Angela Zhang Gets Noticed by White House

may be a typical 17-year-old in many ways, but the whirlwind that surrounds her since she won the Siemens Competition 2011 in December is anything but typical.

For example, she was among 100 students honored by President Barack Obama in the second annual White House Science Fair on Tuesday, and on Jan. 26 she .

Both events stemmed from the $100,000 scholarship from the Siemens Competition she was awarded on Dec. 5.

The Monta Vista High School student won the grand prize in the individual category in the math and science competition for her work in developing a nanotechnology procedure to eradicate cancer stem cells.

No wonder kids in school ask for her autograph—though she says it’s friends just being silly. But she is high-profile these days as evidenced by the company she keeps.

At the White House with her was Bill Nye—yes, that guy of “Bill Nye the Science Guy®”—one of Angela’s inspirations, she told Patch.

Tuesday’s honor at the White House was part of Obama’s Educate to Innovate campaign to encourage American youth to study science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Obama announced that he will request $80 million for a new competition by the Department of Education to help prepare effective STEM teachers, which will be complemented by $22 million from the private and philanthropic sector, from such organizations as Carnegie, Google, and Bill & Melinda Gates.

“And that’s why when I took office, I called for an all-hands-on-deck approach to science, math, technology and engineering.  Let’s train more teachers.  Let’s get more kids studying these subjects.  Let’s make sure these fields get the respect and attention that they deserve.”

Obama also put out a special call to the media to bring attention to the honored students.

“I’m going to make a special plea to the press—not just the folks who are here, but also your editors—give this some attention. I mean, this is the kind of stuff, what these young people are doing, that’s going to make a bigger difference in the life of our country over the long term than just about anything. And it doesn’t belong just on the back pages of a newspaper; we’ve got to lift this up. We’ve got to emphasize how important this is and recognize these incredible young people who are doing things that I couldn’t even imagine thinking about at 5th grade or 8th grade or in high school.

“And so pay attention to this.  This is important.  This is what’s going to make a difference in this country over the long haul.  This is what inspires me and gets me up every day.  This is what we should be focusing on in our public debates,” Obama said.

We’re listening Mr. President; we’re listening.