On January 26, 2011, Intel Labs announced a $100 million cash investment in U.S. university research over the next 5 years, marking a new model of collaboration for the organization. The Funding will support a number of Intel Science and Technology Centers; the first such center will be led by Stanford University and focus on next-generation visual computing. According to the <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110126006278/en/Intel-Labs-Invest-100-Million-U.S.-University">Intel Labs press release</a>, this new model of university-lead research is expected to provide U.S. researchers with up to 5 times more funding from Intel Labs compared to the previous approach, and enable engagements across a broader set of universities.

In the video below, Justin Rattner, Intel’s chief technology officer, explains the “what” and the “why”.  For  information <a href="http://newsroom.intel.com/docs/DOC-1801">click here</a>
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<div>[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBxGS3rykew&amp;w=448&amp;h=252&amp;hd=1]</div>
<div style="width:448px;clear:both;font-size:.8em;">Intel’s CTO Justin Rattner shares the vision for Intel’s new investment on science and technology with U.S. Universities.</div>
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On the same day,  <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110126006507/en/Forty-Young-Innovators-Named-Intel-Science-Talent">Intel announced that forty high school seniors from across the country were named finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search 2011,</a> a program of <a href="www.societyforscience.org/sts.">Society for Science &amp; the Public</a>.   You can see  more about people sharing their stories with the hope of becoming a catalyst for action and a voice for change in global education at <a href="http://www.inspiredbyeducation.com">www.inspiredbyeducation.com</a>.

<strong>Leaders by Example</strong>

Intel has long been a strong voice in the choir of U.S. technology companies calling for a greater focus on science and technology in our schools and universities.  They are doing more that talk about it.  They put their resources behind it.   “Intel has sponsored the Intel Science Talent Search and the Intel International Science &amp; Engineering Fair for 13 and 14 years, respectively. Because Intel views education as the foundation for innovation, over the past decade, Intel and the Intel Foundation have invested more than $1 billion and Intel employees have donated close to 3 million hours toward improving education in more than 60 countries.”<img style="display:inline;float:right;margin:5px;" title="photo via  AvnetTechGames.com" src="http://www.avnettechgames.com/themes/avnettechgames/images/event.jpg" alt="photo via  AvnetTechGames.com" hspace="3" vspace="3" width="285" height="189" align="right" />

Here in Arizona, <a href="http://www.avnet.com">Avnet, Inc.</a>, the worlds largest technology distributor, sponsors the <a href="http://www.avnettechgames.com/">The Avnet Tech Games</a> (ATG) an annual college technology competition that provides students with an opportunity to apply what they learn in school to real-world scenarios and compete for scholarships.

<strong>Great Examples, but I’m not a multi billion dollar company…</strong>

Most of us don’t have the luxury of billion dollar wallets and thousands of employees who can volunteer their time and talents, but that does not mean that our leading by example is any less important.  We each have skills, knowledge, and experiences we can share in the areas where we passionately lead.  Here are some more examples:

<a href="http://stealthmode.com/about/">Francine Hardaway of Stealthmode Partners</a> combined her passion and experience in entrepreneurship with a desire to help at-risk individuals find economic self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship.  By rolling up her sleeves, and recruiting many others (including me) to help both <a href="http://www.otef.org">The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation</a> and the <a href="http://www.azentrepreneurship.com">Arizona Entrepreneurship Conferences</a> were created and continue to make a difference year after year.

<a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/corepurpose_joan_koerberw/2010/08/looking-at-things-in-a-new-way---lon-safko.html">Lon Safko’s passion is innovation</a>.  A celebrated inventor whose work appears in the Smithsonian, Lon’s study of the evolution and innovation in social media lead to the bestselling book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Social-Media-Bible-Strategies-Business/dp/0470623977">The Social Media Bible</a> was volunteering his time and sharing what he knew with a gathering of Arizona teachers, so that they in turn could share with their students.

<a href="http://pattiblackstaffe.com/about-patti/">Patti Blackstaffe</a> has a talent for helping businesses grow and a passion for helping children.  She combines these things as a volunteer to support <a href="http://www.providencechildren.com/www/main/page.php?page_id=1">Providence</a> an very special place in Calgary with a mission to enhance the health and development of preschool children with disabilities &amp; their families with early intervention and high quality health, education and therapy services within their community

<a href="http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/valley-news/200907/a-life-redeemed/">Morris Callaman</a> is an engineer,attorney, venture capitalist and  entrepreneur.  There was a time in his youth when as a teen runaway he dealt with the harsh realities of living on the street.  Today he has quietly donated his time and talents to local organizations like OTEF and <a href="http://www.firstfoodbank.org/about.html">St. Mary’s Food Bank</a> as well as providing legal assistance pro bono to those who really need a hand and could never afford his services.  It’s his way of being the change he would like to see in our societies.

<a href="http://wgs.asu.edu/content/activist-and-author-gloria-feldt-give-wow-lecture-oct-13">Gloria Feldt and Alex Barbanell</a> believe in the power of women in changing our world.  They created and sponsor the Women of the World lecture series at Arizona State University to inspire current and future women leaders.  In addition, Gloria shared her experiences as part of a multi generational group of women leaders who took their show on the road to college campuses around the country to do the very same thing.  Today, her new book: <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/corepurpose_joan_koerberw/2010/09/youve-come-a-long-way-babymaybe.html">No Excuses</a> inspires women of all ages to use their power to lead.

<strong>See, it’s not just companies like Intel.  We can lead by example too.</strong>

Leading by example means putting your time, talent, and money where your mouth is.  It’s not just something for “them” to do.  It’s an opportunity for all of us.

<strong>Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…</strong>
<blockquote>Joan Koerber-Walker</blockquote>
<strong>About the Joan: </strong>

<a href="http://new.corepurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/6a01053650f43d970c013489b143d5970c.jpg"><img style="margin:5px 9px 5px 5px;" src="http://new.corepurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/6a01053650f43d970c013489b143d5970c.jpg?w=239" border="0" alt="Koerber-Walker-056" width="83" height="103" align="left" /></a> An entrepreneur, author, speaker and corporate advisor, <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/www.linkedin.com/in/joankoerberwalker">Joan Koerber-Walker's</a> journey has spanned from corporate America to entrepreneurship and non-profits as well as to community leadership and into the halls of Washington D.C.  Her past career includes two decades on the team at  Avnet, Inc. and service as Chairman of the Board of Advisors to <a href="http://www.parentingaz.org">Parenting Arizona</a>.  Today, she serves her community as the Chairman of the Board of the <a href="http://www.otef.org">Opportunity  through  Entrepreneurship Foundation</a>.  To learn more about how CorePurpose and the CoreAlliance can help you grow your business in 2011, you can contact her by clicking <a href="http://corepurpose.com/contact.html">here</a>.
<h6>CorePurpose  is a registered trademark of CorePurpose, Inc.  CoreAlliance is a  service mark of CorePurpose Inc.  All rights reserved</h6>
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