdowski, Obama joked that he's thought about growing a Mohawk himself, "but my team keeps on discouraging me." He earned big laughs in the crowded room, but remained serious about the team's work.
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Obama to NASA: Let Me Know if You Find Aliens [VIDEO]
When President Obama called NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover team Monday morning, he had a small request: “If in fact you make contact with Martians, please let me know right away."
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Obama to NASA experts: 'Let me know if you find Martians'
US President Barack Obama on Monday ribbed scientists behind NASA's roving robot Curiosity, instructing them to let him know right away if they found life on Mars.
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Obama lauds NASA for Mars landing, pledges continued investment
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated NASA scientists on Monday for landing a rover on Mars, promising to keep up key space investments and jokingly asking if they could keep him posted on any contact with Martians. In a phone call from Air Force One to the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, Obama lauded their "incredible success" of ...
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Obama lauds NASA for Mars landing, pledges continued investment
NASA rover sends back colorful picture of Mars
In this frame provided by NASA of a stop motion video taken during the NASA rover Mars landing, the heat shield falls away during Curiosity's descent to the surface of Mars on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS / AP
In this frame provided by NASA of a stop motion video taken during...
This image taken by NASA's Curiosity shows what lies ahead for the rover -- its main science target, informally called Mount Sharp Monday, Aug. 6, 2012. The rover's shadow can be seen in the foreground, and the dark bands beyond are dunes. Rising up in the distance is the highest peak of Mount Sharp at a height of about 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers), taller than Mt. Whitney in California. The Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to investigate its lower layers, which scientists think hold clues to past environmental change. This image was captured by the rover's front left Hazard-Avoidance camera at full resolution shortly after it landed. It has not yet been linearized to remove the distorted appearance that results from its fisheye lens. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech / AP
This image taken by NASA's Curiosity shows what lies ahead for the...
Jennifer Trosper, Mars Science Laboratory, MSL mission manager, JPL, adjusts the high-gain antenna on a rover model during a news briefing on the last data and imagery from Sol 1 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Monday, August 6, 2012. The rover's primary mission today will be raising its high-gain antenna, which will enable better communication with JPL scientists. Photo: Damian Dovarganes / AP
Jennifer Trosper, Mars Science Laboratory, MSL mission manager,...
This photo provided by NASA shows a full-resolution version of one of the first images taken by a rear Hazard-Avoidance camera on NASA's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars the Sunday evening, Aug. 5, 2012. The image was originally taken through a "fisheye" wide-angle lens, but has been "linearized" so that the horizon looks flat rather than curved. A Hazard-avoidance camera on the rear-left side of Curiosity obtained this image. Part of the rim of Gale Crater, which is a feature the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined, stretches from the top middle to the top right of the image. One of the rover's wheels can be seen at bottom right. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech / AP
This photo provided by NASA shows a full-resolution version of one...
In this image released by NASA/JPL-Caltech, a green diamond shows approximately where NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars, a region about 2 kilometers northeast of its target in the center of the estimated landing region (blue ellipse). The location of the diamond is based on Earth-based navigation data taken prior to Curiosity's entry into the Martian atmosphere, as well as data taken by the rover's navigation instruments during descent. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech / AP
In this image released by NASA/JPL-Caltech, a green diamond shows...
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