THE
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY ISSUE
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Breaking Through Fighting The Good Fight Big Plans on Campus A Matter of Trust
FALL 2017
PUBLISHERS Sandra Watson Steven G. Zylstra
EDITOR
Don Rodriguez
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+ COVER
BREAKING THROUGH
EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Susan E. Marie
ART DIRECTOR
Companies reset boundaries with disruptive technologies
Erin Loukili Lucky You! Creative
www.luckyyoucreative.com
DESIGNER
Jaclyn Threadgill
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kerry Bennett Douglas Hockstad Rose Serago Steve Yozwiak
E-MAIL techconnect@aztechcouncil.org For queries or customer service call 602-343-8324 TechConnect is published by the Arizona Technology Council, 2800 N. Central Ave. #1530, Phoenix, AZ 85004.
Entire contents copyright 2017, Arizona Technology Council. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these page pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. Publication of TechConnect is supported by the Arizona Commerce Authority.
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FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT UA researchers keep bad guys at bay.
BIG PLANS ON CAMPUS
Midwestern University launches Nanomedicine Center.
ARIZONA COMMERCE AUTHORITY
Agency’s new 5-year plan focuses on ‘Next-Gen Tech Trends.’
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04, 013 Publisher’s Letter 016 Arizona State University 017 The University of Arizona 018 Northern Arizona University 019 TGen
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Disruptive Discoveries t
here was a time that if your actions in class were considered disruptive, you likely would have your teacher asking, “Why did you do it?’ (Unfortunately, I was one of thoise kids.) Now, if your actions in the workplace or lab are considered disruptive, the boss could be asking, “How did you do it—and can you do it again?” While a child can shake up the order of things in a classroom, a researcher can shake up an entire sector with an innovation that introduces a new way to get something done or gives birth to an entirely new industry. “Disruptive technologies” is the term we use to describes those innovations that can usher in a new era. For example, we now are always just this close to a phone call no matter where we are. We can instantly access seemingly endless digital files without their clogging up the memory of our computer. And we even can get those files without a computer but rather the device with which we make those calls. Readers of TechConnect already have been introduced to some of these disruptive technologies as they were featured themes of recent issues. Our summer issue focused on the Internet of Things while the spring edition had the theme of Additive Manufacturing, or 3D printing as it is known. But we really were just scratching the surface. In this issue, you’ll meet some of the other players—some well-established, some on their way—who are making their mark with disruptive technologies in Arizona. You’ll hear from representatives from Waymo and Intel as they share updates on their findings
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STEVEN G. ZYLSTRA
so far as they use Arizona’s roads in their trials leading to the introduction of autonomous vehicles into our society. You might be surprised that their focus is on more than just the machine. One of our stories reviews the successes that First Solar and Tucson Electronic Power have had with renewable energy and energy storage, respectively. Each has turned to new technologies to meet the needs locally and globally. We go behind the scenes at Arizona’s universities to see what’s next. If you fly, are concerned about security, are intrigued by the potential of nanomedicine or just wonder how we all can become more carbon negative, you will be interested just how disruptive these researchers can be when looking for new solutions. (And, yes, they are showing that their results can be repeated.) You’ll also meet the team leading a fairly new company that has jumped into the deep end of the tech pool by offering services in three disruptive services: mobile Internet, cloud computing and Internet of Things. Even the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), our partner for TechConnect, is updating its own pillars to help sharpen its own focus on disruptive technologies. I encourage to read the details as explained by my co-publisher, Sandra Watson, the ACA's president and CEO. Of course, there is much more. As you read, you’ll discover Arizona is leading the way when it comes to shaking things up. STEVEN G. ZYLSTRA is president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council and Arizona Technology Council Foundation..
Close+up: Focusing on Significant Topics Affecting Technology
BREAKING THROUGH Tempe firm part of movement to shatter limits of past tech
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t’s all in the name. Or is it? When it comes to determining what, exactly, the term “disruptive technologies” means, you wouldn’t be too far off by guessing “innovations that shake things up.” But you would need to add to that their impact on productivity, society and the economy. In short, disruptors are the change agents— the types of technologies that should alter our lives for some time to come. It was spring 2013 when the McKinsey Global Institute released the report “Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy.” McKinsey identified those technologies expected to have massive, economically disruptive impact by 2025. They have their differences but all share four characteristics: a high rate of change, a broad potential scope of impact, large economic value that could be affected and a substantial potential for disruptive economic impact. In particular, the McKinsey study identified “12 potentially economically disruptive technologies” to keep an eye on, including autonomous and near-autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and
renewable energy. Arizona has been a hotbed in those areas as companies and institutions—such as Waymo’s driverless cars, Arizona State University’s additive manufacturing center (largest in the Southwest) and First Solar’s photovoltaic solutions—have lately captured high-profile headlines with their work. There are other companies making their mark, albeit at times a little more quietly. One such example is Hathority, LLC, which is actually involved in three other technologies identified by McKinsey: mobile Internet, cloud technology and the Internet of Things (IoT). When you think about it, disruptive technologies aren’t all that new, says Rhonda Steele, the Tempe-based company’s business development director. It’s more the name “IoT” is new, and the proliferation of devices (“things”) that accompany IoT technologies. “It’s just that an enormous amount of data is being collected on a lot of devices these days, and that can make it difficult to work with. Hathority does integration and development, which means we work hard to make technology and data exchange transparent—to get ‘techFALL 2017 AZTECHCONNECT.COM
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“Our goal and our work na Institute of Digital nology’ out of the way so people find and use the has always been to connect Progress’s (AZIDP’s) data and information City of Phoenix Cisco people with each other as they need efficiently IoT Challenge. The open within specific use con- opposed to replacing people competition focused on texts. Basically, we strive developing solutions with technology." to use technology in for the City of Phoenix ways connect people to Public Works Depart- Philip Bernick, people again,” she says ment’s handling of solid a founding principal of Hathority of Hathority’s mission. waste and recycling. The omnipresence of Among the city’s stated technology often brings goals were increasing trepidation. “Things are changing fast; they recycling, decreasing rework and educating have actually been changing for a while, but residents—engaging parents and children by any 'technology disruption' is change,” Steele turning collection into a game of sorts—to says, “and people generally don’t like change—it support Phoenix Public Works’ strategic goal tends to make them uncomfortable. And most to “reimagine Phoenix.” people need help with change.” Hathority’s winning solution was designed That’s where Hathority comes in. “We like to meet the constraints of the AZIDP Cisco IoT to tackle problems that others find particularChallenge competition, as well as the articulatly daunting and challenging in ways that are ed needs and preferences of the Department of creative,” says Philip Bernick, one of Hathority’s