After all, he got some inspiration from the University of Central Florida (UCF) to pursue a career in engineering. And this month, Crutcher was recognized for his career accomplishments at a reception at UCF.

Crutcher's ongoing involvement with his alma mater is a real-life example of one of TI's business strategies in action. By developing strong relationships with universities and professors, TI leaders can help win the hearts and minds of students by setting up labs in schools to help students learn on TI products and by helping identify students as future TIers.

"Words cannot express how much I appreciate the opportunities UCF has given me and the person UCF helped me become. I want to give UCF students the opportunities I was afforded," he said. "I'm now in a position to turn the tables and help UCF."

Crutcher was speaking to leaders and alumni on March 22 at an annual Alumni Honors Reception organized by the UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Sciences (CECS) Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – Electrical and Computer Engineering Division. The college was honoring him with its Distinguished Alumni Award.

Crutcher is only the second person to receive the CECS division award out of more than 26,000 alumni. "It's truly an honor to receive this award and extremely exciting to spend time this evening with fellow alumni and university leaders. Every time I step on this campus, I'm in awe of the progress UCF has made in engineering and athletics," said Brian, who also is a former athlete at the university.

"I caught the fever," said Borgeson, who previously worked as TI's liaison with FIRST but jumped at the opportunity for a more "hands on experience" so he could help inspire students to become engineers.

"I want to help them develop an appreciation for the value in an engineering degree," Borgeson said. "Today, it seems so many people are focused on sports heroes or being a famous singer, but nobody is praised for innovation. I want these kids to see the value in building and designing custom solutions that impact society in positive ways."

Moore, who also started volunteering as a team mentor last year, said "this is a tremendously fun way to volunteer my time."

"Sometimes at our jobs, because of the day-to-day work, we can lose our edge or our passion for what it is we are really here to do, make things," she said. "The FRC six-week dash to design-prototype-build-repeat process is very re-invigorating for me as well as an exciting learning experience for the students."

TI has been a FIRST sponsor for four years, and numerous employees have donated their time helping to mentor participants. On average, each FIRST mentor spends 150-200 hours a year volunteering for their team over a four- to five- month period. The company also donates microcontrollers and other devices that come in a robotics kit for their designs.

For more information on their volunteer efforts, visit TI's Corporate Citizenship page.

Membership in the Hall of Achievement is accorded to individuals who, through their performance and example, have made significant contributions to the engineering profession. It is an honor given to a distinguished few in recognition of exceptional achievements and superior performance by an engineer.

"This year's honoree, Allen Bowling, continues the tradition of our honorees being truly dedicated and exemplary members of the engineering profession," the award states.

Bowling received the award at the College of Engineering's annual Engineering Awards Banquet on Feb. 24 in Arlington.

"Allen is a TI Fellow with a distinguished record of technology development achievements," said Venu Menon, vice president and manager of ATD. "In addition, Allen has consistently built bridges between TI and the university community.

"He has guided UT Arlington and several other universities to make academic research more industry-relevant and to train students who are ready to work in the semiconductor industry. I congratulate Allen on this recognition"

Bowling serves on the UT Arlington College of Engineering Board of Advisors and on the UT Arlington Department of Materials Science & Engineering Advisory Board.

He has worked, along with other TIers to fund research projects with selected professors there, and participated in the TI $1 million donation to a faculty endowment in nanotechnology.

Bowling joins a long list of TI innovators inducted into the Hall of Achievement, including:

• Cecil Green (1979)
• Jack Kilby (1980)
• George Heilmeier (1984)
• Bill Mitchell (1986)
• Glenn Gaustad (1987)
• Larry Hornbeck (2007)

Kervin hails from Atlanta and is a vocalist, saxophonist, pianist, educator, and composer/arranger. She will obtain her master of music degree in vocal jazz studies from the University of North Texas in the spring.

The Texas Instruments Jazz Band is a full 18-piece big band consisting of sax, trombone, trumpet and rhythm sections. The group was formed in the summer of 1986 sparked by an ad placed in a TI company newspaper. Most of the band members have degrees in engineering or computer science. The group is a nonprofit organization, and all of the money earned from performances goes to support the band and its operating expenses.

The band has been invited to perform at the Cancun Jazz Festival in May. In July 2000, the band performed at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

Tickets are $15 ($10 for students) and can be purchased through the MPAC box office.

According to the group, Dallas ranks 49th out of 51 cities surveyed in the share of commuters who walk or bike to their jobs. Only 1.8 of Dallasites walked to work, while only 0.1 percent traveled by bike. By contrast, Boston – which led the rankings – had 13.5 percent of its residents walk to work and 1.5 percent bike.

