Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public Announce Top 30 Finalists in 2012 Broadcom MASTERS® Competition

Press release:

Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public Announce Top 30 Finalists in 2012 Broadcom MASTERS® Competition

Young Innovators Travel to Washington, D.C., to Compete for Awards and Showcase Science Projects Ranging From Artificial Intelligence to Wi-Fi Reception, Tsunami Safety Systems and More

IRVINE, Calif. and WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights:

• 30 U.S. middle school students awarded all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for more than $40,000 in cash prizes on October 2
• California has the most finalists, followed by Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio
• Sponsored by Broadcom Foundation, Broadcom MASTERS inspires future scientists and engineers to stay with science and math throughout high school

Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public (SSP) today announced the names of 30 middle school finalists in the 2012 Broadcom MASTERS® — a leading science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition for middle school students. The Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars) winners will be named on October 2 in Washington, D.C., after completion of a rigorous competition that tests their abilities in STEM subjects, teamwork and collaboration. Find the full listing of 2012 finalists atwww.broadcomfoundation.org/masters and www.societyforscience.org/masters.

Key Finalist Data Points:

• The 16 girls and 14 boys come from 17 states and represent 29 schools. California has the greatest number of finalists with six, followed by Florida with four, Texas with three, and Massachusetts, New York and Ohio with two in each state.
• Finalists were selected by a panel of distinguished scientists and engineers from among 300 semifinalists, who were chosen on August 15 from more than 1,470 applicants in 38 states and Puerto Rico.
• Finalists' independent research projects include a range of topics such as:
  • The Impact of a Parabolic Reflector on Wi-Fi Reception at Different Angles
  • The Effect of Oxygen Removal Treatments on the Mold Growth of Blueberries
  • Can 'Artificial' Intelligence Be More Intelligent Than Human Doctors and Professors in Playing Blokus?
  • Could a Small Aquatic Plant Have Reversed Global Warming 49 Million Years Ago?
  • The Tsunami Safety System: Deploying the Barrier
  • What is the Environmental Source of Cryptococcus gattii?

During Broadcom MASTERS week (September 28 — October 3), finalists will showcase their projects for the public and compete as teams in hands-on STEM activities. The top award is the $25,000 Samueli Foundation Award, a gift of Susan and Henry Samueli, co-founder of Broadcom Corporation. Other honors include $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third place from Broadcom Foundation in addition to numerous experiential awards such as STEM-focused summer camps and a chance to attend the world's largest international high school science fair in May 2013.

Broadcom Foundation and Elmer's® Products, Inc, the 2012 Broadcom MASTERS official classroom partner, also recognize the middle school teachers who have inspired and mentored the finalists. Elmer's will award each finalist classroom with merchandise, rewards and a $125 Walmart gift card, and  Broadcom Foundation will give each finalist school $1,000. In total, Broadcom Foundation and Elmer's will contribute more than $500,000 in prizes, awards and rebates to nominees, entrants, semifinalists, finalists, and their teachers and schools.

While in Washington, D.C., the students will enjoy an exciting introduction to the nation's capital, experiencing historical sites and organizations that celebrate innovation, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The finalists also will visit the U.S. Capitol to meet their elected representatives. The week's activities culminate with an awards dinner at theCarnegie Institution of Washington on October 2, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Nicholas Alexopoulos, Broadcom Vice President of Antenna and RF Research and University Relations.

Sponsored by Broadcom Foundation, a non-profit public benefit organization funded by Broadcom Corporation, the Broadcom MASTERS is a program of Society for Science & the Public.

For more information on the Broadcom MASTERS, check out the Broadcom Foundation and SSP websites or visit Broadcom Foundation's Newsroom and read the B-Connected Blog. To keep up with Broadcom MASTERS on Twitter, use hashtag #brcmMASTERS or follow Broadcom and SSP. And to stay connected, visit the Broadcom MASTERS and SSPFacebook pages.

Quotes:

Paula Golden, Executive Director of Broadcom Foundation and Director of Broadcom Corporation Community Affairs"We are thrilled to bring these talented young scientists and engineers to Washington, D.C. Experiences like the Broadcom MASTERS that focus on collaborative team building and project-based learning are powerful catalysts to keeping middle schoolers excited about applied math and science into high school and helping them make academic choices that open exciting new pathways to college and careers in science and engineering."