Public Works. Using technology and devices two founding principals. already owned by the city to connect customers Like any company with a unique approach with the Public Works Department, Hathority through a new product or service, marketing can created an IoT platform that can connect truck present a challenge. “One complicating factor sensors and other data in real time to help in marketing Hathority’s services and skills as customers know, through text and email notifiproblem-solvers is that we’re often working uncations, when and where to place their bins. The der NDAs (non-disclosure agreements),” Steele platform can accommodate high-volume data says, or as subcontractors for someone else. (images, text and video) and support improved “For instance, we’ve got three really exciting tracking and compliance. The bottom line, integration and development projects going on though, is that Public Works is increasingly right now but we can’t talk about them (as speconnected to their customers. As Phoenix famcific-use cases) because we are working under ilies learn about refuse and recycling, and their signed NDAs.” She did share that past Hathority pickup schedule, supervisors get a better handle clients include online schools, banking entities on managing resources and drivers gain helpful and the healthcare industry. information about their routes. Adding to that, Hathority’s celebrations of For a relatively new company accustomed to successful projects tend to be a lot quieter than conducting its projects on the QT, Hathority’s most. “Our biggest challenge is probably that decision to engage in public competitions and the kind of work we do well is actually invisible,” hackathons to share innovative ideas in front of she says. “When technology works really well, competitors was a gamble. “It was a huge worry nobody needs to pay any attention to it.” and we decided that because we needed the Hathority attracted perhaps the most visibility to go ahead and take the risk. So we attention to date in April, when the company went in with our eyes open, still hoping for the was named Grand Champion of the Arizobest and thinking, ‘Well, we have a solution that 06
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would be good for the city,’” Steele says. “And as anticipated, presenting it actually has created some additional challenges for us because competitors have since actually taken on and are running with some of our ideas,” Regardless, Hathority continues to move forward. “We want to build technology that helps people accomplish their goals,” Bernick says. “And more and more, accomplishing goals means acquiring data points from numerous sensor devices, numerous databases, numerous systems, in order to make sense of it and accomplish some goal.” He’s quick to point out that the technology is really just the means to an end. “Our goal and our work has always been to connect people with each other as opposed to replacing people with technology,” Bernick says. “Fundamentally, it’s (our business model) about connecting people.” Connecting is also important among members of the Hathority team. “We share an ethos and that’s what, hopefully, we’re reproducing in our company,” he says. To share knowledge among teams whose sizes vary based on the project, Hathority maintains a Center of Excellence as part of its training program, explains the quietest founding partner, Vishwam Annam. This is especially important since team members come into projects with different backgrounds. “With Hathority, we help them get any certifications they need to do the work,” he says. While some resources work remotely from beyond Arizona, depending on the project, “we’ve found there are remarkably interested, curious, self-taught and experienced talent resources here,” Steele adds. If McKinsey says economic impact is a trait of a disruptive technology, expect Hathority to play its part beyond serving its client base. Bernick says the company recently qualified as a participating business in the Angel Investment Tax Credit Program managed by the Arizona Commerce Authority. “It’s one of those symbols that yes, indeed, we are growing and we’re here to make a difference,” Steele says.
we we describe describe in in Exhibit E3 Exhibit E3 below. below. These These numbers numbers are are not not exhaust exhaus we describe in Exhibit E3 below. These numbers are not exhaus indicative and do not represent all possible applications or poten we describe in Exhibit E3 below. These numbers are not exhaust indicative and do not represent all possible applications or poten we describe in Exhibit E3 below. These numbers are not exhaus indicative and do not represent all possible applications or poten indicative and do not represent all possible applications or poten indicative and do not represent all possible applications or poten each technology. indicative and do not represent all possible applications or poten each technology. indicative and do not represent all possible applications or poten each technology. each technology. each technology. each technology. Exhibit E1 Close+up Exhibit E1 Exhibit E1 Exhibit E1 Twelve potentially economically disruptive technologies Exhibit E1 Twelve potentially economically disruptive technologies Exhibit E1 Twelve economically Twelve potentially potentially economically disruptive disruptive technologies technologies Twelve potentially economically disruptive technologies Twelve potentially economically disruptive technologies Twelve potentially economically disruptive technologies Increasingly inexpensive Mobile Internet Mobile Internet Mobile Mobile Internet Mobile Internetand capable mobile Mobile Internet Internet Mobile Internet computing devices and Mobile Internet Internet connectivity
Increasingly inexpen Increasingly inexpen Increasingly inexpen Increasingly inexpen Increasingly inexpen mobile computing de Increasingly inexpen mobile computing de mobile computing de mobile computing de Increasingly inexpen mobile computing de connectivity mobile computing de connectivity connectivity connectivity mobile computing de connectivity Intelligent software connectivity systems that can perform Intelligent software s Automation of knowledge Automation of knowledge Intelligent software s Automation of knowledge Intelligent software knowledge work tasks Intelligent Automation of of Automation software Automation of knowledge knowledge Intelligent software ssssw work perform knowledge Automation of knowledge Intelligent software work perform knowledge w Automation of knowledge Intelligent software s work perform knowledge w knowledge work involving unstructured perform work w work perform knowledge knowledge w Automation of knowledge Intelligent software sw work perform knowledge unstructured comma work perform knowledge w unstructured comma commands and subtle unstructured comma unstructured comma work perform knowledge unstructured commaw judgments unstructured judgments comma judgments judgments judgments unstructured comma judgments The Internet of Things Networks of low-cos Networks of low-cost judgments The Internet of Things Networks of low-cos The Things Networks The Internet of Things Networks of low-cos actuators for data co The Internet Internet of ofsensors Things Networks of of low-cost low-cos and actuators for actuators for data co TheThe Internet of Things Networks of low-cost actuators for data co Internet ofdata actuators for data co actuators for data co decision making, and The Internet Things Networks of low-cos actuators for data co collection, monitoring, decision making, and actuators for data co decision making, and of Things decision making, making, and actuators for dataand co decision making, and optimization decision making, and decision decision making, and optimization optimization decision making, and optimization process optimization optimization optimization optimization Use of computer hardware Cloud technology Use of computer har Cloud technology Use of computer har Cloud technology Use of computer har Cloud hard Cloud technology technology Use of of computer computer har and software resources Use Cloud technology Use of computer har resources delivered Cloud technology Use of computer hard resources delivered resources delivered o Cloud technology delivered over a network resources delivered Cloud technology UseInternet, of computer har resources delivered the often as delivered the Internet, Internet, often as aso or the Internet, often as resources the often the Internet, often as resources delivered the Internet, often as a service the Internet, often as Advanced robotics Increasingly capable Advanced robotics Increasingly capable Increasingly capable robots Advanced Increasingly capable Advanced robotics Increasingly capable enhanced senses, senses, d Advanced