President Barack Obama invited a broad spectrum of established and budding scientists to the White House for a science fair, including some people with North Carolina ties.

When one of the student presenters -- an eighth-grader from Arizona named Joey -- displayed his air cannon, the president couldn't resist learning more.

And when the president learned the air cannon could fire marshmallows up to 176 feet, he talks Joey into firing the cannon. Indoors. In the White House.

The rest, as they say, is presidential history -- and a potential Secret Service headache.

In Performance: Country Music at the White House (8pm, UNC-TV) - President and Mrs. Obama host a tribute to country music in which contemporary artists pay homage to the genre's inconic figures. Performers include The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, Lauren Alaina, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Darius Rucker, and James Taylor (right). The concert was taped Monday night in the East Room at the White House. 

The Middle (8pm, ABC) - Frankie and her sister (Molly Shannon) clash over their opposing parenting styles while spending Thanksgiving with their folks (Marsha Mason and Jerry Van Dyke). "Suburgatory" and "Modern Family" also have Thanksgiving-themed episodes tonight.

X-Factor (8pm, Fox) - One of the remaining 9 contestants is eliminated and Kelly Clarkson performs.

The Biggest Loser: Where are They Now? (9pm, NBC) - Updates on past contestants along with bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage. Also, the trainers offer their thoughts on the current season.

American Horror Story (10pm, FX) - A lot of reveals tonight, not the least of which is the identity of Rubber Man! This is a seriously jam-packed episode, folks.

Revenge (10pm, ABC) - Emily seeks guidance from her mentor after losing her most trusted ally. Meanwhile, Victoria finds herself all alone and Tyler continues to cause damage.

The Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park reassured employees today that it is not shutting down its giant data center here, as had been suggested in this blog and announced by the White House and Office of Management and Budget.

The White House said it's shutting down 800 duplicative data centers by 2015 in a bid to shave $3 billion from the federal budget. The announcement lauded government efforts to root out waste.

Several of the targeted centers were listed as being located at 109 Alexander Drive, the address for EPA's RTP complex. That listing triggered an employee panic at the RTP campus, which is the agency's biggest office outside its Washington headquarters.

The White House today said it would shut down 800 federal data centers by 2015, including one in Research Triangle Park next year.

The move is part of a White House campaign to cut government waste but shuttering what the President's staff has identified as "duplicative" data centers.

Data centers are used for storing and managing government data, including hardware and other equipment such as air conditioners and security devices.

The RTP data center is located at the Environmental Protection Agency complex. It was not immediately clear how many people work at the center.

Former White House press secretary and N.C. State alumnus Robert Gibbs is in talks to join Facebook, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources.

The social networking site is interested in hiring Gibbs for a senior communications role as it prepares for a possible initial public offering in early 2012, the paper reported. Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is often the public face of the company, may be interested in having help communicating his message to the media and investors.

Gibbs, who left the White House in February after two years on the job, had been planning to help establish President Obama’s re-election campaign before taking a private sector job, the Times reported.

The White House issued a release today saying Congress' failure to extend unemployment benefits will cause 232,285 people in North Carolina to lose benefits.

The report was prepared by the White House Council of Economic Advisers. 
 
The report says nearly seven million workers in the country will be affected.

To view the full report go here.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has a new way to communicate directly to people - Twitter.

You’re forgiven if you didn’t spot Ping Fu during the State of the Union address Wednesday night.

The CEO of Triangle-based Geomagic was there, but she gave up her seat next to First Lady Michelle Obama in the front row of the gallery.

For starters, during a pre-speech reception at the White House, the First Lady explained that whoever sat next to her had to sit very still and avoid yawning, fidgeting or stretching. You never know when the TV cameras might turn your way.

“I figured sitting next to Mrs. Obama and being very still was going to be torture for 70 minutes,” Fu said, laughing. “It would have been an honor, of course. She’s so real, so beautiful.”

So she switched seats, twice.

Ping Fu, the CEO of Geomagic, recognizes that most entrepreneurs are too busy running their companies to get involved in politics.

But when the White House called, she jumped at the chance to provide a voice for small and medium businesses. Fu was one of 50 CEOs who attended a forum  on Thursday in Washington about using technology to modernize government.

"If the White House did not reach out and invite me, I probably wouldn't have" gotten involved, she said in a phone interview Thursday night. "But now I realize how important it is to do this."

And Fu believes she got her main point across: that any stimulus or job-creation money should be aimed largely at smaller companies, which do the bulk of the hiring.

Put Ping Fu on the list of local business leaders getting White House invitations.

The CEO of Geomagic is scheduled to attend a forum in Washington this afternoon on modernizing government. Her company develops 3D software used by NASA, Harley Davidson and other customers to create realistic digital models.

Geomagic employs about 100 people, including 65 at its Research Triangle Park headquarters.

Fu is one of about 50 executives invited to discuss using technology to improve government with President Barack Obama and other administration officials. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer also is expected to attend and wrote a blog post about it here.

Also today, Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst is expected to attend a CEO roundtable on U.S./Asia-Pacific relations after getting an invitation from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.