FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arizona SciTech Festival Launches Annual Celebration of Science and
Technology in Arizona
Festival Represents Statewide Collaboration of Businesses, Educators and Community Partners
Showcasing Innovation in Arizona and Career Pathways for Tomorrow’s Workforce
PHOENIX (February 11, 2015) – Arizona’s largest celebration of STEAM (science, technology,
engineering, arts and math) is here! The Arizona SciTech Festival, anchored at the Arizona
Commerce Authority, in collaboration with additional foundational partners including the Arizona
Board of Regents (ABOR), Arizona Science Center, Arizona State University, Arizona Technology
Council Foundation, and The University of Arizona today announced the launch of its 4th annual
celebration of science and technology that runs throughout Arizona now to March 31.
This year, Arizona’s city and town mayors joined with business, community and education leaders
for the 2015 Festival launch event. The Festival partnered with Arizona’s Telemedicine Program at
the University of Arizona to coordinate linkages to statewide regional partners. Through a live
video teleconference format, regional partners at multiple sites around the state provided an
overview of their planned activities and how the Festival is important to business and talent
growth in their communities.
The 2015 SciTech Festival is a statewide collaboration of 45 Arizona communities conducting
events showcasing science, technology and innovation in Arizona. More than 500 organizations
will be leading over 800 interactive events in February and March. Click to see the 2015 full listing
of events and the annual program with more than 750,000 highlights.
“In its fourth year, the Festival has grown tremendously to more than 800 events highlighting the
science and innovation across Arizona, as well as career pathways in these critical occupational
areas,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Our
successful engagement with the business community, and continued collaboration with public
and community partners in these efforts, is essential to developing a sustainable pipeline of future
talent supporting Arizona’s ongoing workforce needs.”
“Cox is proud to be a part of the SciTech Festival for the fourth year,” said Susan Anable, Vice
President of Cox Communications-Southwest. “This event celebrates our state’s leadership in
science, technology and innovation, and offers students and families a wide variety of events that
will open up their minds.”
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Arizona SciTech Festival Launches 2015 Celebration
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“The Arizona Board of Regents and Arizona’s universities are working to increase the number of
graduates in high-demand fields such as science, technology, math and engineering,” said Eileen I.
Klein, Arizona Board of Regents President. “These fields are increasingly important in a
knowledge-based economy, and students who graduate with STEM degrees will be equipped with
the knowledge to address issues facing our world while ensuring that Arizona meets workforce
demands now and in the future.”
According to ABOR, degrees awarded by Arizona Universities in high-demand fields including
STEM careers, health professions and other fields have shown significant growth in recent years
from 4 percent in the 2009-10 academic year to 47 percent in 2013-14. By the 2019-20 academic
year, ABOR expects Arizona to be at 100 percent in producing graduates to meet the needs of
high-demand fields.
The Arizona SciTech Festival was initiated to support quality education, a qualified workforce and
to identify projected needs for emerging and fast growing job sectors in Arizona’s economy.
For more about the Arizona SciTech Festival, visit: www.azscitech.com.
2015 Arizona SciTech Festival Sponsors:
FOUNDATIONAL PARTNERS: Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona Commerce Authority, Arizona
Science Center, Arizona State University, Arizona Technology Council Foundation, and The
University of Arizona
PRESENTING: Cox Communications
PLATINUM: Helios Education Foundation
GOLD: State Farm Insurance, Honeywell
SILVER: Yelp, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, IBM, Nextiva, Eight, Arizona PBS, ASML, iDS
Technology Marketing, Maricopa Community Colleges, The Arizona Renaissance Festival, SRP,
TRBF
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Arizona SciTech Festival Launches 2015 Celebration
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BRONZE: MJS Designs, Harkins Theatres, Intel, PADT, KJZZ, ASU Walton Sustainability Solutions
Initiatives, KTAR – Arizona Sports, Grand Canyon University, Arizona Parenting, Clarisoft
Arizona Attorney General, University of Advancing Technology, United Skates, AZ TECH BEAT, U.S.
AIR FORCE, Google
COPPER: Arizona Family College Savings Program-Bank Plan, Green Living Magazine,
EventInterface, Tonto Creek Camp, Sonoran Schools, BEAR Essential News for Kids, Carrington
College, Microsoft
KRYPTON: Phoenix Business Journal, Midwestern University, Arizona Virtual Academy, Biz in a
Boxx, Discover the Region Publications, PLTW
TITANIUM: Emerald Computers
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Arizona SciTech Festival Contact:
Jeremy Babendure, Executive Director, Arizona SciTech Festival
(480) 250-7764 or jeremyb@azcommerce.com
Media Contact:
Joseph Valdez, Arizona Commerce Authority
(602) 845-1234 or josephv@azcommerce.com
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 more than 800 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. Spearheaded by its Foundational
Partners the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona Commerce Authority, Arizona Science Center, Arizona State
University, Arizona Technology Council Foundation, and The University of Arizona, the Arizona SciTech
Festival is a grassroots collaboration of more than 500 organizations in industry, academia, arts, civic,
community and K-12 education. 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.