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The Tech Awards 2010 Showcases 15 Global Innovators: Technology Philanthropists Transforming the World

WHAT: Join us on November 4 to meet the inspiring people behind the fascinating innovations that have changed the lives of millions of people around the world in profound and positive ways. The media and public are invited to spend one-on-one time with the 15 laureates of The Tech Awards Presented by Applied Materials, a signature program of The Tech Museum, in association with Santa Clara University.

The Tech Awards Showcase -- the public exhibition of projects that address global issues on the environment, economic development, education, equality and health -- helps raise public awareness while recognizing the laureates whose innovative work is dedicated to creating a more humane, just and sustainable world. Among the many pioneering projects are: a needle-free vaccination injection system; gasification technology that filters gas from rice husks to power generators that make electricity; and foot-operated water-lifting devices that irrigate small plots of land in regions with high water tables.

WHEN: Thursday, November 4, 2010

• 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. -- the laureates will introduce their innovations
• 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. -- reporters have the opportunity to interview, photograph laureates

WHERE:
Santa Clara University
Locatelli Center
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053

A new component of this year's showcase includes a daylong conference, "Technology Solutions for Social Impact: Taking Innovations to Scale." The conference is a unique gathering of the region's foremost leaders, who are intent on delivering on the promise of science and technology to improve our world. Sponsored by the The Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University and NetHope, a consortium of 32 principal non-governmental organizations, the conference provides the laureates with an opportunity to network with leading Silicon Valley tech companies and receive specialized business training. The conference will be held from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4 at Santa Clara University. A reception and additional opportunity to meet The Tech Awards laureates will follow. Media and the public are invited to attend the conference and reception. Additional information and RSVP is available at: www.scu.edu/sts/nov4conf.cfm.

The annual Tech Awards Gala will follow this event on Saturday, November 6, when the laureates are honored at a formal evening celebration at the Santa Clara Convention Center. One of the honored guests that evening will be Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a world-renowned human rights and education advocate. Queen Rania is the recipient of this year's James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award.

About The Tech Museum
The Tech Museum is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum -- located in the Capital of Silicon Valley -- is a non-profit learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge, our annual team design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech Awards, presented by Applied Materials, Inc., The Tech Museum celebrates the Spirit of Silicon Valley by providing science and technology experiences that educate, inform, provoke thought and inspire action.

For more information about The Tech Awards, visit: www.thetech.org.