President Barack Obama quizzed students on their robots, electric cars, genetic discoveries and other projects at the White House science fair, highlighting the administrations push to boost science, technology, engineering and matheducation.

U.S. companies have lamented a shortfall of workers trained in so-called STEM fields, and the government officials want to boost enrollment in such programs.

These are the fields of the future, Mr.Obama said.This is where the good jobs are going to be.

As part of the fair, Mr. Obama announced $35 million in Department of Education grants to support training of more science, engineering and math teachers, an expansion of the AmeriCorps STEM program and a mentoring plan to link tech workers with students.

The White House said 100 students from more than 30 states came to the fair.On the same day of a major announcement about Afghanistan, a call with Ukraines president-elect and developments in policy toward Syria, the president spent more than an hour visiting with some of the students and asking them about award-winning projects.

Were so proud of you, Mr. Obama told 18-year-oldElana Simonof New York City. Ms. Simon, who survived a rare form of liver cancer, discovered a link between a common genetic mutation and the illness.

Peyton Robertson, a 12-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., developed a sandless sandbag to help protect against flooding. When dry, my bags are really lightweight, they weigh only four pounds, Mr. Robertson told the president. But then when you add water it expands and becomes heavy, it weighs 30 pounds.

Some tweets from the event:

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Obama Quizzes Kid Geniuses at White House Science Fair