Intel And China Work Together To Expand Opportunities In Education

PRC Students To Join Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in 2000

Intel Sponsors Ministry of Education Web Site Development

BEIJING, Oct. 22, 1999 - Intel Corporation reinforced its commitment to education in China this week by announcing two major projects to advance online education and promote the exchange of science and technology for Chinese youth with fellow high-school students from close to 50 countries around the world.

Intel announced it will sponsor PRC students to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's largest science fair for pre-college students worldwide. Next year in May, Chinese entrants will join approximately 1,200 high school finalists -- chosen from a field of approximately one million students -- to compete for approximately US $2 million in awards.

In another development, Intel and the Ministry of Education today jointly announced Intel's sponsorship of the development of the Ministry of Education's Web site. Intel will support and donate funds and equipment to the Ministry of Education for the construction of the national K-12 Education Web site. Intel will provide the latest Pentium® III processor-based systems, design the site framework and develop content for the first phase of the Web site construction.

"Intel is deeply committed to supporting education worldwide, and China is a critical part of these efforts. Our future economy depends on the quality of education in our classrooms and our ability to provide teachers and students with the tools to compete in a technical world," said Carlene Ellis, vice president and director of education, Intel Corporation. "The collaboration among Intel, China's Ministry of Education and the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST) is an excellent example of the progress that can be achieved through the cooperation of private, public and academic sectors. This will provide an excellent framework for our education initiatives moving forward."

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the world's largest pre-college science competition. Now in its 51st year, the Intel ISEF is the world's only international science fair representing all sciences for students in grades 9 through 12. In May of this year, close to 1,200 students from 47 countries around the world competed for honor in 14 scientific categories and a team project category. The categories cover a wide range of fields, including Behavioral & Social Sciences, Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry and Computer Science. Since assuming title sponsorship in 1997, Intel has more than doubled the number of international fairs participating in the Intel ISEF.

In 2000, Intel will sponsor teams from China to attend the Intel ISEF and will work with CAST and Science Service, official coordinator for ISEF, to facilitate China's participation. This will be the first time China will send participants to ISEF and will allow Chinese students an opportunity to demonstrate their scientific accomplishments while enjoying a valuable forum for exchanging ideas with students from around the world.

"One of Intel's strategic objectives in China is to be a contributor to China's progress, and one of the principal ways we are pursuing that objective is through a broad-based program to support education in this country," said James Jarrett, president of Intel China.

Cheng Donghong, director of the Department of Children & Youth Affairs at CAST, said, "It is very important and necessary for Chinese youth to experience such a great opportunity to collaborate with their counterparts around the world. We appreciate the contribution Intel is making to China's youth by sponsoring them in Intel ISEF."

Ministry of Education Web site
The national K-12 Education Web site is a comprehensive portal for national basic education, which is jointly hosted by the Development Center of Basic Education Textbook of the Ministry of Education and Beijing Normal University, under the supervision of the Basic Education Department of the Ministry of Education. According to a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Intel and the Ministry of Education, Intel will serve as a technical consultant to provide both technical and equipment support to the national K-12 Education Web site.

In China, Intel has been working closely with the Ministry of Education and related institutions to support local education efforts. Intel has contributed to the education sector through the donation of equipment and grant scholarships to universities, technical seminars, kids' PC workshop programs and Web sites for youth. Recently, Intel jointly launched the Shanghai K-12 Education Web site together with the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. This Web site serves as a basis for the sharing of resources and is a base to build the education information superhighway for Shanghai. It is located at http://www.sheisnet.sh.cn.

Intel China's support for education is an integral part of Intel's global commitment to education. Intel programs focus on meeting the needs of students and communities worldwide through improving science, math, engineering and technology education, improving the effective use of technology in classrooms, broadening access to technology, and encouraging women and minorities in the United States to enter technical careers.

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