robotics robotics Increasingly capable enhanced d Advanced robotics capable enhanced senses, d with enhanced senses, Increasingly enhanced senses, de intelligence used to enhanced senses, da Advanced robotics Increasinglyused capable intelligence to a senses, de intelligence used to a Advanced robotics dexterity, and intelligenceenhanced intelligence used to intelligence used to a augment humans enhanced senses, da intelligence used to a augment humans intelligence used to a augment humans used to automate tasks oraugment augment humans humans intelligence used to a augment humans augment humans augment humans augment humans Vehicles that can navigateVehicles Autonomous and Vehicles that that can can na na Autonomous and and Autonomous Autonomous and Vehicles that that can can nav na Autonomous near-autonomous and and operate with reducedVehicles near-autonomous vehicles with reduced Autonomous and Vehicles that or canno nah near-autonomous vehicles with reduced or no h Autonomous and Vehicles that can nav near-autonomous vehicles with reduced or no h vehicles near-autonomous no hu near-autonomous vehicles with reduced reduced or nona h or no vehicles human interventionwith Autonomous and Vehicles that or can near-autonomous vehicles with reduced or no h near-autonomous vehicles with reduced or no hu near-autonomous vehicles with reduced or no h Fast, low-cost gene Next-generation genomics Fast, low-cost gene Next-generation genomics Fast, low-cost gene sequencing, advanced big Next-generation Next-generation genomics Fast, low-cost gene Next-generation genomics low-cost gene s Next-generation genomics Fast, Fast, low-cost genea advanced big data Next-generation genomics Fast, low-cost gene genomics advanced big data a data analytics, and synthetic Next-generation genomics Fast, low-cost gene s advanced big data a advanced big data an advanced big data a Next-generation genomics Fast, low-cost gene advanced big data a synthetic biology (“w biology (“writing” DNA) advanced big data an synthetic biology (“w synthetic (“wr synthetic biology (“w advancedbiology big data a synthetic biology (“w biology (“wr Devices or systems that synthetic synthetic biology (“w Energy storage or systems Energy storage store energy for later use, Devices Energy storage Devices or systems Energy Devices t Energy storage Devices or systems for later later or use, includin Energy storage storageincluding batteries Devices or systems systems for use, includin Energy storage Devices or systems t for later use, includin for later use, includin for later use, includin Energy storage Devices or systems Additive manufacturing for later use, includin for later use, includin 3D printing printing techniques to create Additive manufacturi 3D 3D printing Additive manufacturin manufacturi 3D create objects by pri 3D printing printing Additive manufacturi 3D printing objects by printing layersAdditive create objects by pri 3D printing Additive manufacturin create objects by pri create by prin create objects objects by pri of material based on digital 3D printing Additive manufacturi create objects by pri material based on di create objects by prin material based on di material based on dig materialobjects basedby onpri di models create material based on di material based on dig material based on Materials designed to haveMaterials designeddit Advanced materials Advanced materials materials Materials designed designed to t superior characteristics Materials Advanced Advanced materials Materials designed characteristics (e.g.,tt Advanced materials Materials designed characteristics (e.g., Advanced materials Materials designed to characteristics (e.g., Advanced materials (e.g., strength, weight, characteristics (e.g., characteristics (e.g., conductivity) or(e.g., funct Advanced materials Materials designed characteristics conductivity) or func characteristics conductivity) or or(e.g., func conductivity) or conductivity) funct conductivity) or(e.g., func characteristics conductivity) or funct functionality conductivity) or func Advanced oil and gas Exploration and reco Exploration Advanced oil oil and and gas and Exploration and and reco reco Advanced gas Exploration exploration and recovery that make extraction Advanced oil and gas Exploration and reco recovery techniques exploration and recovery that make extraction Advanced oil and Advanced oiland andrecovery gas Exploration and reco exploration that make extraction exploration and recovery that make extraction exploration and recovery that make extraction oil and gas economi Advanced oil and gas Exploration and reco exploration and recovery that make extraction gas explorationandthat make extraction of that oil and gas economi exploration recovery make extraction oil and gas economi gas economic oil and and gasextraction economi and recovery andunconventional exploration recoveryoil and gasoil that make oil and gas economi oil and gas economic oil and gas economi economical Renewable energy of electri Generation of electricity Generation Renewable energy Generation of electri Renewable Generation of electric Renewable energy Generation of electri sources with reduce Renewable energy energy Generation of electri sources with reduce from renewable sources Generation Renewable energy of electric sources with reduce Renewable energy sources with reduced impact sources with reduce Renewable energy Generation of electri impact with reduced harmful sources reduced impact impact impact with sources with reduce impact climate impact impact impact SOURCE: MCKINSEY GLOBAL INSTITUTE ANALYSIS SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis
SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis SOURCE: SOURCE: McKinsey McKinseyGlobal GlobalInstitute Instituteanalysis analysis SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute FALLanalysis 2017 AZTECHCONNECT.COM SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis
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FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT Bad guys can’t hide from UA Artificial Intelligence Lab
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he day’s events capped by the fall of the World Trade Center signaled an introduction to the dark side for Hsinchun Chen. “I didn’t imagine the world could become so nasty, become so volatile after Sept. 11, 2001,” he recalls. “Then all bets were off.” But like an old time western, the actions of the outlaws signaled the rise of the men in white. In this case, the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management has become the stronghold for good. As founding director of the lab, Chen and his researchers have turned to data mining as their weapon of choice. The Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, or AI lab, actually was born a year after Chen’s arrival at the university in 1989. By chance, a year before 9/11 occurred Chen began leading a research project that came to be known as COPLINK. The crime intelligence application began with data from Arizona and California police, and early on was adopted by more than 7,000 different police agencies and almost all NATO countries, he says. When the system used to connect the dots of crime data became commercialized, Chen as founder ran the company for five years before hiring a manager to take over those duties. IBM Government Solutions ultimately bought the system in 2011 for $500 million. “It was probably one of the top three commercialization success stories at The University of Arizona,” Chen says.
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Hsinchun Chen
COPLINK was one of more than a half-dozen companies Chen founded over the past two decades after starting them as research to extract intelligence from raw data. Various projects include such timely endeavors as tracking Isis members on social media and getting on the trail of hackers around the world, and often with support from government agency grants. “The Web has been used for more than 20 years now by the good guys,” he says. “Now it is heavily used by the bad guys.” He explored the topic in his book “Dark Web: Exploring and Data Mining the Dark Side of the Web” published in 2011. And sometimes the AI lab finds solutions for issues closer to home. For example, Chen has done research to help develop mobile devices that detect the risk of senior citizens’ falling based on data collected from their everyday lives. Helping are the students whose first challenge is getting accepted into the lab. Of the 100 doctoral students who made the cut, only a third have celebrated graduation day, with some becoming professors and top researchers in the AI field. Even those who don’t graduate still have found consolation working in research labs for companies such as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo.
