Fifth Arizona SciTech Festival Launches with Ranking of Third Largest Science Festival in the Nation
PHOENIX, ARIZONA (PRWEB) February 05, 2016 -- Kicking off with an exciting program, the Arizona SciTech Festival begins its fifth year amid record growth. The Arizona SciTech Festival ranks as the third largest science and technology festival in the nation, trailing only Washington D.C. and New York City. Over 50 Arizona communities including newcomers Fountain Hills, El Mirage and Surprise and 800 organizations have partnered to conduct over 1,000 events in 2016, showcasing science, technology and innovation in Arizona.
Learn more about the Arizona SciTech Festival by watching a video at http://azscitech.com/who-we-are/.
“The growth of the Arizona SciTech Festival demonstrates the value communities all around the state of Arizona place on STEM education,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “In today’s knowledge-based economy, encouraging the next generation of science and technology leaders is critical to meeting the needs of Arizona’s workforce and advancing our state’s competitiveness in the global economy.”
Held primarily in February and March to inform Arizonans of all ages about how science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEM) affects their everyday lives, the Arizona SciTech Festival is anchored at the Arizona Commerce Authority, in collaboration with additional foundational partners including the Arizona Technology Council Foundation, Arizona Science Center, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR).
Signature events include Arizona State University’s popular “Night of the Open Door” that now reaches five of the campuses with more than 300 activities that run throughout February expected to attract more than 15,000 attendees. Now in its fifth year, “Chandler’s Science Spectacular: Night of Art & Science,” will take place on February 19 on Arizona Avenue, south of Chandler Blvd. in downtown Chandler, where it will showcase innovation from companies such as Intel, Orbital ATK and Garmin. New this year, the Arizona Science Center is partnering with TGen to host a full-day of family-friendly, hands on bioscience activities on March 5. The 2016 full listing of events can be found at http://azscitech.com/events/.
“It’s gratifying to see the excitement that has built up around the statewide celebration and the increasing number of public and community partners that have engaged to help make it such a success,” said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. “The fact that we’ve built the third largest science and technology festival in the nation is a testimonial to the strength Arizona’s technology sector and the ability of our public and community partners to collaborate.”
Sponsors
The 2016 SciTech Festival could not be possible without its numerous sponsors who are dedicated to the celebration of STEM.
“As a founding sponsor, we’ve always believed in the promise of exposing students to STEM learning found at the Arizona SciTech Festival, and are proud that we continue to support it,” said RJ Muller, manager of Community Relations, Cox Communications. “We are committed to elevating the educational experience in the communities in which we serve and see no better way than to build an inclusive celebration whose mission is to focus on how technology is impacting people’s lives.”
In partnership with the Arizona SciTech Festival, Cox Communications is also a sponsor of the annual COX CONNECT2STEM Awards. For the second year, COX Communications, in partnership with the AZ SciTech Festival, honors STEM connectors in five areas: business, non-profit, education, conservation and after school programs. This prestigious award highlights and recognizes the STEM leaders in our community – and those who impact our future. Nominations open in February and can be submitted online at http://www.cox7.com/connect2stem/connect2stem-information-awards-page/.
2016 Arizona SciTech Festival Sponsors:
PRESENTING: Cox Communications
PLATINUM: Arizona Commerce Authority
GOLD: State Farm Insurance, Honeywell
SILVER: Arizona PBS, Arizona Renaissance Festival, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, Google, Intel, KJZZ, Maricopa Community Colleges, Nextiva, OnTop Technology Corp., SRP, Thomas R. Brown Foundations.
BRONZE: APS, Arizona Central Credit Union, Arizona Technology Council, Arizona Parenting, AZ TECH BEAT, Grand Canyon University, KTAR – Arizona Sports, K12.COM/Arizona Virtual Academy, Orbital ATK, PADT, University of Advancing Technology, Yelp.
COPPER: Arizona State University, Axosoft, Bear Essential News, Green Living, Event Interface, Phoenix Business Journal
KRYPTON: AT&T, Biz in a Boxx, Emerald Computers, Midwestern University, PLTW
About the Arizona SciTech Festival
The Arizona SciTech Festival is a statewide celebration of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) held annually in February and March. Through a series of expos, workshops, conversations, exhibitions and tours held in diverse neighborhoods throughout the state, the Festival excites and informs Arizonans age 3 to 103 how STEM will drive our state through a grassroots collaboration of more than 800 organizations in industry, academia, arts, civic, community and K-12 education. The Festival is anchored at the Arizona Commerce Authority, in collaboration with additional foundational partners including the Arizona Technology Council Foundation, Arizona Science Center, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). Visit azscitech.com for more information.
About the Arizona Commerce Authority
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state’s leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona’s economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: recruit, grow, create – recruit out-of-state companies to expand their operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to grow their business in Arizona and beyond; and partner with entrepreneurs and companies large and small to create new jobs and businesses in targeted industries. Visit azcommerce.com for more.
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Linda Capcara, TechTHiNQ, +1 480-229-7090, [email protected]
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