For President Barack Obama, a researcher in an on-campus lab is just as important as the starting quarterback in Beaver Stadium.

“Penn State is a place that knows a little bit about playing to win. Last I counted, Coach Paterno has got more than 400 wins under his belt,” he told a Rec Hall crowd of about 3,000 on Thursday afternoon. “But your nation needs to win, too. We need you to be as proud of what you do in the lab as you are of what your football team does on the field.”

In his first visit to Penn State since a campaign stop in 2008, Obama spoke about new clean energy innovations to students, faculty and community members.

Before speaking at Rec Hall, Obama toured engineering buildings on campus to see different research projects related to energy-efficient innovation, according to a White House press report.

Donning a pair of safety goggles, the president looked at research projects such as sustainable wall systems, solar panels and green roof systems. He said sustainable technologies must be integrated with sound business models to ensure maximum efficiency.

“That creates a sum that’s greater than the whole of its parts,” Obama said.

“That means that they are helping to possibly design buildings that by huge measures are much more efficient than the ones that already exist.”

Across campus at Rec Hall, students began to file in at 9 a.m., waiting for the president to arrive, as lines wound halfway down Burrowes Road.

Before the president took the stage, the arrival of coach Joe Paterno was greeted with cheers from the students.

After a prayer, the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem, students waited another 45 minutes for Obama to arrive.

Then they were asked to silence their cell phones, and for the first time all morning, the crowd fell silent.

A few moments later, the president walked into Rec Hall to cheering supporters.

Obama opened his speech by acknowledging State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham and Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa, Penn State President Graham Spanier and Paterno.

And after a few jokes about this Sunday’s Super Bowl, he was all business.

Obama said every young person feels the pressures of the future and making serious decisions about their long-term economic value.

“You understand that it isn’t going to be a cake walk, this competition for the future,” he said. “All of us are going to have to up our game.”

He said America has to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world by investing in cutting-edge research and innovations.

Obama spoke about innovations in energy-efficient building projects, like the one Penn State is working on at the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster for Energy-Efficient Building in the Navy Yards in Philadelphia.

“Today, you’re preparing to lead the way on a hub that will be home to the most energy-efficient buildings in the world,” he said.

The Better Buildings Initiative — a new project Obama announced during his speech — will help produce energy-efficient building materials that future businesses and homes will be made out of. The initiative will offer tax incentives for cities and companies, as well as state and local governments, that adopt energy-saving policies.

Spanier attended the speech, along with David Wilson, the president of Morgan State University, one of 10 other universities working with Penn State on the hub project. Spanier said he was pleased with Obama’s dedication to the research going on at Penn State.

“He has a very clear commitment to endorse clean energy,” Spanier said.

College Democrats President Rob Ghormoz (senior-political science) said Obama was right to focus his speech heavily on Penn State.

“He put a lot of focus on Penn State,” he said. “It’s great how he focused on the work that is being done.”

Across campus, students who didn’t receive tickets to the event watched Obama’s speech from viewing areas like the Paul Robeson Cultural Center’s Heritage Hall, where a crowd of about 70 people watched in silence.

Tristan Plunkett (freshman-broadcast journalism) said Obama drew applause and laughter from the crowd toward the beginning of his speech when he spoke about Paterno and Nittany Lions.

But mostly, students just paid attention, Plunkett said.

“There was a lot of chatter beforehand, but once he came on, people started clapping,” Plunkett said. “Then people quieted down and everyone was pretty attentive.”

Spainer said it was a pleasure to host the president for part of the day.

“We had the chance to talk privately, and he seemed very pleased to be here,” he said.

Goreham, who greeted Obama at the airport, said she was impressed with the president’s speech and was thrilled with his visit to Happy Valley, though they didn’t have much time to talk.

“We all went away feeling that we’d been touched personally,” Goreham said. “It was as if the aspirations we all have for our university and our town were touched by the president and we all came together in Rec Hall for a mental group hug.”