Applied Materials has once again rallied employees for the company’s Annual Food Drive.  With a history of more than 30 years of community involvement, Applied runs one of the largest corporate food drives in North America where employees join together to donate time, food and funds to make a difference in the community.  Applied Materials President Gary Dickerson and Kathy Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties kicked off the 2012 Applied Materials Food Drive at the company headquarters in Santa Clara, CA by donating more than 8,000 pounds of food.

Things are looking up … always up… since the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot started eight years ago.  A solid base of volunteers has supported an ever growing number of community members who gather in downtown San Jose to join a 5K walk or 10K run on Thanksgiving morning.  And, the dollars raised for three charities have hit a new high each year.Join us this Thanksgiving morning for the Turkey Trot by registering TODAY to help generate funds for Second Harvest Food Bank, the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, and the Children’s Health Initiative.Help us put the 2012 Silicon Valley Turkey Trot over the top!

I’m proud to share that Applied Materials was recognized today for its outstanding support of military veterans and National Guard and Reserve members and has been designated a 2013 Top 100 Military Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs.

It is a thrill to experience the energy, creativity, and enthusiasm of young people from around the world as they apply their curiosity and talents to address significant global challenges.  There are budding scientists and innovators all around us and I have been fortunate to recently visit with some of the best.On an October Saturday in Datong City, China, one hundred students from 35 universities melded into five integrated, multi-lingual teams and immediately found their unique competitive spirit.  The teams eagerly answered trivia questions, celebrated correct answers, and were awarded materials allowing them to build a traditional Chinese structure – an Ancient Chinese Bucket Arch which is created by locking beams and requires no nails or cement to stand for hundreds of years. Amazing!

Why is a smartphone like a hummingbird? Neither can go more than a few hours without refueling, or bad things happen. (If you answered that smartphone owners are often forced to flutter around looking for a power outlet, I’ll accept that, too.)Do you know where the power goes? As the graphic shows, around half your battery is spent on the display alone. And of that, the vast majority is used simply to power the backlight that all LCDs need. (The situation for AMOLED displays is similar, but for different reasons. That’s a subject for a future blog.)Clearly, improving the power efficiency of the display is a powerful way to improve battery life. Turning the brightness down isn’t a helpful strategy. Indeed, we expect displays to be brighter and richer all the time, but not at the expense of already limited battery life. (Bigger batteries would also work, but the market has spoken on that one. Slim is in!)How is this to be accomplished? Find out after the jump.

Applied Materials is deeply saddened by the passing of Gary Fazzino on Tuesday evening after a long battle with cancer.  Gary joined Applied Materials as Vice President, Government Affairs in July 2009 after a long and successful career at Hewlett-Packard Company.  In addition to serving as a government affairs executive in the private sector, Gary was a dedicated public servant in Palo Alto, serving on the City Council from 1977 to 1981 and from 1989 to 2002.  He was elected Mayor of Palo Alto in 1992 and again in 1999.

A “sneak peek” of the much anticipated 2.5 megawatt wind turbine — one of the largest turbines on the eastern seaboard — which is making its way to the Applied Materials Gloucester, MA site!When completed, the installation of the wind turbine will supply greater than 30% of the site’s electricity and reduce site operating expenses by more than $1 million annually. What’s more, 99% of the power generated by the turbine will be used on-site, resulting in a 34% projected reduction in CO2 emissions—greatly reducing Applied’s carbon footprint.

Epitaxy is one of the fundamental processes used to make all kinds of semiconductor devices: LEDs, power electronics and, of course, microchips.Epitaxy was first used in chipmaking to grow ultrapure silicon films – the starting point for making high-performance CMOS transistors. Today, we use epitaxy for a whole lot more.

I was a bit hesitant when encouraged to interact with a gigantic, spiked, helium-filled orb.  But punching and pushing the transparent balloon to, literally, leave my mark – in charcoal on the white walls, ceiling and floor of the exhibit - at the opening of the Zero1 Biennial was actually great fun!But not until the creator of the kinetic sculpture, Karina Smigla-Bobinski, explained to me that the work, named “Ada,” was actually an analog interactive installation linked to both Lord Byron and Charles Babbage did I start to see the giant globe as living at the intersection of technology and art.That is what Zero1’s “Seeking Silicon Valley” is all about.  The Festival runs from September 14 through December 8 both online and at venues throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in California.  Check out the solar phone booth at Gore Park, visit the Computer History Museum to learn about Google Doodles, enjoy live performances and public art, and be sure to go meet Ada at the Garage!