Included below are this quarter's highlights of our activities in the community, demonstrating our dedication to corporate social responsibility. For previous reports, visit our archive.

	Santa Clara University students pose in front of what will become a solar-powered house. Applied is supporting teams from Santa Clara University and The University of Texas competing in the Solar Decathlon hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy. Teams will display their homes as part of a “solar village” on the National Mall in Washington D.C. in October.

Partnering with Santa Clara University and The University of Texas at Austin, Applied is supporting solar decathlon teams at each school. The decathlon, which takes place in Washington, D.C. in October, is an international competition between 20 teams that have spent the summer getting ready to compete in designing, building and operating a completely solar-powered house.
View a video clip!

In Austin, Texas, a 24.6 kWh solar display was installed at the Applied Materials Harris Branch campus this summer. The array, which looks like six sunflowers, is a visual display of the company’s commitment to solar and will generate more than 33,769 kWh annually.

	At Applied’s Israel office, the Process Diagnostics and Control group planted "Seeds of Growth," an organic vegetable garden in partnership with a community organization that teaches organic farming to disadvantaged youth.

Applied was a silver sponsor for the Living Green Environmental Awareness Concert held in Hillsboro, Oregon, on Sept. 8. With a focus on raising awareness of environmental issues, the concert provided the 10,000 attendees with access to educational materials. Concert-goers visited more than 60 booths centered on environmental consciousness and listened to15 featured bands, which all played tributes to the late environmental pioneer and musician John Denver.

For the first time, Applied went green during the SEMICON West trade show held in San Francisco, Calif. Partnering with Carbonfund.org, Applied worked to offset carbon emissions caused by the SEMICON booth by purchasing 100 tons of carbon offsets such as renewable energy. Plans are in the works to continue this practice at all upcoming trade shows.

In Rehovot, Israel, the Process Diagnostics and Control group celebrated its 10-year anniversary with "Seeds of Growth.” Employees planted a large, organic vegetable garden near the Applied campus. In collaboration with local after-school centers, economically-disadvantaged students will learn how to maintain the garden and harvest its produce.

	Junior high and high school students from Shanghai pose in a Santa Clara cleanroom during their visit to Applied Materials headquarters. The students were finalists in the annual Future Science Stars competition, sponsored by Applied Materials China.

One key partner, Breakthrough, provides a path to college, starting in middle school, for students who will be first-generation college graduates. The national program, sponsored by Applied Materials in both Santa Clara, Calif., and Austin, Texas, admits students as sixth graders and makes a commitment to help them graduate from high school prepared to enter and succeed in college. Based on national statistics, 87 percent of Breakthrough students enrolled in the summer program will go on to college.

For three years, Applied Materials China has partnered with the Shanghai Municipal Science & Technology Commission and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission to sponsor the Future Science Star Competition. Finalists are selected from the more than 1 million junior high and high school students in Shanghai based upon science-focused research projects. This July, five finalists traveled to Santa Clara to present their research projects to Applied executives. They also visited the Maydan Technology Center, AKT manufacturing, the Intel Museum, the Tech Museum of Innovation and Stanford University.

	Texas Gov. Rick Perry presents the Governor’s Volunteer of the Year award to Debra Wilson, the Community Chairperson for Applied Materials Women's Professional Development Network (WPDN). The group of women was recognized for their support of GirlStart, a nonprofit that encourages girls to pursue math, science, engineering and technology careers.

In the environmental category, Applied Materials received the prestigious Business Environmental Award from Acterra, a San Francisco Bay Area organization, for demonstrating environmental leadership. Applied Materials won the Susanne Wilson Award for Pollution Prevention/Resources Conservation: Special Project for its energy-efficient semiconductor equipment design program. The award is given to companies that improve operational or production processes to reduce the consumption of resources (water, materials, and energy) and minimize the generation of pollutants.

The Austin Women's Professional Development Network (WPDN), an Applied employee group, recently received the Texas Governor's Volunteer of the Year Award. The group was honored as a "Community Capacity Builder," recognizing its efforts with GirlStart, a nonprofit that supports girls pursuing careers in math, science, engineering and technology.

In addition, the San Jose Business Journal named Applied Materials the second largest corporate philanthropist in Silicon Valley at a Corporate Philanthropy Awards program on August 28 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, Calif.