Elizabeth Marincola, President of Society for Science & the Public"Independent research and hands-on learning is vital to the success of our bright young students, both while still in school and later in their careers. SSP is proud to join with Broadcom Foundation to honor these 30 talented young scientists and looks forward to following their future paths. We hope that programs like the Broadcom MASTERS encourage students to expand and continue the process of scientific inquiry."

About Broadcom Foundation

Broadcom Foundation was founded to inspire and enable young people throughout the world to enter careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through partnerships with local schools, colleges, universities and non-profit organizations. Broadcom Foundation is the proud sponsor of the Broadcom MASTERS®, a program of Society for Science & the Public — a premier science and engineering competition for middle school children. The Foundation's mission is to advance education in STEM by funding research, recognizing scholarship and increasing opportunity. Learn more at www.broadcomfoundation.org. 

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a FORTUNE 500® company, is a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products seamlessly deliver voice, video, data and multimedia connectivity in the home, office and mobile environments.  With the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and embedded software solutions, Broadcom is changing the world by Connecting everything®. For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

About Society for Science & the Public

Society for Science & the Public is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the achievement of young researchers in independent research and to the public engagement in science. Established in 1921, its vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Through its acclaimed education competitions, including the Intel Science Talent Search, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Broadcom MASTERS, and its award-winning publications, Science News and Science News for Kids, as well as a weekly e-publication for the iPad, Science News Prime, Society for Science & the Public is committed to inform, educate, and inspire. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org.

Broadcom Foundation Announces Semifinalists in Broadcom MASTERS® National Science Fair Competition

Press release:

Broadcom Foundation Announces Semifinalists in Broadcom MASTERS® National Science Fair Competition

Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public Congratulate 300 U.S. Middle School Students Selected to Compete for Trip to Washington, D.C., and Top Award of $25,000

IRVINE, Calif., and WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights:

• 300 semifinalists selected to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS^® — leading science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition for middle schoolers
• California counts greatest number of semifinalists, followed by Florida, Texas, Ohio and Oregon
• 30 finalists to be named August 29; winner receives $25,000 in Washington, D.C., on October 2

Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public (SSP) today announced the selection of 300 middle school students as semifinalists in the Broadcom MASTERS^® — a leading science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition for middle school students. Semifinalists' names and a state-by-state breakdown can be found atwww.broadcomfoundation.org/masters or www.societyforscience.org/masters.

The Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars) was created to reward and encourage sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to continue their studies in math and science throughout high school by igniting a passion for innovation through a unique competition that exposes them to independent research, scientific inquiry, hands-on learning and teamwork.

Key Semifinalist Data Points:

• The 300 semifinalists come from 290 middle schools in 38 states representing 117 fairs across the United States andPuerto Rico.
• California has the greatest number of semifinalists (54), followed by Florida (26), Texas (23), Ohio (17) and Oregon (16).
• Semifinalists' individual science fair independent research projects include a range of topics such as:
  • A Robotic Simulated Lunar Terrain Transportation Challenge
  • The Eco-Friendly Diaper, Landfill Design: The Type of Cloth Versus the Rate of Decomposition
  • The Effect of Windmill Blade Pitch and Surface Area on Energy Production
  • Waste Heat Recovery Using Thermo-Electric Power
  • A Novel, Efficient Pattern Matching Algorithm for the DNA Alphabet
• Semifinalists were selected from more than 1,460 applicants after rigorous evaluation and judging conducted by distinguished scientists, engineers and educators. Applicants qualify to enter the Broadcom MASTERS by placing in the top 10 percent of the participants at their SSP-affiliated science fairs and winning the nomination.
• The 30 Broadcom MASTERS finalists will be announced on August 29. Finalists will receive an all-expense paid trip toWashington, D.C., September 28 — October 3 to showcase their science fair projects and compete in a four-day STEM competition for awards and prizes, including the top education award of $25,000 presented by the Samueli Foundation.

Sponsored by Broadcom Foundation, a non-profit public benefit organization funded by Broadcom Corporation, the Broadcom MASTERS is a program of Society for Science & the Public. SSP has run some of the world's most prestigious science competitions for more than eight decades.