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BIG PLANS ON CAMPUS Midwestern University names Arizona its base for Nanomedicine Center
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he tiniest thing at times can lead to something really big. That’s the case for the Nanomedicine Center of Excellence in Translational Cancer Research at Midwestern University in Glendale. The birth of the center started with common ground shared by Drs. Volkmar Weissig and Tamer Elbayoumi: The colleagues at the College of Pharmacy have been working in the area of nanomedicine, specifically in nano drug delivery systems. “I thought well, why shouldn’t we really put our efforts together and be more successful?” Weissig recalls. For anyone who thinks “center” means a new, high-rise structure, that’s not quite what they had in mind. “A center hardly means it’s a building,” Weissig says. “It’s a unification, a combination of different laboratories that are working together to achieve a common goal while working together in a common area.” With that mindset, they thought of ways to tap into the multidisciplinary talents of researchers at the university’s two campuses in Arizona and Downers Grove, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago. The university has 11 colleges in areas that include osteopathic medicine, dental medicine, optometry, health sciences, and veterinary medicine. Before following through on their idea, Weissig and Elbayoumi were named by university President Kathleen Goeppinger to serve as the center’s co-directors to begin a trial period in early 2016. They wasted no time in getting others involved. With assistance from Dr. Medha Joshi of the Chicago College of Pharmacy on the sister campus in Illinois, Elbayoumi says they began seeking those people on the campuses who work on similar projects, especially in cancer and nanomedicine. For example, one of those
founding members/principal investigators of the center is Dr. Richard Averitte Jr., a Scottsdale dermatologist who also is a Midwestern University preceptor. Elbayoumi says a team of Averitte’s Affiliated Dermatology residents already is working on treatments for patients with melanoma tumors. Specifically, the goals of the center include: • Advancing the knowledge and application of the next generation of personalized and targeted cancer medicines. • Enhancing scholarly activity and research to support the education of future healthcare team professionals. • Solidifying productive collaboration of interdisciplinary teams of faculty to actively compete for and attract extramural grant funding. • Coordinating Midwestern pre-clinical research training programs. • Establishing collaborative partnerships with regional pharmaceutical industry players and lead clinical practices. Besides delivering new hope for patients— both humans and animals—operations at the center will benefit Midwestern students because they will be directly involved in doing the work. “It’s not part of our normal curriculum,” Weissig says, “so this makes our work on this all the more attractive to new potential (university) applicants.” Since the teams will be doing active research, this usually results in development of intellectual property and related patents, he says. The center also is actively seeking collaborators from beyond the center, which recently was granted permanent status by Goeppinger. “We increase our visibility and by doing so, it expands our presence and allows us to reach other players in the field,” Weissig says. FALL 2017 AZTECHCONNECT.COM
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A MATTER OF TRUST Riders take emotional journey to get comfortable with driverless cars BY JACK WEAST
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e are really close to perfecting the technology for self-driving cars. But our driverless future won’t go anywhere if people don’t trust it. It’s one thing for our autonomous test cars operating in cities such as Chandler to take us for a drive with a safety driver behind the wheel. But soon there won’t be anyone in that seat. When will you be ready to get in? The promise of autonomous vehicle technology is tantalizing to say the least. Some experts predict that we can save millions of lives and grant mobility to all just by removing humans from the driver’s seat. But the difference between theory and practice comes down to this: People are downright scared of robot cars. In fact, a recent AAA study found 75 percent of Americans are afraid to ride in self-driving cars. The good news is this is a solvable problem. At Intel, we believe we can overcome consumer apprehension by creating an interactive experience between car and rider that is informative, helpful, and comfortable. In a word: trustworthy. Our user experience research team showed this potential in a recent trust interaction study with autonomous car passengers. This limited, qualitative study was conducted with consumers who had no previous exposure to
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driverless cars other than those they had seen in their city. They were invited to take a ride in a driverless test car in exchange for their feedback about the experience. Five trust interactions were prototyped and evaluated: requesting a vehicle, starting a trip, making changes to the trip, handling errors and emergencies, and pulling over and exiting. The focus was on trusting the machine and understanding the human-to-machine interfaces (displays, touch screens, vocal cues and more) that provide the means for passengers to interact with their driverless cars. Although limited in scope, the results were unanimous. Every single participant experienced a huge leap in their confidence level after their journey. Even those who came in apprehensive about self-driving cars acknowledged that autonomous vehicles are a safer mode of transportation and felt excited about the growth of this market. While much was learned in this study, it is only the beginning. Our research identified seven areas of tension – or contradictory perspectives – that warrant further exploration: HUMAN VS. MACHINE JUDGMENT – Participants were concerned about the absence of human judgment in a driverless car for handling
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nuanced situations like jaywalkers or other drivers cutting ahead of the autonomous car. Yet they also expressed the belief that self-driving vehicles will be safer because they eliminate human error and will be more decisive than humans who are prone to second-guessing. PERSONALIZED SPACE VS. LACK OF ASSISTANCE – The idea of having free time while riding in a self-driving vehicle inspired many to imagine how they might use their ride time while a few others were apprehensive about lack of interaction with a human driver. Parents liked the idea of transporting unaccompanied minors without a stranger/driver present in the vehicle. However, participants were also concerned about the lack of accountability when there is no driver. AWARENESS VS. TOO MUCH INFORMATION – Most participants anticipated a learning curve to get comfortable with the autonomous driving system. But once confidence in the system sets in, they felt some of the alerts and communications might become bothersome and intrusive. While safety reminders and contextual information will be handy, they also did not want to be distracted by too much information. GIVING UP CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE VS. GAINING NEW CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE – For some, riding in the back seat where there were no vehicle controls was an uneasy feeling. Even the autonomous movement of the steering wheel caused some anxiety. Participants discussed the benefits of removing these legacy design cues to alleviate the nervousness. They also valued new control experiences: the ability to summon a vehicle and unlock/open it using a mobile device, reduced stress from not having to drive, and perceived safety from having more “eyes” on the road. HOW IT WORKS VS. PROOF IT WORKS – Understanding how the technology functions and its full capabilities was paramount to participants. At the same time, seeing and experiencing the vehicle as it sensed and responded to what was
happening around them – proving it works – helped them gain confidence, highlighting the importance of transparent HMI systems. TELL ME VS. LISTEN TO ME – While participants were comforted by the car’s human “voice,” many wondered if they could use their own voice to communicate with the car. Being able to converse and exchange information as they would with a driver was seen as an advantage, especially if needing to make a detour or change destination. RULE-FOLLOWING MACHINES VS. HUMAN INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES – While safety was the No. 1 factor for trust among participants, there were nuances in their interpretation of safety. Some participants acknowledged that their behavior as a driver was not always safe or by the book. They talked about speeding on empty roads, eating while driving and not stopping when required. Participants acknowledged that the struggle between letting go of those behaviors and accepting new ones based on system control was a challenge they must adapt to. Intel plans to continue user experience research in these areas and will use our discoveries to help the industry deliver a trustworthy driverless car experience when the first autonomous cars start rolling down the highway. Our autonomous future depends on it. JACK WEAST is a senior principal engineer and the chief systems architect for Intel’s Autonomous Driving Group.