Employees at TI, however, are doing their part to help change those statistics. Every May, the company takes part in Bike to Work Day. In 2011, more than 400 TIers took part in the event and combined to ride 6,500 miles to work. What's interesting to note, though, is that there's been a noticeable uptick in the number of TIers who opt to bike to work every day each year since 2004, when TI began participating in the event.

Watch this video to see why Craig Herteg opts for his bike as much as possible.

These aren't just pipe dreams or some forms of technology that seem decades away from becoming reality.

They are very real.

TI Principal Fellow Gene Frantz was part of a panel during the 2012 International CES that addressed the role technology plays in medicine. As part of the Digital Health Summit, the panel posed the following question: "Is Technology Changing the Doctor-Patient Relationship?"

Afterward, Frantz took some time to expand on his thoughts regarding the future of medical technology and the presence that TI will continue to play in that realm. Watch this video to hear his thoughts. Also, for more information on the future of medical imaging, be sure to read this white paper written by Frantz and Mark Nadeski and visit TI's medical imaging landing page.

Tremmel took part in a panel entitled "The Evolving User Interface: What's Next?" which focused on the future of how we might interact with devices. Many of his remarks centered on the future of sensors in devices and the evolution of the relationship between a user and his or her devices.

Some highlights:

• On the future of sensors: "Every year we see more [sensors] coming in. Now we're working to find the best sensors for certain-use cases."
• On when mind control will enter the mainstream: "It's all about natural interfacing. Even if it would work, is that how we should communicate?"
• On his prediction for 10-15 years into the future: "I see more and more consumer devices packed with sensors – to know your environment, build a relationship with you and minimize interactivity."

Frantz's panel, part of the Digital Health Summit, posed this question: "Is Technology Changing the Doctor-Patient Relationship?

His comments focused on how technology is revolutionalizing health care for the future:

• On what's achievable in the medical realm because of technology: "Technology brings to us three major possibilities: managing chronic disease, predicting catastrophic disease, and living comfortably at home in your later years."
• On TI's role related to health care: "What we want to provide are platforms to innovate and create great doctor-patient relationships."
• "It's amazing how technology can help the doctor-patient relationship be independent of distance."

Be sure to check back on Around TI in the coming weeks for more stories about these panels and much more of what generated buzz at CES.

The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) is honoring Moise, a distinguished member of the technical staff at TI, with the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award during its annual conference in Houston. The award recognizes the critical role that science and technology play in society.

Moise's contributions have significantly impacted the medical, consumer electronics and motor control markets. He developed the world's only 130-nanometer ultra-low power ferroelectric memory (FRAM), which vastly improves these products' efficiency and allows them to operate longer on a single charge.

Numbers alone help speak to Moise's accomplishments. He holds 41 patents related to electronic devices, designs or techniques – all of which have significantly reduced manufacturing costs or decreased power consumption tenfold. What's more, Moise fervently shares his technical expertise with his peers; he has authored or co-authored more than 80 papers and routinely presents his research at industry conferences.

"Throughout his 20-year career, Ted has been known as an innovator," said Venu Menon, vice president and manager of Analog Technology Development at TI. "His work at TI has resulted in technology breakthroughs that are making a difference in people's lives and will only become more significant in the future."

Be sure to check back soon for more information on Moise's accomplishments, including a video highlighting his career. And for information about TI's achievements in innovation, log on to ti.com/innovation.

And what does Westbrook do when he leaves the office? That's easy – he does more of the same … except turning the focus to what he and his family can do for Mother Nature.

Westbrook said his passion for the environment dates back to his days in high school, when he would tinker with products to see how he could make them more eco-friendly. But his greatest project to date is his home in Fairview (near Allen), which he designed to be a true testament of Earth-consciousness.

The home, which Westbrook completed in 1996, is a mainstay on the annual International Tour of Solar Homes. But what makes it so unique? Consider these features:

-Passive solar design
-Structural insulated panel walls
-Geothermal heat pump
-Active solar water heating
-1.8 kW wind turbine


TI executives took note of how Westbrook designed his home and its environmental benefits when the company constructed RFAB, the world's first LEED gold-certified fab.

There's a mantra that TI lives by, Cunningham said, when it comes to corporate citizenship: strong communities build strong companies, and strong companies build strong communities. The two entities aid each other's growth, and individual employees play a vital row in making that happen. It all starts with finding what you're passionate about, Cunningham said.

Do you still have questions about what corporate citizenship means? Then check out our Corporate Citizenship Report, a detailed account published each spring that shows how Texas Instruments gives back to its communities. It is chock full of vital information in a number of different areas, from what we do in the realm of environmental stewardship to how we keep our employees happy and with the proper work-life balance in check.