The 2014 Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot consisted of 26,533 trotters including elite runners, wheelchair athletes, CEOs with teams of employees, parents with strollers, and visitors from around the world. Most importantly, this event brought together the diversity of the Valley to benefit those in need, served by Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, the Healthier Kids Foundation, the Housing Trust, the Health Trust and Second Harvest of Santa Cruz County.

Recognized as a man who set out to change the world and to make it better, visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist, Ted Turner was awarded the 2014 James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award.

G.I. Jobs magazine announced Applied Materials has earned the 2015 Military Friendly Employer award for the ninth consecutive year as a top employer of veterans. Additionally, Applied ranked #78 on the Military Friendly Top 100 list.

As a proud supporter of diversity and inclusion, and advocate for STEM careers, Applied Materials recently hosted female engineering students from Silicon Valley universities for a day of learning, growing and networking. Attendees heard from MIT alum and guest speaker Jennifer Hwang, a design verification manager for QuickLogic Corporation, along with a panel of Applied employees about exciting and rewarding career paths in engineering.

Congratulations to Applied Materials Executive Chairman Mike Splinter on receiving the Silicon Valley Education Foundation's (SVEF) Pioneer Business Leader Award for driving change in business and education philanthropy by using his passion and influence to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

The project names Gooru, Nanoly, and Sanergy are intriguing. The fact these names represent efforts all over the world, from India to Latin America to Africa, piques curiosity. And, the actual work of the 2014 Tech Laureates is absolutely amazing. Gooru is working to support teachers as they transform learning via open source technology.

Applied Materials’ commitment to developing the next generation of innovators was recently highlighted by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.

At the 2014 Flash Memory Summit, I participated in a panel discussion titled, “Is 3D NAND a disruptive technology for Flash storage?” The consensus is that 3D NAND will be the most viable storage technology in the years to come, although opinions were mixed on when that disruption would be evident.

Sure, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a craze that is taking over social media. And, yes, it has been a tremendous fundraiser for the ALS Association as the organization combats Lou Gehrig’s disease through research, services and education.