I recently had the opportunity to represent Rambus at the Synopsys Science and Technology Championship ceremony held at the Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara. The quality and quantity of the work done by many of these students was amazing.
As the students gathered to receive their recognition, many showed youthful shyness combined with the promise that in 15 years, many of these teenagers will be holding senior-level jobs at the leading companies of their choice. Knowing that our future will be in the hands of these young people gives me great confidence in the future of our economy and country.
Many of us have worked through generation after generation of “Moore’s Law” driven technology development, resulting in the ever expanding computing and IT infrastructure that hovers around us. This has put fantastic learning tools and resources into the hands of these smart and motivated young people. As a result, many of these students are accessing research topics available only in the university setting a few years ago.
Like most companies, Rambus has a variety of philanthropic events that our employees participate in (for example, Habitat for Humanity and Relay for Life). We also participate in and sponsor certain STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) events, like the aforementioned Synopsys Science and Technology Championship, that focus on promoting these subjects in middle- school to high-school age kids. Last fall we added “SEMI High Tech U” as well, working with other sponsors in the Bay Area. This May, we’ll be announcing the winners of the annual Rambus Scholarship Awards that is annually awarded to outstanding high-school seniors who are aspiring towards careers within the STEM subjects. The two students chosen live near our Sunnyvale, CA headquarters attending local high schools.
While not always easy, it’s an exciting time to study the sciences and I commend all who continue down this path. Based on what I saw at the Synopsys event, I’m looking forward to seeing the inventions, innovations and great new technologies coming from these future innovators.