Racing the Sun

DUniversity of Arizona alumni entrepreneurs Dr. Ricardo Hernandez and John Jackson of Grafted Growers, LLC have been awarded a $100,000 Phase 1 USDA-SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant. With the award, they are working in collaboration with Dr. Chieri Kubota from the School of Plant Sciences and Dr. Murat Kacira from the Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering at the UA, as well as team members from the Arizona Center for Innovation (AzCI) and Tech Launch Arizona (TLA). Together, this multi-disciplanary team will commercialize novel crop-production strategies that got their start- and are continuing to develop- through UA research.

UA student entrepreneurs rise to the Innovative Minds Chellenge competing for funding, as well as business development support to transform their business ideas into reality. The Challenge culminated with UA student teams demonstrating their innovative ideas and commitment to commercialization during the 2015 Perkins Coie Innovative Minds Demo Day at AzCI. Congratulations to the top winner, Infinurja, an AzCI client.

Tech Parks Arizona will be host the Consul General of Israel, David Siegel, on April 29 at the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation. Seigel's talk will be part of a briefing on the Tech Parks Arizona Global Advantage business attraction program and its Israel initiative.

Summer break is right around the corner, and registration is now open for NASA rocketry and aeronautics youth camps hosted at the UA Tech Park. The camps are brought to you by the UA College of Engineering, the University of Arizona STEM Learning Center and the YMCA.

A new exhibit in on display as part of Art in the Park. Light Painters is a photogrphy exhibit by Sunnyside High School's students and represents three years of light mastery. The paint brush is a camera and pigment the light. These photographers push the limits of technique and creativity as Light Painters. The photographs cover art that crosses the 19th and 20th century and each was made with a philosophy, desgin and reflection using 21st century materials to discuss contemporary points of view.

To show appreciation for the hard work of its employyes and encourage building interaction, Tech Parks Arizona hosted a "meet your neighbor" luncheon for Building 9070. There was music, food and fun for all!

Angel Varela is a University of Arizona senior majoring in communications. Angel is helping Tech Parks Arizona expand its social media presence to target key influences. He is also a Marketing Student Fellow with Tech Launch Arizona.