Riders experienced the autonomous test drives during the study this summer at Intel’s autonomous test facility in Chandler. INTEL CORPORATION
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POWER MOVES Company, utility are shining examples of options for energy A First Solar fixed-tilt photovoltaic plant
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power outage or brownout in the summer. Residents of Arizona and beyond shudder at the thought. The entire state counts on the power grid to continue humming along so things stay cool, no matter how far the temperature ventures into triple digits. And now with the influx of charging stations as more electric vehicles hit the road, it’s become even more important that there be no gaps in the grid. Arizona companies are creating and tapping into disruptive technologies to handle the load. Whether it’s renewable energy or storage systems, there are solutions to keep full outages and brownouts at bay. Tempe-based First Solar has turned to the sun to make headway. It has grown into a global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions with over 17 gigawatts installed in more than 35 countries, CEO Mark Widmar cited in the company’s Sustainability Report for 2017. First Solar develops, designs, constructs and sells power plants that primarily use the solar modules it makes These efforts are getting noticed. In 2016, First Solar was named to Fortune magazine’s Change the World list as it ranked No. 10 among 50 global companies taking on society’s biggest problems and doing well by doing good. A year earlier, Solar Power World ranked it No. 1 among Top 500 solar contractors/top developers. The company designs, manufactures and sells PV solar modules featuring an advanced thin film semiconductor that is approximately 3 percent the thickness of a human hair strand. Grabbing attention is First Solar’s new Series 6 module technology, which delivers the highest power output for large-scale solar projects—up to 8% more energy per watt installed than conventional silicon modules in many climates. In addition, a
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fully integrated manufacturing process requires less energy, water and semiconductor material than conventional crystalline silicon. As the global project count for First Solar shows, renewable energy sources such as solar are increasingly being adopted. To meet energy needs to handle peak loads while not having to resort to infrastructure expansion, some utilities are looking for assistance from advanced battery storage systems. Southern Arizona’s Tucson Electric Power (TEP) is already making such a move. TEP recently completed energy storage projects designed to help manage the local electric grid. Early in 2017, the utility completed a 10-megawatt lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt energy storage system at one of its substations near Interstate 10 and West Grant Road. The system was designed to help maintain reliable service during periods of high energy demand by supporting stable voltage. Completed in the spring was a 10-megawatt lithium titanate oxide storage facility and an accompanying 2-megawatt solar array at the UA Tech Park southeast of Tucson. Later, a 1-megawatt lithium ion energy storage system was under construction at TEP’s Prairie Fire Solar Array and a 5-megawatt system planned near Interstate 10 and East Valencia Road. They will be used to study how efficient use of battery energy storage systems can improve electric reliability in Arizona’s extreme summer climate. Looking to the future, TEP also has tapped into researchers and scientists in the UA Renewable Energy Network, DESCRIBE. Together, they will work to test solar panels, forecast weather, experiment with different solar technologies and develop batteries for storing energy.
Publisher's Letter
Right Time for BIG Ideas a
rizona has always been a place that encourages big thinking and bold action. Our state is home to leading innovators— large and small—that are disrupting the marketplace with new technologies and advancements that make our lives better. As a result of Gov. Doug Ducey’s commitment to embracing and encouraging new ideas and new business models, business leaders are increasingly looking to Arizona as the ideal place to test, launch, scale and succeed. The theme for this edition of TechConnect, “Disruptive Technology,” couldn’t be more timely for us at the Arizona Commerce Authority. In September, we publicly launched our next fiveyear business plan. This new plan, titled “Leveraging Next-Gen Trends to Grow Arizona’s Economy,” not only continues our focus on developing key targeted industries, it broadens our efforts to include 10 next-gen tech trends that are transforming industries and creating new ones: • Autonomous Vehicles • Internet of Things • Renewable Energy • Education Technology • Fresh Water Science • Agricultural Technology • Personalized Medicine • Telemedicine • Smart Materials • Nanosatellite Each of these emerging technology trends are areas in which our state has a strategic advantage. They provide an opportunity for Arizona to extend our reach beyond our own borders and become known worldwide as the best place for
BIG ideas—Business, Innovation and Growth. Our existing strengths in established industries—including aerospace and defense, bioscience and health care, business and financial services, manufacturing, and technology and innovation—provide a firm foundation for success. In addition, our public universities have more than 400 experts conducting research and have produced more than 3,000 publications in these 10 trend areas. As you’ll read in these pages, our innovators are already leading in areas such as precision medicine, where we have a confluence of resources and researchers tackling advanced genomics, early stage cancer detection and neuroscience exploration. And of course, we are one of the most robust test sites in the world for autonomous vehicles. In fact, the headline of a New York Times article published Nov. 11 called Arizona the place “Where Self-Driving Cars Go to Learn.” In the same week, Waymo announced it launched its first fleet of vehicles without human drivers in Chandler. It seems that every day there is a new innovation in this sector, which will change the way we move people, cargo and supplies on the ground and through the air. As the state’s leading economic development agency, we will work closely with our partners in the private sector and academia to continually evaluate our capabilities and work together to become a hub for new and emerging industries. Our BIG idea: Arizona can—and will—play a leading role in solving future global challenges. SANDRA WATSON is president and CEO of the Arizona
Commerce Authority.
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n late 2015, the cost to sequence an entire human genome had fallen to less than $1,500 on average. Today, a self-driving car without a human pilot can take you from place to place. By 2020, over 30 billion devices will be connected around the world. The transformation occurring in today’s marketplace is unprecedented in speed, scale and complexity. As this pace of innovation continues to accelerate, Arizona is perfectly positioned to leverage the incredible opportunities this rapid disruption presents. New technologies are already playing a prominent role in shaping our future and in delivering advancements that will propel our economy and better our lives. In September, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) launched its next five-year business plan following a vote of approval from its board of directors, which is chaired by Gov. Doug Ducey. The plan places a strong focus on 10 “NextGen Tech Trends”—areas in which Arizona has existing strengths, strategic advantages or opportunities that it will leverage to establish a leadership position and play a role in solving global challenges. “Arizona has a legacy of encouraging bold ideas and embracing new solutions,” says Sandra Watson, ACA president and CEO. “We recognize the incredible opportunities that lie ahead of us as a result of this transformation in our economy,
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and we are perfectly positioned to capitalize on them to advance our state as a global leader in innovation.” As a result of Gov. Ducey’s commitment to keeping government out of the way of business innovation and growth, Arizona already has a reputation as a free-market frontier and is one of the fastest-growing technology and entrepreneurial hubs in the country. The state has become internationally recognized as the best place to test, launch and scale new ideas and business models. This digital-age ascent has been bolstered by Arizona’s tried and true value proposition: a place with top talent, pro-business policies, a strategic geographic location, reliable infrastructure and affordable costs. Though the ACA is laser-focused on all 10 next-gen trends, here are two that already have propelled Arizona to a global leadership position.
