posted by Gail Dundas on April 30, 2009
I can’t wait for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair to kick off in only 10 days. It is always incredible to see more than 1,500 of the world’s smartest young scientists to gather in one place at one time. How timely then, that I’ve also noticed a lot of education discussion this week around American’s need to pay closer attention to the benefits of science.
In a recent speech at the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama made it clear that he believes science is essential to society’s prosperity, and should not be treated as an afterthought or merely a hobby. Intel believes that fostering a love of science and math in students is one way to help improve global education. And, it’s thanks to teachers like Anthony Mullen, who was named teacher of the year this week by the President, who contribute to this cause.
With all of these great signs of progress, I was curious to read the recent study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress that concludes high school students tend to make the least amount of improvements on science and math standardize tests. Despite programs like “No Child Left Behind” which prods schools to improve test scores each year, high school students still aren’t showing improvement in math and science. Do you think we need to put more emphasis on science and math, or just attribute the low test scores to a larger population?
Whatever the case, on May 10th we can see the real power of education and science at its best when the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair kicks off. Remember to check back during the week of May 10th for updates on the competition live from Reno! You can also follow updates on Twitter @intelisef and @intelinspire. You can also check out video from last year’s competition.
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tagged: education, inspire, intel, Intelisef, ISEF, STS
posted by John Skinner on April 23, 2009
I’d like to use this Earth Day opportunity to congratulate one of the heroes in the eco-technology movement: the University of Maine at Farmington. During the past month, the non-profit Climate Savers Computing Initiative (which was co-founded by Intel) sponsored a competition amongst 19 member universities, to see which one could recruit the highest percentage of their faculty, staff, and students to pledge to sustainable computing practices. The U of Maine Farmington bested them all, getting 24 percent of their campus residents to take the Climate Savers Computing Initiative pledge during the past month. For their campus, these commitments translate into 125 tons of CO2 savings per year, equal to 164 kilowatt-hours of energy and $17,000 in energy costs.
Overall, the competition resulted in 17,000 new pledges toward the mission of Climate Savers Computing, which result in 3,000 tons of carbon per year averted and 4.2 million kilowatt-hours of energy saved across the 19 campuses. Every university did a great job, and our planet is the big winner. More details are at http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/news/press-releases/april-22-2009
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tagged: carbon, climate, Earth Day, eco-technology
posted by Craig Barrett on April 22, 2009
Recently I traveled to China and Vietnam where I met with government leaders to discuss education policy, telecom liberalization and the need to include IT in national stimulus packages.
This was my 15th trip to China and 4th trip to Vietnam over the last decade or so. Anyone visiting these nations is struck by the pace of change. The change is not random. It results from the focused actions of the governments and the industry of the people.
In this period of economic transition, governments have a crucial role in positioning their nations for long-term competitiveness. No one can do it alone - collaboration through public-private partnerships, a long-term view, high expectations from the education system, and the willingness to make and implement tough decisions are essential.
Looking at the stimulus package that China is implementing you get an idea of how they are looking forward in the 21st Century. The package includes many IT and physical infrastructure items as well as recognizing that incorporating the 800 million rural Chinese in any growth plan is absolutely critical. I moderated a forum in Beijing on Rural IT and what role it will play in bringing educational, health care and economic development advances. There was great enthusiasm for the topic.
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tagged: Craig Barrett, education, education policy, IT stimulus, telecom
posted by Shelly Esque on April 13, 2009
Intel employees have earned more than $4 million dollars for 1,400 non profits and non-governmental agencies through the Intel Foundation’s matching grant program.
For more than a decade, Intel has had a program under which schools can receive grants from the Intel Foundation based on the number of hours an Intel employee volunteers at the school. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Intel expanded the program in 2008 to provide volunteer grants to a wide range of non profits and non-governmental organizations. The result - an outpouring of volunteerism and an extra $4 million to 1,400 organizations around the globe which have never received a volunteer matching grant from Intel. While the Intel Foundation is typically focused on matching donations for education, by expanding the program employees can generate grants at almost all qualifying organizations where they choose to volunteer — shelters for abandoned animals, youth sports leagues, arts and cultural events, social service programs, etc.
By including non profits along with schools, Intel allows employees to give twice - through their volunteer efforts following their passion and through the matching grants from the Intel Foundation.
I believe this money and the efforts of our employees are more significant than ever because of the current economic environment.
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tagged: Intel communities, Intel in Your Community, Intel volunteers, Intel's community outreach, one million hours, volunteer service
posted by Karen Spencer on April 10, 2009
They are part of the winning solutions in Intel’s Inspire*Empower challenge. The iPhone (or any camera-enabled smartphone, pda or netbook) can be made into an online microscope to be used in monitoring infectious diseases. The Toyota is the wheels of a mobile solar computer classroom and the classmate PC is being taken into the fields in great lakes region of Africa to help combat plant disease. Wow!
I have been fortunate enough to be part of the team that put this challenge together … and also to read most of the 200 entries. I KNEW Intel technology made a difference in the world … after all, I’ve been doing community solutions for years … but to see so many different uses and applications of that technology blew me away. My only regret is that we couldn’t recognize (and award) more than four of the entries. The fact that each of the winners plans to use the $100,000 to reach more end beneficiaries is truly inspiring.
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tagged: Classmate PC, inspire empower challenge, intel, iphone, toyota
posted by Julie Clugage on April 08, 2009
Click here and Intel will donate 25 cents to Save the Children and kiva.org to support education and economic development. It’s free and it’s easy! We need 300,000 clicks by June 30th to generate the maximum $75,000 donation this quarter. Please share the link and spread the word!
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tagged: economic development, education, kiva, kiva.org, save the children, small things challenge
posted by John Skinner on April 06, 2009
As I mentioned in my blog last week, there are many ways for people to get involved in helping create a more sustainable future. My family and I had a great time “powering down” during worldwide Earth Hour last Saturday night. We turned off (and unplugged) the TV and cable box, turned off all the lights in our home, and played the game “charades” by candle light. We also talked about how important it is to conserve energy, every day, every hour - and how the sum of many small actions can make a big difference. Comment below if you want to share how you spent Earth Hour!
Intel has created an opportunity for IT professionals to get involved in creating a lower carbon future, by sharing their best ideas on how to conserve energy in Data Centers: the Data Center Efficiency Challenge. We announced this video contest earlier this week, coincident with the launch of the new Intel® Xeon® 5500 Processor Series. For more details, check out the contest’s Facebook page.
Are you a college student? Reminder, there are just 2 weeks left to enter the Power Down for The Planet video contest, hosted by Climate Savers.
Good luck to all you eco-minded college students and IT professionals, we look forward to seeing your great ideas on video!
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tagged: Climate Savers, data efficiency challenge, intel, power down for the planet
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