By: Rebecca Grekin
Intel is respected in the technology field for its superior and innovative processors and it has been praised by many as a leader for its commitment to corporate social responsibility. Founded by visionaries, Gordon E. Moore and Robert Noyce, in 1968, the company began making the semiconductors used in many modern electronics and which are necessary to create LED lights, RAMs and integrated circuits. Today, it manufactures many other components for computers and other electronics around the globe such as motherboard chipsets, integrated circuits, and embedded processors.
Intel has made a positive impact on communities since its very beginning with its breakthrough technology. In addition, it is continuing its society-betterment mission through its corporate responsibility programs which have been created to improve the world and the people who inhabit it. One example is “Intel Teach,” a successful program created to help teachers more effectively integrate technology in the classroom. More than ten million teachers have been trained in over seventy countries, helping to improve learning in the fields of critical thinking, creativity and communication. Through this program Jaya Bhagora, a secondary school teacher in India, has been able to inspire her underprivileged female students with their newfound understanding of technology to become confident enough to participate in the fast growing Indian society and economy.
One of the best ways Intel generates interest for math and science is the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In this competition, more than four hundred competitors win scholarships and prizes, with the most prestigious of these awards being the Gordon E. Moore Award which comes with a hefty $75,000 prize. The competition challenges scientific inquiry, using authentic research practices, and creating solutions for the problems of the future. Recently, Ionut Alexandru Budisteanu of Romania won the Gordon E. Moore Award for his project which offered a solution to the 1.24 million deaths worldwide due to automobile accidents. He used artificial intelligence to create a self-driving car that is feasible in the future and is relatively low-cost. His solution could potentially save thousands of lives in the future and create a lasting impact on the world.
The “Enough Project”, an organization dedicated to ending genocide and crimes against humanity around the world, have called Intel a pioneer of progress thanks to the company’s commitment to human rights reflected in its 2014 line of microprocessors. This new line is completely free of the commonly used conflict minerals which are crucial to the creation of several electronics. These minerals are usually mined in conditions that abuse human rights in areas of conflict such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo or other regions controlled by armed rebel groups. Intel has opted to find other sources for these vital minerals because Intel’s leadership believes “the minerals are important, but not as important as the lives of the people who work to get them.” This philosophy is reflected in many ways. Intel tries to inspire others in the fields of digital literacy, entrepreneurship, the environment, girls and women, and technology through short videos that show and encourage individuals to help others, through stories like “Hope and Glory in Tanzania” and “Helping Amputees Kick Phantom Pain.”
Since 2008, Intel has been focused on lessening its carbon footprint by investing in renewable energy, conserving water, reusing, recycling and building green facilities. Through its efforts, the company has saved more than ten million kilowatts per hour every year by investing in solar panels, more than 45 billion gallons of water and has received the LEED (an organization that determines building’s green impact) certified stamp for over twenty-five buildings. It is the largest voluntary purchaser of wind and solar power, also known as green power, in the United States. Intel has made it a priority to make their corporate responsibility report public and available to anyone interested in learning about the millions of lives Intel has affected for the better.
Rebecca Grekin is a 17 year old Senior at Memorial High School and is involved in Memorial Mustang Outreach Bunch, Coding Club, International Club, Explorer’s Club, and the World Affairs Council of Houston. Rebecca also enjoys volunteering at the Houston Food Bank, where she is a Student Hero. Rebecca also has her own business where she hand makes recycled, upcycled, and biodegradable jewelry and accessories. She speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and is currently learning French. She plans on majoring in Chemical Engineering at MIT, Caltech, Stanford or the University of Texas at Austin.
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