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Just as Henry Ford revolutionized auto manufacturing in the 20th century, Arizona has developed the blueprint for autonomous vehicle testing in the 21st century. Arizona was one of the first states to welcome self-driving vehicles. In 2015, Gov. Ducey issued an executive order instructing all state agencies to “undertake any necessary steps to support the testing and operation of self-driving vehicles on public roads within Arizona.” This sent a clear message to the world that the Grand Canyon State was not only open for business but welcoming to disruptive innovation. Today, Waymo, Uber, General Motors, Ford, Cruise and TuSimple all test autonomous vehicles on the state’s mix of wide-open roads, city streets and desert test tracks. And Arizona startup Local Motors developed “Olli” the self-driving bus here. Intel, with its huge presence in Chandler, agreed this past spring to purchase Mobileye, an autonomous vehicle technology firm, for $15.3 billion. The global chipmaker also announced last month that it has been quietly working with
Waymo over the past eight years in developing self-driving vehicle technology. This confluence of factors has earned Arizona the title of the auto tech capital of the world. Waymo’s autonomous vehicle pilot project in the Valley is massive in scale. The company currently has 100 vehicles in its fleet and will be adding another 500 soon, says Ellice Perez, Waymo’s head of operations. Today, residents in the East Valley are using Waymo’s self-driving cars to go to work, school, soccer practice, the mall and more as part of its early rider program. When it first announced the program, Waymo received thousands of applications. Over time, the company plans to add hundreds of people. “Arizona has been a great home for Waymo. It’s a place where technology is welcome and innovation can thrive,” Perez says. “It’s also a great environment for our self-driving cars to learn new skills.” For example, she says, the cars have experienced everything from dust storms to water trucks that drive 3 mph on 45 mph roads to flashing yellow left turn signals, which don’t exist in the company’s hometown of Mountain View, Calif. The company also has worked with local fire and police departments to “teach” the self-driving cars how to respond to the flashing lights and sirens of Arizona’s emergency vehicles. “Arizona has become a major destination to test and develop self-driving cars because both Governor Ducey and Arizonans have been so receptive and excited about the technology,” Perez says. “Ever since we began driving here, we’ve found local residents and officials have been enthusiastic about this technology.”
PRECISION MEDICINE Arizona’s hospitals, research labs and biotech companies are developing new diagnostic technologies that will improve health care in the coming decades. Our researchers are investigating protein
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biomarkers as indicators of individual health, and they are conducting advanced genomic testing and discovering new ways to diagnose and treat patients. Arizona has a rich concentration of biotech players that are mapping the molecular signature of diseases and developing diagnostics to identify which patients would benefit from improved therapies. Of all things, it’s teamwork that plays an important role that has propelled the state to a leading position in biotech research, says Dr. Michael Berens, a leading researcher and deputy director at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix. “Arizona is a leader in precision medicine,” Berens says. “The reason for that is we have a highly collaborative environment between spectacular medical systems in Arizona, along with leading-edge science and technology focused on human disease.” He sums up precision medicine this way: “the advent of deep, scientific interrogation of human biology by genomics and technology that allows us to gain insight into human behavior and human disease.” Berens says there are many institutions doing amazing work on this complex frontier, including TGen, the Mayo Clinic, Barrow Neurological Institute and HonorHealth, among others. To be sure, Arizona’s universities, private research institutions and world-class medical facilities are teaming up to use molecular and genomic data to discover the mechanisms of disease and tailor individual treatments. As these accomplishments in autonomous vehicle technology and precision medicine demonstrate, Arizona is the ideal location for emerging technologies to thrive. Under Gov. Ducey’s leadership, the state will continue to advance its reputation as the most innovative state in the nation. You can learn more about all 10 next-gen trends in the ACA’s new five-year plan at www. azcommerce.com/about-us/business-plan. FALL 2017 AZTECHCONNECT.COM
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UPDATE ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
TRAFFIC COP WRITING BY >< ROSE SERAGO
ASU to play role in making air travel safer, more efficient
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n Arizona State University research group is one of five university teams leading work under a NASA Aeronautics University Leadership Initiative to explore novel ideas to improve aviation. The five-year, $10 million project focuses on safely integrating the complex data sources that are driving the future of air traffic management systems. Principal investigator for ASU’s team is Yongming Liu, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He is directing a multi-disciplinary group that includes several fellow Fulton Schools faculty members, as well as collaborators from Vanderbilt University, the Southwest Research Institute and Optimal Synthesis Inc. The NASA initiative aims to “spur the nation’s leading universities to take a larger leadership role in advancing the revolutionary ideas needed to transform aviation and further advance U.S. global leadership in the aviation community,” Jaiwon Shin, NASA’s associate administrator for aeronautics, says in a press release. ASU researchers will concentrate on what Liu refers to as the next-generation National Airspace System, known as NextGen NAS. The system encompasses the airspace, navigation facilities and airports of the United States, along with the associated information, regulations, policies, personnel and equipment. “NAS is in the process of undergoing a change from radar-based technology to surveillance systems-based operations within the next 10 years,” Liu explains. That shift is due to a multitude of new and existing aviation data sources becoming available, such as the use of voice and data communications, live weather forecasting,
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Yongming Liu
aircraft health data and GPS technology. New technology and data sources promise to reduce aviation gridlock in the sky and at airports, cut weather-related delays, and enable air traffic controllers and pilots to see the same realtime display of air traffic for the first time. Modernizing the nation’s complex air transportation system would mean more efficient fuel usage by airlines, reduced aircraft fuel emissions and increased access to airports by the general aviation community. But Liu and his research colleagues foresee a problem with the integration of the enormous amount of information associated with the move toward NextGen NAS. “The large amount of information offered by various data sources requires appropriate representation and proper fusion methodologies,” he says. Multiple uncertainties arise from the variety of information sources such as aeronautical instrumentation, the environment, intrinsic variabilities and human factors. “Managing the interplay of these data sources requires complex system modeling to ensure a safe transition to NextGen NAS operations,” says Liu, describing the drive behind his team’s proposal. “We are talking about a super complex human-cyber-physical system that has never been fully explored in the past.” The team is addressing the urgent need to develop a system-wide prognostics framework—a way to effectively fuse a lot of information—for the proactive health management of the nation’s evolving airspace system. If successful, the research will significantly improve national air traffic service operations, enhancing the system’s resiliency and the safety of air travel. ROSE SERAGO until recently was a writer and communications
specialist for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. [tagline]
UPDATE THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
SO MANY CARTS TO DISRUPT WRITING BY >< DOUGLAS HOCKSTAD
Technologies are making history of old and new problems
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ate in the last century, we thought we understood that opioid drugs were safe and effective for treating chronic pain. Today, we face an addiction epidemic as dependency has reached the highest levels ever seen in the United States. Let’s put opioids in a metaphorical apple cart and send it rolling downhill. Take another example: cement, the primary ingredient of concrete. As a building material, the centuries-old invention revolutionized how we humans create useful structures and shape our world. Annually, humanity produces 4 billion metric tons of cement. And for every ton of cement manufactured, 1 ton of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. That’s 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide discharged every year due to cement production alone. What is more, U.S. coal-fired power plants every year produce about 130 million tons of fly ash, a waste product often stored at coal power plants, placed in landfills, or disposed of in immense mounds where wind and water erosion can disperse it. Impounding fly ash occupies large areas of land and leads to high monetary, environmental and ecological costs. There goes apple cart No. 2. Ranked among the top public research universities in the nation, The University of Arizona is working hard to upend these and many other careening apple carts. UA’s faculty investigate these problems, and the university works to take the results of this research and bring them to the public in the form of disruptive inventions. In response to the first opioid-filled apple cart, UA researchers in the College of Medicine are developing small molecule inhibitors, formulating non-opioid solutions for chronic pain.
