Bill Nye: STEM Success Will Rely On Federal Government's Ability To Reach At-Risk Youth

Public and private organizations are working to find new ways to get American students interested in science, but Bill Nye says the federal government is the key to getting as many children involved as possible.

Nye joined HuffPost Live Monday for a discussion about STEM education and how strengthening it could help the United States become more competitive on the world stage. Nye was a guest at the third annual White House Science Fair, where the president's team announced the launch of US2020, a campaign that encourages companies to commit 20 percent of their STEM employees to 20 hours per year of mentoring or teaching by the year 2020.

Nye told HuffPost Live's Jacob Soboroff that he is open-minded about the potential for private companies to educate and inspire our students in science. Still, he said that ultimately the federal government is needed to reach students who are at risk or underprivileged.

"This is where traditionally we use public education to engage as many people as possible," Nye said.

Watch the Full Segment on HuffPost Live.