Just like students starting a new school year, local teachers were faced with unfamiliar settings, loads of jargon, mysterious tasks, and new colleagues as part of their Fellowship with Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Educators (IISME). For many who participated in the 27 year old public-private partnership, the Fellowship provided a unique opportunity to work in a corporate environment, live the culture, and learn more about the skills their students will need to compete in the global marketplace.

Recently, the ten IISME Fellows who worked at Applied this summer, and were mentored by employees, presented information about their time at the company, their projects, and their Education Transfer Plan that addresses how the Fellowship will impact their teaching and student learning once they return to the classroom. In addition to sharing stories about confusing corporate acronyms, exciting research, and reinvigorating experiences, many talked about the value of the professional development opportunity and, especially, their appreciation of the importance of working collaboratively with industry representatives to solve complex problems inherent in their summer projects.

Projects for IISME Fellows at Applied varied widely and included joining the Office of the Chief Economist to analyze the impact of electronics end-use demand on semiconductor, capital spending and Wafer Fab equipment market; working as an Energy Footprint Consultant in Mask and Etch Product Division; and helping Global Staffing research global recruiting trends and update practices.

Additonally, the Applied IISME Fellows joined more than 150 others IISME participants, their mentors, and company representatives from the 43 sponsoring organizations for an end-of-the-year celebration. Applied Materials Chairman and CEO, Mike Splinter, addressed the group – giving them a pop quiz and challenged them to help students realize their full potential and develop the skills needed to compete on the world stage. He encouraged the instructors to inspire their students to succeed and gave the teachers credit for helping to create the leaders of the next generation.

While IISME at Applied is managed through our Human Resources Department, it is a complement to our community investments in the area of professional development for teachers -- an essential key to student achievement especially in underserved communities. For more information on our commitment to education, check out our Education Initiative.