SEEKING SCIENCE SUPPORT: Intel is withdrawing its sponsorship of the International Science and Engineering Fair, the annual showcase and competition of science projects from high school students around the world. Past participants include Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur “geniuses.”
Intel has supported the event since 1998, after previous sponsor Westinghouse dropped out. Former Intel CEO Craig R. Barrett told NYT this move could be perceived as a sign that Intel is following in Westinghouse’s footstep into obscurity as “a company of the past.”
The decision may be “prompting an identity crisis,” according the New York Times, which first reported the story. Yet the headline may be a tad misleading, as the reporter also points out that Intel has recently backed Maker Faire events.
Companies who can commit $15 million annually for at least five years are encouraged to ping the Society for Science and the Public, which organizes the 70-year-old event.
