we brought russell hancock to the museum. he is c.e.o. of a consortium of silicon valley business and government. he says these innovations should remind president obama how important such inventions-- and the valley itself-- are to the nation. >> if there's a place that can lead us out of the recession, if there's a place that can reinvent energy in our energy future, it would be silicon valley. but we have to do this in partnership. >> reporter: the president came west this week to talk with high-tech leaders about issues like that. last night, he dined with an elite group of silicon valley executives, including google's eric schmidt, apple's steve jobs, and facebook's mark zuckerberg, among others. today, he traveled to oregon and met with science students in a program funded by intel, the largest computer chip manufacturer. the company's c.e.o., paul otellini,, was just appointed by the president to his council on jobs and competitiveness. intel is a newshour underwriter. for the obama administration, innovation is a major way to fix

. >> so says russell hancock, ceo, their latest survey shows job growth while the rest of the nation struggles. >> silicone valley is a model for america and the world. we have a formula that works. fuels innovation, entrepreneurial startup activities. and a place that grows companies that are blue chip world class companies. >> but the president's visit is not just about him asking local ceos for advice. here in silicone valley. companies would love to see more government support for things likener gee, research, and clean tech. just to name a few. >> thank you, scott. stay with nbc bay area news for our continuing coverage of president obama's visit here to the bay area. go to our website. nbc bay area.com and click on prop 0 link to find insight from political bloggers including political analyst. >> turn your attention now to the storm. we're on storm watch for you tonight. it has been a soggy, slippery day. all across the bay area. as the third storm this week, brought plenty of rain and wind. that also meant plenty of low snow in some areas including napa. you are looking at vi