In total, Broadcom Foundation and classroom partner Elmer's^®  Products, Inc. will contribute more than $500,000 in prizes, awards and rebates to nominees, entrants, semifinalists, finalists, and their teachers and schools. In recognition of the role teachers play in the success of their students, each semifinalist classroom will receive a collection of Sally Ride Science Career Books.

Quotes:

Paula Golden, Executive Director of Broadcom Foundation and Director of Broadcom Community Affairs

"All of us at Broadcom are thrilled to congratulate each semifinalist who has achieved so much to make it to the next round of the Broadcom MASTERS. Through science fairs, every student has a unique opportunity to showcase his or her science or engineering project to discerning judges and experience the give-and-take of competition. These 300 students represent the finest competitors in the nation."

Elizabeth Marincola, President of Society for Science & the Public

"The skills acquired by students through participation in hands-on scientific and engineering research will help prepare them not only for further education, but for their future careers. SSP is proud to join Broadcom Foundation to inspire and reward the 2012 Broadcom MASTERS semifinalists for their project-based pursuits."

Resources:

For more information on the Broadcom MASTERS, check out the Broadcom Foundation and SSP websites or visit Broadcom Foundation's Newsroom and read the B-Connected Blog. To keep up with the MASTERS on Twitter, use hashtag #brcmMASTERS or follow Broadcom and SSP. And to stay connected, visit the Broadcom MASTERS and SSPFacebook pages.

About Broadcom Foundation

Broadcom Foundation was founded to inspire and enable young people throughout the world to enter careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through partnerships with local schools, colleges, universities and non-profit organizations. Broadcom Foundation is the proud sponsor of the Broadcom MASTERS®, a program of Society for Science & the Public — a premier science and engineering competition for middle school children. The Foundation's mission is to advance education in STEM by funding research, recognizing scholarship and increasing opportunity. Learn more at www.broadcomfoundation.org.  

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a FORTUNE 500® company, is a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products seamlessly deliver voice, video, data and multimedia connectivity in the home, office and mobile environments.  With the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and embedded software solutions, Broadcom is changing the world by Connecting everything®. For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

Tampa Educators, Students to Benefit From New Microsoft Digital Education Initiative With City, Hillsborough County Public Schools

Press release:

Tampa Educators, Students to Benefit From New Microsoft Digital Education Initiative With City, Hillsborough County Public Schools

Aug. 10, 2012

Tampa Mayor Buckhorn designates Aug. 11 “Back to School With Microsoft” Day; technology training for 500 educators to support student success.

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TAMPA, Fla. — Aug. 10, 2012 — With the goal of preparing local students for the opportunities of tomorrow’s economy, Microsoft Corp. is working with the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) to implement a strategic digital education initiative across the region. On Saturday, Aug. 11, a “Back to School With Microsoft” event will kick off the activities to train more than 500 local educators as part of the effort to modernize in-classroom teaching with Microsoft technologies, boost students’ technology skills, and emphasize the value of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning in preparation for 21st century careers. 

“As one of the largest school districts in the nation, Hillsborough County is taking a leading role in extending high-tech skills training and new educational tools to its community of teachers and students,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson. “This strategic relationship with Microsoft will help us equip future generations with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in tomorrow’s economy as we roll out Microsoft IT Academy Program offerings to more than 214 schools throughout our state.”

This collaboration with the City of Tampa and HCPS is part of Microsoft’s efforts to help prepare youth for the jobs of tomorrow. In the current economy, science and technology continue to drive innovation while creating jobs, yet a growing number of today’s students face an opportunity divide — a growing gap between those who have the access, skills and opportunities to be successful and those who do not.

Florida’s First Districtwide IT Academy

HCPS is participating in Florida’s pilot implementation of the Microsoft IT Academy Program,which provides a complete IT education solution that bridges the world of education with the world of work. Together with Microsoft and the Florida Department of Education, HCPS will roll out the IT Academy Program across its 27 high schools and 18 middle schools as a STEM-focused elective for students in the upcoming 2012–2013 school year. 