Collaborating with Tech Launch Arizona, the office of the UA that commercializes the inventions stemming from research, the team is well on its way to creating a new company to bring the invention from the lab to the marketplace. UA researchers have developed myriad solutions to upset that second carbon-packed cascading cart. Ferrock®, developed by a Ph.D. student in the UA Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, uses waste steel dust to create a cement-like material that is stronger, more flexible and more resistant to cracking than traditional cement. In addition to its functional performance, the material is carbon negative, meaning it binds carbon dioxide as it hardens. Likewise, inventors in the UA College of Engineering developed a fly ash-based substitute for cement. The material called Acrete is lighter, stronger and less expensive than traditional cement. In addition to its functional performance, Acrete also uses three times more fly ash, not only reducing the production of carbon dioxide in its manufacture but transforming what was previously a waste product into a useful material. UA startup MetOx is working hard to bring this new material to market. Research at The University of Arizona is racing forward, and as these real-life examples show, that work is outpacing the problems. Because of the research at the UA and universities the world over, we’re catching up and disrupting more and more apple carts, upending them in their tracks and making the world better for everyone. DOUGLAS HOCKSTAD is assistant vice president of Tech Launch
Arizona.
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UPDATE NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
NOVEL NANOMATERIALS WRITING BY >< KERRY BENNETT
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Bertrand Cambou
ith 50 billion devices expected to be connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) by 2020, this forecast represents an enormous cybersecurity risk. According to Bertrand Cambou, professor of practice with Northern Arizona University’s new School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, these devices “can be subject to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, malware and Trojan viruses planted during non-secure manufacturing. Furthermore, the distribution of PKIs, or public key infrastructure, is often complicated and unsafe, and flash memories that are supposed to safely store private keys on the client side are now breakable through side-channel analysis.” Although cybersecurity issues have been around for more than 40 years, most of the solutions developed to protect the integrity of computer networks, programs and data rely on software-based technology using advanced number theory algorithms or on elliptic curve cryptography, a set of algorithms based on elliptic curve mathematics. “Such solutions are vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated hackers, powerful computers and the proliferation of heterogeneous connected IoT with weak access control capabilities,” Cambou says. Cambou, who brings a wealth of technology-sector leadership experience to his role from such companies as Motorola and AMD, is the principal investigator of a collaborative research
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‘Digital fingerprints’ point the way to next-generation cybersecurity solutions project between NAU, Arizona State University and The University of Arizona to develop practical, end-to-end cybersecurity solutions. These new, disruptive solutions are based on novel nanomaterials that represent significant additional levels of security. Nanomaterials are smaller than 100 nanometers. A nanometer is 1 millionth of a millimeter, or approximately 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Because of their complex physical properties, nanomaterials are at the forefront of cybersecurity technology, explains Cambou. “The physical randomness of nanomaterials can generate ‘digital fingerprints’ that are inherently difficult to extract, emulate or replicate. Rather than relying on user-generated, low-level cryptographic algorithms, each device bears unique secrets that cannot be guessed, coerced or phished—even with unlimited device access.” Ultimately, beyond the scope of their current research, Cambou and his collaborators see the potential for their work to spur economic growth in Arizona’s tech industry. “We see huge opportunities for the widespread adoption of our nanomaterial-based security solutions to protect critical national infrastructures, financial institutions, transportation networks and healthcare,” says Cambou. “Our long-term vision is to simultaneously branch into commercial applications and obtain significant government funding.” KERRY BENNETT is Northern Arizona University’s Research
Communications Officer. Connect at nau.edu.
UPDATE TGEN
DASH TO DIAGNOSIS Precision valley fever test incorporates TGen and NAU technology WRITING BY >< STEVE YOZWIAK
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xNA LLC, a St. George, Utah, molecular diagnostics company, has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a rapid and accurate test for valley fever, using technology developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in partnership with Northern Arizona University. The valley fever test on DxNA’s GeneSTAT System will provide a more definitive diagnosis, significantly reduce the time needed to get results, and be available for use in clinics and other healthcare facilities. Currently, definitive testing for the fungus that causes valley fever is done by culture in a laboratory, which is time consuming—up to 21 days—and potentially exposes laboratory personnel to the infective fungus. The highly sensitive GeneSTAT test is performed directly on the patient specimen, providing a same-day result and significantly reducing the time for a definitive diagnosis and appropriate care. DxNA’s submission follows the successful completion of clinical studies conducted in Arizona, New Mexico and California. The Valley Fever Center for Excellence, under the direction of Dr. John Galgiani, and TGen, under the direction of Dr. Paul Keim and Dr. David Engelthaler, have been instrumental in working with DxNA in the process of developing the test, providing clinical perspective and assisting with the clinical trial. “We now look forward to concluding the regulatory process in order to bring our unique valley fever test to market once we receive FDA
clearance,” says DxNA CEO David Taus. “This is an important milestone for DxNA and our partners to bring to market a test that provides patients and their health care providers the potential for a much earlier and more definitive valley fever diagnosis. This is also a critical milestone for DxNA to transition as a company from development to commercial stage.” “I am very glad that DxNA is working to improve accurate diagnosis of valley fever,” says Galgiani. “We very much need more of this to help physicians provide the best care for their patients.” Engelthaler, co-director of TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division, says, “TGen has been working on valley fever for more than 10 years, and we are glad to see commercial partners like DxNA are able to translate our research into new medical tools to help doctors better identify the valley fever fungus in their patients.” Valley fever is a fungal infection caused by coccidioides organisms that typically enter the body through the lungs. While the majority of people who are infected do not develop significant symptoms, a portion or infected patients develop symptoms that can be highly debilitating such as cough, fever and fatigue. Because these symptoms are similar to other respiratory diseases that are caused by bacteria or viruses, valley fever is often misdiagnosed and mistreated as pneumonia or cancer. As such, an early definitive diagnostic is critical to optimal patient care. STEVE YOZWIAK is the senior science writer for the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Connect at www.tgen.org.
