Fall 2O16 • aztechcouncil.org
IN THIS ISSUE 2 Head of the Class Leaders look to Arizona students for ways to shape the future
4 Eye On Success
New alliance formed with Arizona Optics Industry Association
5 Council Staff Recognized With Awards, Promotion 6 Two New Members Added to Council’s Board
WHO WE ARE The Arizona Technology Council is Arizona’s premier trade association for science and technology companies.
Phoenix Office 2800 N. Central Ave., Suite 1920 Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone: 602-343-8324 • Fax: 602-343-8330 info@aztechcouncil.org
Tucson Office
The University of Arizona Science and Technology Park 9040 S. Rita Rd., Ste. 1150 (near I-10 & Rita Rd.) Tucson, AZ 85747 Phone: 520-382-3281 • Fax: 520-382-3299 tucson@aztechcouncil.org
MANAGEMENT AND STAFF Steven G. Zylstra President + CEO
Leigh Goldstein COO + Vice President, Programs + Events
Anne Rody Director, Finance + Administration
Merry Lake Merrell Director, Marketing + Communication
Deborah Zack Senior Director,
Brian Krupski Director of Membership Services
Membership Services
Melissa Craven Executive Assistant to
Alex Rodriguez Vice President, Southern Arizona
Don Rodriguez Editor
President + CEO
Regional Office, Tucson
Ron Schott Executive Emeritus, Phoenix
Don Ruedy Executive Emeritus, Tucson
Justin Williams Executive Emeritus, Tucson
Jeremy Babendure, Executive Director, Ph.D. Arizona SciTech Festival
Arizona Technology Report
Arizona Technology Council: The Voice of the Technology Industry
President’s Message In my time, I’ve seen a variety technologies evolve from infancy to leaving lasting impacts that have profoundly changed our lives. Color televisions, transistor radios, DVRs, cell phones, computers, software — all moved at some point from “gee whiz” to “how did I even live without it?” And all have played roles in shaping what we have become as a society. In my role, I regularly get a chance to meet with member companies filled with innovators already working on the technologies that will have a hand in determining not only who we will be in the short term but in the years to come. One field that immediately comes to mind is the Internet of Things. In case that’s a new term to you, it is the field in which everyday objects use network connectivity to send and receive data. A refrigerator that tells you when it needs a refill is an example. What’s next? That’s already being worked on at Intel in Chandler, where the global giant’s Internet of Things Group is based. Many of our other members already are playing a part as well. That’s one reason we recently held the inaugural meeting of the Council’s Internet of Things Committee. They came together to share what they know and to hear what others are doing. We had representatives from companies such as Verizon and Insight, as well as Aspen Technologies, Zed Ventures, MultiWare, Bolste and Impress Labs. And since the Council is about making connections, a few actually came looking for new partners for their projects. You might someday be using something that got its start at a meeting. Also shaping the future — literally — is the field of additive manufacturing. You might know it as 3D printing. More specifically, this is the process of adding layer upon layer of material to make a product. Whether it’s a replacement part for airplane or a human, additive manufacturing is already proving its usefulness. Member companies such as Honeywell, Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies and Titan Industries are exploring the potential of this new field. Self-driving cars are getting closer to reality for us. Google already has been testing vehicles on the streets of Chandler and Ahwatukee, so it likely won’t be long before you leave the driving to your car. If you think about it, self-driving vehicles really are extensions of robotics. We have a whole generation that grew up competing in robotic competitions such as First Robotics, which has been supported by Microchip. Robotics, in turn, has been the entry point for artificial intelligence. Where is this headed? Consider the words of futurist Ray Kurzweil, author of the book The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology: “Artificial intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029. Follow that out further to, say, 2045, we will have multiplied the intelligence, the human biological machine intelligence of our civilization a billion-fold.” So if you’ve been impressed at progress so far in just your lifetime, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Steven G. Zylstra,
President and CEO, Arizona Technology Council
Susan Farretta Director of Educational
Initiatives, Arizona Technology Council Foundation
aztechcouncil.org
ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY REPORT
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