“The Microsoft IT Academy fits perfectly with our goal of preparing our students for careers in the 21st century,” said MaryEllen Elia, Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent. “This is a wonderful partnership that will benefit our teachers and our students, and I’m grateful to Microsoft and the City of Tampa for their commitment.”

Beginning with the Aug. 11 “Back to School With Microsoft” technology showcase, more than 500 HCPS teachers in attendance will have access to 60 professional development sessions that show how Microsoft technologies can be used to support education goals and interactive learning in the classroom. Development sessions range from using Kinect for Xbox 360 in education to supporting rapid e-learning.

With the IT Academy training, educators get professional development so they can stay abreast of the latest Microsoft technologies and easily integrate these technologies into their existing curriculum and lesson plans to meet the individual learning needs of their students. Educators can build their own success, as well as earn certifications ranging from becoming a Microsoft Innovative Educator to the ITA certifications that dive more deeply in specific Microsoft technologies taught through the IT Academy courses. 

Through the IT Academy Program, students will have access to hundreds of Web-based e-learning courses and receive hands-on experience with the latest Microsoft software and programs, giving them an edge to gaining job-ready skills and industry credentials while still in school. 

Shaping Tampa’s Future

Microsoft is committed to the Tampa Bay region, particularly to support efforts that will help youth realize new opportunities. Through Microsoft’s long-term work with the people and organizations of the Tampa Bay region, a number of training, education and community programs are surfacing, which include these:

• A pilot program that will feature the use of Kinect consoles in a dozen HCPS classrooms which will establish the use of interactive, gesture-based learning.
• The DigiGirlz education program will provide local middle and high school girls with the opportunity to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees, and participate in hands-on computer and technology workshops. Over the past 12 years, DigiGirlz has reached 19,000 girls in more than 20 states and 17 countries.
• Kodu programming and game-development technology will be incorporated into the HCPS curriculum, helping students develop IT skills by creating games on the PC and Xbox using the simple, visual programming language designed for use by children.

“We’re thrilled to work with the City of Tampa and HCPS to bring the best technologies to area educators to help students realize their full potential,” said Marietta Davis, general manager for Microsoft’s Southeast District. “This is yet another important partnership we’ve formed as part of our commitment to help create positive and lasting impacts in the metropolitan areas in which we live and work. In the Tampa region, our commitment starts with schools and students.”

In addition to Microsoft’s work with Tampa on these education and community outreach initiatives, Microsoft has also worked with the city on a variety of other programs aimed at making a real impact in the region. Notably, Microsoft recently teamed up with the Tampa Police Department on a jointly funded public safety initiative aimed at modernizing the department’s systems used for crime analysis, reporting and reduction, which included an investment in Microsoft SharePoint and SQL Server technologies. 

Microsoft has also joined the board of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a public-private organization supporting economic growth and development in the region, and recently made a $25,000 commitment to the organization and its programs.

Youth Engagement at National Political Conventions

Microsoft is also working with National Journal and The Atlantic to host a “Conversations With the Next Generation” town hall on Wednesday, Aug. 29, at The Improv Theater in Ybor. The one-of-a-kind event will feature political leaders, policy experts and journalists who will engage in a dialogue with younger Americans and students about the critical issues they face. 

Notable Tampa participants include Superintendent Elia and youth leaders such as Brian Goff, student body president, University of South Florida-Tampa. National participants include Chelsea Clinton, George P. Bush and Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill. Microsoft will also sponsor a sister event at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

These conversations are part of Microsoft’s commitment to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. Microsoft’s citizenship mission is to globally serve the needs of communities and fulfill its responsibilities to the public. Microsoft programs have a focus on helping youth and young adults around the world obtain the skills they need, and connect them to greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship. Microsoft has the unique ability, through technology and partnerships, to make education and learning more accessible and more engaging for these young people.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

STEM Education Technology Trends: Evolving Classrooms

STEM Education Technology Trends: Evolving Classrooms

Computer Science for Non-Majors Takes Many Forms

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Computer Science for Non-Majors Takes Many Forms

By RANDALL STROSS

READING, writing and — refactoring code?

Many professors of computer science say college graduates in every major should understand software fundamentals. They don’t argue that everyone needs to be a skilled programmer. Rather, they seek to teach “computational thinking” — the general concepts programming languages employ.

