WMBFNews.com, Myrtle Beach/Florence SC, WeatherSC River Rangers attend White House Science Fair

From Ripley's Aquarium:

WASHINGTON, DC -- On Tuesday, February 7th, President Obama hosted the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President also announced key steps that the Administration and its partners are taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects.

About 100 students participated in Tuesday's event – a subset of these students will exhibit their work. At the fair, the President viewed exhibits of student work, ranging from breakthrough research to new inventions, followed by remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to the country's economic future.

Sixth-graders MaKayla Arteaga, Christian Hanna and Bethany Slayton known as the "River Rangers," and their coach, Michelle Ruthenberg, Director of Education of Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, were a part of this great event. The "River Rangers" were among the select few chosen to exhibit their work for the President and the First Lady.

The Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Waccamaw River are all prominent geographical features that give the area its beauty; provide food, water and transportation; and help draw about 14 million vacationers a year. So a problem that affects the water affects everyone, by hurting both the environment and the local economy. A growing concern in the Myrtle Beach region is the issue of pleasure boats being abandoned in these waters. The boats crowd the waterways, creating an unsafe situation for fishermen, boaters and swimmers, while leaking fuel and other materials that contaminate the water, threatening wildlife and humans in the area.

Through research, the students learned that the slumping economy and high unemployment have resulted in many boat-owners' struggling to make payments and to afford fuel and dock fees. Unable to sell their boats in an overcrowded market, many feel they have no other option but to abandon them. Though the students realized they couldn't physically remove the boats themselves, they could make the community aware of the issue. The team launched a website at www.scriverrangers.com to serve as a hub for local residents to report abandoned boats and receive warnings about boats sighted in the area.

The President hosted the first-ever White House Science Fair in late 2010, fulfilling a commitment he made at the launch of his Educate to Innovate campaign to inspire students to excel in math and science.  As the President noted then, "If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too." In addition, over the past year, the President met with the three young women who won the Google Science Fair, met a student robotics team on his bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia, and made a surprise appearance at the New York City Science Fair.