CMC Magazine, Spring 2006

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On a January morning in Silicon Valley, 11 CMCers lean in for a fish-bowl view of the clean-rooms at Applied Materials, Inc., the world's largest supplier of manufacturing systems and services to the semiconductor industry. Through glass walls, the students, paper booties slipped over their shoes, observe the crafting of microchips in an immaculate factory where the slightest contaminant—say, a particle of skin, perfume, or lint no bigger than one-one-thousandth of a millimeter—could destroy the fabrication process. The technicians inside look more like paper dolls than scientists in their particle-free body suits.

Applied Materials' clean-room is one of several stops the students will make on their five-day study trip, networking with CMC alumni in the high-tech industry. Tours of Google, Dionex, Cisco, and the Tech Museum of Innovation will conclude with a visit to the Menlo Park offices of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., the private equity firm co-founded by Trustees Henry R. Kravis '67 and George R. Roberts '66 P'93. The excursion, sponsored by the College's recently formed Information Technology Advisory Board (ITAB), offered perspective on high-tech careers, as well as a glimpse into how the broad world-view gained from liberal arts study at CMC could translate into work in a more specific field.

"I had no idea that my coursework in philosophy, politics, and economics is great preparation for technology careers, ranging from marketing to consulting," recalls participant Candace Williams '08. "I think the most meaningful element of the trip was meeting young alumni who credit their success in leadership roles to the liberal arts education they received at CMC, and are excited at the prospect of more CMCers joining them in Silicon Valley. Our alumni are extremely helpful, both as mentors and as people who can help us find employment."

Launching ITAB in 2005 not only supports the College's larger information technology strategic plan—including increasing student fluency in IT, assisting with academic teaching and research, and contributing to the smoother and more efficient functioning of the College—but also establishes the College as a leader in this field, says CMC Chief Technology Officer Cynthia Humes. Adds Christopher Wiedey, director of foundation and corporate relations, "This committee is not simply a group of professional advisers, but also a vehicle for encouraging students to seek careers in the broad technology sector.

"We have prominent alumni in the Bay Area technology industry," Wiedey continues, "many with executive-level perspective and experience in some of the most elite technology companies in the world."

ITAB's chair, Trustee Bart Evans '70, a graduate of CMC's management engineering program, holds a master's degree in engineering from Stanford University. He retired as executive vice president and chief operating officer from Dionex in 2003.

The ITAB Silicon Valley Networking Trip, one of the group's first major undertakings, will become an annual winter event to introduce students with strong IT interests and pursuits to emerging industries and alumni trailblazers in the Silicon Valley.

"As an emerging area of the business world, technology needs far-reaching leadership," says Humes, "so the opportunity to train future technology leaders is particularly compelling."

Student Candace Williams says she was inspired by the real-world exposure to the tech industry, lauding both on-site employee benefits and community service foundations at Cisco and Google.

"I am amazed by how businesses are becoming people-friendly," she says. "It is nice to know that my life in the office will not be like the experiences of the characters in the movie Office Space."

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Twelve students explored diverse career opportunities in technology in preparation for the Information Technology Advisory Board Silicon Valley Networking trip. Back row, from left: Arjun Lall ’07, Evan Macmillan ’08, Ryan Wilson ’07; Middle row, from left: Matt Galica ’06, Ryan McDonald ’06, Candace Williams ’08, Arjun Dutt ’07, Nicholas Rattazzi ’09, Austan Mogharabi ’07, Ian Hafkenschiel ’08; Front row, from left: David Chiu ’06, Chief Technology Officer Cynthia Humes, Laura Zapiain ’06

Humes (second from right), whose interest in the use of educational applications of technology began with arcane applications relating to her study of Sanskrit, hopes to position CMC as a leader in technology in education. Her new role as the College's chief technology officer builds on her work as director of the Teaching Resource Center, where she implemented the WebCT online learning tool and other programs increasing information technology fluency at the College.