In 2006, Jeannette M. Wing, head of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University, wrote a manifesto arguing that basic literacy should be redefined to include understanding of computer processes. “Computational thinking is a fundamental skill for everyone, not just for computer scientists,” she wrote. “To reading, writing and arithmetic, we should add computational thinking to every child’s analytical ability.”

There is little agreement within the field, however, about what exactly are the core elements of computational thinking. Nor is there agreement about how much programming students must do, if any, in order to understand it.

Most important, the need for teaching computational thinking to all students remains vague.

At the college level, computer science courses intended for non-majors run a gamut. In some classes, students start coding right away with a mainstream language. Others exclude programming and examine social and ethical issues related to computer use.

At Carnegie Mellon, students who are not computer science majors are invited to try “Principles of Computation.” It starts with a history of computation, but in Week 2, students start learning the programming language Ruby. Then the course covers iteration, recursion, random number generators and other topics.

Tom Cortina, who teaches the course, says that some students perceive the programming as challenging, especially those who aren’t majoring in a field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics and are not accustomed to “the preciseness required.”

Rutgers Teams With IBM to Build Powerful High-Performance Computing Center in New Jersey

IBM provides supercomputing equipment and software resources aimed at improving New Jersey’s economic competitiveness

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NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - 27 Mar 2012: Rutgers today formally launched a high-performance computing (HPC) center at the university focused on the application of “Big Data” analytics in life sciences, finance, and other industries. The center is aimed at improving the economic competitiveness of New Jersey’s public and private research organizations.

The HPC center will be part of the newly created Rutgers Discovery Informatics Institute (RDI²)and will utilize supercomputing equipment and software provided by IBM in the project’s first phase. Rutgers anticipates future expansion of the center will lead to the university having one of the world’s most powerful academic supercomputers. 

The institute, powered by an IBM Blue Gene®/P supercomputer, has several goals.

·        Creating an HPC resource, with expert support, for industry in New Jersey and the surrounding region

·        Educating the New Jersey workforce and Rutgers students in working with advanced analytics and a state-of-the-art HPC center

·        Providing HPC resources to Rutgers faculty members and regional organizations, who are expanding their use of extremely large data sets 

“There is immense potential here because Rutgers and IBM have some of the best minds in high-performance computing,” said Michael J. Pazzani, vice president for research and economic development and professor of computer science at Rutgers. “The ability to conduct data analysis on a large scale, leveraging the power of ‘big data,’ has become increasingly essential to research and development.” 

“Just as important is the valuable new resource that we are creating for industry,” Pazzani said. “The Institute will collaborate with businesses that need high-performance computing capabilities but can’t justify the cost of building their own system.” 

The collaboration involving Rutgers and IBM scientists and engineers is expected to extend beyond computer science and engineering, to encompass fields such as cancer and genetic research, medical imaging and informatics, advanced manufacturing, environmental and climate research, and materials science.  

“The application of analytics to ‘big data’ has quickly emerged as the new foundry of the 21st century economy,” said Phil Guido, IBM general manager, North America. “IBM is eager to work with Rutgers to help improve New Jersey’s economic competitiveness through this center. IBM firmly believes that public-private collaboration and research can be critical in ensuring our workforce is equipped and empowered with next generation skills like analytics.” 

The IBM Blue Gene supercomputer, housed in the Hill Center for Mathematics on Rutgers’ Busch Campus in Piscataway, will be the only supercomputer available to commercial users in the state. Only eight of the nation’s 62 scientific computation centers have industrial partnership programs. The two Blue Gene/ P racks at Rutgers will be far more powerful than any computer at the university today. “Excalibur” is the name Rutgers has chosen for it, playing off the university’s sports mascot, the Scarlet Knight. 

Rutgers has agreed to purchase hardware and software from IBM, as well as entering into a three-year maintenance agreement for the equipment. . As future funding becomes available, Rutgers expects to add the latest-generation Blue Gene/Q system by the end of the year. Rutgers also envisions building an expanded facility on the Busch campus in 2013 as the system and center grows.  

