Arizona Technology Council Foundation

In Arizona, there are over 1,300 schools serving low-income students as well as those living in poverty. While technical and educational opportunities have made significant advances in engaging these students in STEM, low-income people in the U.S. are still underrepresented in STEM professions, especially in science-related and other professional fields. Science For All, LLC (SFA) provides disadvantaged youth access to STEM resources and engagement opportunities, enabling them to gain first-hand knowledge and experience that is normally out of reach.

Through the CSO and other SciTech Institute programs, SFA is fostering development of diverse, high-tech talent through STEM events, career awareness and interest, mentorships, internships and other activities. These experiences enable youth to gain critical workforce employability skills and the experience necessary to help them become, not only STEM professionals but engaged citizens well into the future.

See more at https://scienceforallaz.org/

Chief Science Officers (CSOs) are 6–12th grade students, elected by their peers to serve as STEM leaders and ambassadors in their schools and communities. Launched with 138 CSOs in Arizona in 2015, the program has grown substantially with 854 CSOs from 10 states and four countries in 2019. The CSO program continues to grow nationally and internationally every year. A key goal of the program is to place youth squarely in the center of STEM awareness, promotion, experience, and community action. Chief Science Officers work hard to:
- Help their peers experience the fun and joy of STEM learning;
- Prepare themselves and others to be diverse STEM leaders through college, careers, and civic engagement;
- Enrich school STEM culture and career awareness;
- Foster the engagement of STEM professionals and community partners in K-12 education; and
- Amplify the student voice in STEM and workforce conversations locally, nationally and internationally.

In schools, CSOs advocate for and provide STEM experiences responsive to their peers’ interests. In the community, they serve as thought leaders and ambassadors, working with school boards, government, business and industry to promote STEM awareness and engagement. The program empowers youth to chart their own trajectory, provides opportunities for them to develop a STEM identity, and expands access to STEM education and opportunities for underserved, at-risk and underrepresented students. Leadership training prepares them not only for their roles, but for an ever-increasing global workforce. It builds confidence and provides the tools and knowledge youth need to become STEM professionals and champions in their local communities and beyond.

The annual Arizona SciTech Festival is a statewide celebration of STEM that aims to inform, engage, and inspire all Arizonans. Held January through April every year, the festival advances STEM awareness and highlights its economic importance by offering participants a variety of events and hands-on learning opportunities. These events and activities provide individuals of all ages the chance to experience STEM first-hand and see how it impacts their lives.

The Arizona SciTech Festival ranked as the third-largest science and technology festival in the nation from 2016 – 2019. In 2019, Arizona’s 900+ partners hosted more than 3,000 events in 80 communities showcasing STEM and innovation in Arizona. These events reached more than 560,000 people. Festivals are especially effective for engaging rural communities, as they leverage and promote local business, industry, education, civic and community organizations. Regional festivals enable these entities to highlight their STEM connections and provide residents with insights into the economic engines of their communities.

RAIN (Rural Activation and Innovation Network)

RAIN helps STEM gain traction in rural regions of Arizona through STEM engagement. RAIN supports rural STEM festival events, community projects and educational opportunities. In partnership with Arizona State University, the Arizona Science Center and the Lifelong Learning Group of COSI, RAIN creates a bridge between STEM leaders and four rural communities to strengthen the pipeline between these students’ education and pursuit of future jobs in STEM.

SciTech Institute has also inspired and supported collaborators beyond Arizona. For instance, collaborators teamed up with the state of Sonora, Mexico to launch a statewide Sonora SciTech Festival. These efforts have inspired additional efforts in Bogota, Columbia as well.

The Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Coalition (AAMC) strengthens Arizona’s advanced manufacturing (AM) workforce pathways by engaging stakeholders, including but not limited to K-12, community college and university education institutions; civic and community organizations; workforce and economic development groups; and AM industry businesses, to promote awareness and benefits of AM careers.

Mission
To provide opportunities for the advanced manufacturing industry to connect with students, inspire their natural curiosity and fuel their passion for STEM by introducing them to STEM career opportunities available in advanced manufacturing.

Goals
Create a pipeline of tomorrow’s Arizona advanced manufacturing professionals.
Foster communication and collaboration within the advanced manufacturing community.
Enrich school STEM culture and career awareness.
Raise public awareness of STEM career pathways in advanced manufacturing.

The Arizona middle and high school Science Bowls, a SciTech Festival signature event, are statewide Jeopardy-style competitions focused on STEM topics. The events are open to all Arizona and Nevada middle and high school teams and are held at the Arizona State University (ASU) west campus in partnership with ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and the School of Mathematical and Natural Science.

The competitions draw over 32 teams of four to five students, reaching over 320 students each year. The Science Bowl is nationally facilitated by the U.S. Department of Energy with regional winners going on to compete at the national event in Washington, D.C.

Arizona Science Bowl events reach thousands of students, successfully promoted excellence in STEM education, and furthered the development of a world-class workforce. Thank you to our primary sponsor of these events, Solugenix. The 2020 Arizona Middle School Science Bowl Winner was BASIS Peoria. The High School Winner was BASIS Chandler.

The National Counting Bee™ is an annual, fast-paced and exciting competition in which contestants are asked to calculate a broad selection of skip-counting patterns with a varying degree of difficulty. It is open for K-12 students at all public, private, charter and home schools. The top 10 students from each age group and category then compete. The launch of the National Counting Bee competition is scheduled for November 2020.

Created by Scott Flansburg, “The Human Calculator®” (a nickname given to him by Regis Philbin), the program’s mission is to help students improve basic arithmetic skills and promote numeracy. Contestants compete against others in their age group or category to progress to the next level. During each round, contestants list as many multiples of a random starting number by the level they are competing in within 15 seconds. A minimum of seven correct answers are needed to advance. Scoring is calculated by subtracting the starting number from the last correct answer calculated. For example, the contestant starts at 4 and counts by 3 (starting level). The last correct answer within the 15 seconds is 34. Therefore 34 – 4 = 30 points. The cumulative total of all level scores is the contestant’s final score.