The first two meetings of the Middle Class Task Force were focused on Green Jobs and the Recovery Act, both of which will create a fundamental shift in our economy and the way it affects and lifts up the middle class here in America. The Green Jobs meeting featured experts explaining how what was once an abstract concept is now being translated into bread on the kitchen table, while the Recovery Act meeting discussed how that legislation will help middle class families, town by town and community by community.
For any family that has sent a child off to college and faced tuition costs that rivaled the total costs of their mortgage, the topic of the third meeting needs much less explanation. On Friday April 17th, the Task Force will hold its next meeting at the University of Missouri St. Louis. The meeting, titled “Making College More Affordable for our Families,” will also be attended by Dr. Jill Biden, who has been an educator for 28 years and is currently at Northern Virginia Community College with a focus on English and writing. It’s an issue that often gets overlooked in the midst of staggering job losses and stock prices plummeting – but it’s a critical one to the middle class and it will get its proper attention this Friday.
Emmett W. Chappelle holds 14 U.S. patents and was recently recognized as one of 100 most distinguished African American scientists and engineers of the 20th century.
Chappelle has a master’s in biochemistry from the University of Washington in Seattle. He started with NASA in 1966 in support of NASA’s manned space flight initiatives. He developed techniques to detect bacteria in urine, blood, spinal fluids, drinking water and foods.
In 1977, Chappelle started research on using remote sensing through laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to determine vegetation health. Working closely with scientists at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, he advanced the development of LIF as a means of detecting plant stress.
In case anybody is wondering, Bo is a boy. Malia and Sasha’s latest addition to the Obama family is as cute as a button. The girls will have many fond experiences with their new companion.

[Download in high resolution]
(The Obamas welcome Bo, a six-month old Portuguese water dog and a gift from
Senator and Mrs. Kennedy to Sasha and Malia, recently at the White House.
White House photos by Pete Souza.)