Blue Gene is among the world’s leading supercomputer technologies. The Blue Gene/P system is operating in six U.S. locations, including four national laboratories and two universities. IBM is the leading manufacturer on the list of the world’s top 500 most powerful computer systems, holding the most entries. 

Manish Parashar, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rutgers, is the university’s lead faculty member on the project and will direct the new institute. He said: “There is a strong correlation between having this level of sophisticated research infrastructure and research productivity. It will enable research at a scale we could not support at Rutgers before and allow students and industry to have access to HPC to a much greater degree. And this installation is the first step in creating a large-scale infrastructure at the institute, so it’s a huge milestone.” 

Parashar is director of Rutgers’ Center for Cloud and Autonomic Computing and the Applied Software Systems Laboratory, and associate director of the Center for Information Assurance. He was program director of the National Science Foundation’s Office of Cyberinfrastructure, where he managed an approximately $150 million research portfolio, from 2009 to 2011.

“HPC is a real need because large-scale data is now central to all sciences and engineering,” Parashar said. “Science is changing dramatically, becoming very computation and data-intensive. Large-scale computing is now critical for scientists to address research challenges in diverse fields from biochemistry and genomics to material sciences and climate modeling.” 

Margaret Brennan-Tonetta, associate vice president for economic development, has been working with Parashar to launch the Rutgers Discovery Informatics Institute. 

“We intend to develop a premier center that sets a new standard for industry collaboration in high-performance computing,” Brennan-Tonetta said. “The institute will be engaging business and provide a valuable resource that goes far beyond hardware and software, offering real expertise and assistance. Industry will be able to come here with a problem involving data analysis and our experts will help them develop a solution.” 

Two industrial advisory panels for the RDI² are being formed, one for large-scale computation and data analytics in finance and a second for the healthcare and life sciences industries. The initial meetings of each are set for April. 

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development promotes excellence in research at Rutgers. Research is fundamental to the university’s overall mission and enhances its education and service missions. Research also contributes to economic development. Rutgers increasingly is engaged in commercialization of research through the transfer of new technologies to industry, contributing to economic development in New Jersey and nationally. From the discovery of streptomycin — the first cure for tuberculosis — to the technology behind Ask.com, Rutgers continues to make a tremendous impact in the commercial world.

EMC Goes Social, Open and Agile with Big Data

EMC Goes Social, Open and Agile With Big Data

Greenplum Chorus Social Tools Now Available Featuring 3rd Party Applications; New OpenChorus Initiative Releases Greenplum Chorus to Open Source Community; Pivotal Labs Acquisition Accelerates Development of Big Data Applications in the Enterprise

HOPKINTON, Mass. - March 20, 2012

News Summary:

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announced:

• Availability of Greenplum Chorus, the industry’s first social toolset for Big Data, enabling Data Science teams to collaborate on datasets in a Facebook-like way.
• The new OpenChorus (openchorus.org) initiative, including release of the Greenplum Chorus source code under an open source license in the second half of 2012. The goal of OpenChorus is to accelerate innovation and adoption of collaborative and social data applications running on top of the Greenplum Chorus platform.
• Examples of Chorus extensibility from the Greenplum partner ecosystem, including Greenplum partners Alpine Data Labs and Squid Solutions, for the rapid development and integration of new Chorus-enhanced Big Data applications.
• The acquisition of San Francisco-based Pivotal Labs, a privately-held provider of agile software development services and tools, to accelerate the development of Big Data applications in the enterprise.
• An online event titled “Social Meets Big Data: Live Webcast” with executives from EMC and Pivotal Labs will be broadcast today, Tuesday, March 20 - 9:45 A.M. Pacific, 12:45 P.M. Eastern and 5:45 P.M GMT. Event details can be found at http://bit.ly/qduwsor at EMC.com.

Full Story:

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announced a new wave of products and services all with a singular goal – to enable organizations to derive greater insight and economic value from Big Data – datasets so large they break traditional IT infrastructures. Instrumental to customers achieving this goal is the enablement and empowerment of the Data Science team – Greenplum Chorus is the industry’s first social and collaborative toolset designed explicitly for the Data Science team.

Today EMC announced the availability of Greenplum Chorus, delivering a Facebook-like social collaboration tool for Data Science teams to iterate on the development of datasets and ensure that useful insights are delivered to the business quickly. In addition to being social, Greenplum Chorus is now also open. Today EMC announced the OpenChorus Initiative (openchorus.org), with a mission to accelerate innovation and adoption of collaborative and social data applications running on top of the Greenplum Chorus platform. The Greenplum Chorus source code will be released under an open source license in the second half of 2012. Project updates will be available at openchorus.org.

The Greenplum partner ecosystem serves as a critical means through which customers receive the solutions they require to connect Greenplum analytic tools with their existing data sources. Greenplum partner ecosystem can deliver even more value – solutions integrated with the Chorus platform through its rich APIs (like solutions from early access partners Alpine Data Labs and Squid Solutions) directly impact the productivity and effectiveness of the Data Science team.

With Greenplum Chorus, Big Data is becoming more social and more open. With the announcement ofEMC’s acquisition of Pivotal Labs today it now promises to become more agile. Pivotal Labs represents the gold-standard in agile software development. Through modern agile development methodologies and modern programming frameworks (such as Ruby on Rails) Pivotal will accelerate the development and adoption of Big Data applications in the enterprise.

Industry Quotes

Joi Ito, Director, MIT Media Lab

“I believe EMC has seized a great opportunity to move way beyond the currentindustry focus and noise around analytics to what is a much bigger story. Specifically, I see the company leveraging unstoppable movements such as social networking, open-source software, and agile development for next-generation applications.”

Customer and Partner Quotes

Katrin Ribant, EVP, Data Platforms, Havas Digital Global

“Through the use of Chorus, groups of data scientists in multiple countries are able to come together on the development of Artemis, Havas Digital's proprietary analytics platform. This enables faster provisioning of sand boxes and better collaboration around testing and refinement of analysis and new analytics.”

Eva Ho, Vice President of Marketing & Operations, Factual

“We are delighted to be a partner of EMC Greenplum. The Greenplum Unified Analytics Platform and Chorus will be an essential data engineering platform for data scientists in all types of enterprises, giving them unparalleled access to new tools and resources to answer critical business questions using big data. By embedding high quality third-party data sets, like the ones from Factual, into the solution, it will make it even easier for data scientists to jumpstart projects, and hopefully derive actionable insights and results from data analysis even faster.”

EMC Quotes

Scott McNealy, executive advisor, Greenplum, a division of EMC

“Data science gets its juice from the tools data scientists rely upon to work their magic. History, take Java for example, has proven that the open source model routinely delivers better tools, drawing the best contributions from users, quick-turn release cycles and more. Open source Chorus can deliver the widespread adoption and collaboration Big Data is begging for. A strictly proprietary model can't keep up and EMC is doing what leaders do. Lead.”

Scott Yara, Senior Vice President of Products, Greenplum, a division of EMC

“Chorus stands at the intersection of social and Big Data. The pairing of social and collaboration helps groups collaborate and actually get valuable insights from their data. That is a very social and collaborative process. It touches a lot of people inside an organization. While most of the industry is focused on loading speeds, processing times and so on, EMC is taking the lead on ‘socializing’ Big Data analytics.”

Additional Resources

• Press release: EMC Acquires Pivotal Labs
• Press Release: New Web-Based Alpine Illuminator Integrates With EMC Greenplum Chorus, The Social Data Science Platform
• Press Release: Squid Solutions Integrates With EMC Greenplum Chorus, The Social Data Science Platform
• Greenplum Chorus
• Tweet: Social Meets Big Data http://bit.ly/xN7mzV
• EMC Delivers Industry’s First Unified Big Data Analytics Appliance
• For the latest industry news, research, webcasts and use cases covering big data, analytics, and the data scientist community visit the Greenplum Media Center
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About Greenplum

Greenplum, a division of EMC, is driving the future of Big Data analytics with breakthrough products including Greenplum Data Computing Appliance, Greenplum Database, Greenplum Community Edition, Greenplum HD, and Greenplum Chorus—the industry's first Enterprise Data Cloud platform. The division's products embody the power of open systems, cloud computing, virtualization and social collaboration—enabling global organizations to gain greater insight and value from their data than ever before possible.

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset—information—in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.