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NEW MEMBERS Acronis sets the standard for hybrid cloud data protection through its backup, disaster recovery, and secure file sync and share solutions. www.acronis.com With over 25 years of human capital management experience, the Acuity Cloud Solutions team offers a wellrounded spectrum of industry and functional expertise for mid-size to large businesses worldwide. www.acuitycloudsolutions.com AgencyIQ builds brands and businesses in sports, entertainment and technology. The boutique agency brings in best in class resources and is ROI focused. www.agency-IQ.com Align Communications delivers innovative technology infrastructure solutions for clients of all sizes around the world. www.align.com Arizona State University Foundation’s goal is to advance, through philanthropy, the success of Arizona State University as a New American University. asufoundation.org atmosol is a leading full-service e-commerce development and digital marketing agency serving mid to enterprise retailers on Magento, BigCommerce and Shopify. webstore.atmosol.com Benchmark Electronics is a global partner providing complete design and build technology platforms and manufacturing. www.bench.com Bloguettes is a boutique consulting agency that helps companies with branding, blogging, social media and photography. www.bloguettes.com Carvana offers seamless, online car buying for car buyers. Buy online with the peace of mind of a seven-day return policy before choosing home delivery or pick up from one of the company’s car vending machines. carvana.com
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To join the Arizona Technology Council, a member-supported group that represents the interests of the state’s technology community, go the www.aztechcouncil.org.
Casino Del Sol is southern Arizona’s premier entertainment and gaming destination. Guests can choose from six restaurants and three bars that feature live entertainment, in addition to world-class entertainment at AVA Amphitheater. www.casinodelsol.com CloudEdge provides solutions to meet clients’ business and digital transformation objectives www.cloudedgetech.com CSP Technologies moves clients and their infrastructure to the cloud. This allows for an increase in productivity, accessibility, predictability, security and reduced costs. csp-technologies.com Daystrom Technologies is a highly experienced mechanical engineering consulting firm helping its clients optimize their product design, simulation, manufacturing and data management processes. www.daystromtechnologies.com DC Group is a national independent service provider offering meaningful OEM-level service on critical backup power equipment, including uninterruptible power supply, PDUs, batteries, switches and DC plants. www.dc-group.com DezertComm provides sustainable IT asset disposition, ensuring secure data management through destruction, erasure and degauss. It can repurpose equipment for reuse and redeployment, recycling to R2 standards. www.dzcomm.com Don’t Suck at Work is a proprietary training and development program that teaches clients how to apply methodologies that decrease conflict, improve communication and increase productivity. www.dontsuckatwork.com
E-Line Media is a video game developer and publisher passionate about making great games that help players understand and shape the world. www.elinemedia.com Emailage harnesses the power of the email address to help customers balance effective fraud detection with great customer experience. www.emailage.com Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott is an academic institution with four colleges: College of Security & Intelligence, College of Aviation, College of Engineering, and College of Arts & Sciences. www.prescott.erau.edu Enterprise Holdings’ massive network makes it the largest transportation solutions provider. The company offers car and truck rentals, as well as car sharing and car sales. www.enterprise.com EOS Technology’s defense business develops and produces remotely controlled weapon systems and ancillary comprised of state of the art gimbal mounts, fire control systems and world-class sensor units. www.eos-aus.com Fyresite is a full-service app, web and graphic design firm whose process is guided by a unique understanding of not only the technology in which it develops but the primary target audience. www.fyresite.com Genesis Safety Systems’ creates aftermarket and OEM-integrable safety products for the automotive industry. genesisbls.com GraphLock is an affordable lockdown app with an advanced calculator. Its mission is to bring equity to the classroom and make STEM education more accessible for all students. www.graphlock.com
NEW MEMBERS Gregory and Associates is a sales organization that helps mechanical and electrical engineers design parts for manufacture ability and offer reliable quality sources to manufacture those custom parts. gregoryandassociates.net
Kudelski Security is an independent cybersecurity partner to large enterprise and public-sector clients, delivering relevant, workable solutions to address their toughest security challenges. www.kudelskisecurity.com
Nguyen & Tarbet IP Law intellectual property attorneys and Ph.D. caliber professionals concentrating on patent, trademark, copyright and FDA work for universities, startups and larger clients in various industries. www.ntiplaw.com
Health Hub provides highly customized on-site fitness and wellness programming, experiences, and weekly services for companies that employ and desire dedicated top-quality talent. healthhubaz.com
Leshay Communications offers executive communications coaching: presentation skills and executive presence; message and story development; media training; and crisis management. www.LeshayCommunications.com
NP Photonics specializes in fiber laser manufacturing and research. www.npphotonics.com
Horizon Insurance Agency is a full service independent insurance agency able to service large and small clients. www.horizoninsurance.com Immersive Teaching STEAM Academy provides fun and exciting projects using cutting-edge technologies like 3D printing, 3D scanning/modeling, robotics, game development, Minecraft modding, virtual reality and more. www.ITSA.academy Involta is an award-winning national provider of IT intelligence and endto-end infrastructure, including fiber connectivity, managed services and colocation. involta.com ISOutsource provides a full range of IT services, including high-level strategic consulting, project implementations, full IT management, help desk outsourcing and as-needed support to existing IT teams. www.isoutsource.com Jon Deiter Solutions offers professional implementation of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a complete system of simple tools that focus on vision/traction/ healthy for CEOs and their leadership teams. www.eosworldwide.com/ implementer-directory?ml___ view=location&ml___id=157
Lithe Technology provides technical solutions through core capabilities that include electronics, realtime software, networking, signal processing and precision time. www.lithetechnology.com MB Business Capital administers commercial financings of $5 million to $50 million for M&A, recapitalization, rapid growth and other leveraged transactions. www.mbfinancial.com/ commercial/asset-based-lending/ index.aspx
Pashtek specializes in cost-effective IT software designs that transcend organizational boundaries to enable businesses to share information. Its portfolio focuses on health care, education and business applications. pashtek.com Pima County JTED is a public high school district that offers premier, tuition-free career and technical education programs to sophomores, juniors and seniors. It serves public, private and charter schools. www.pimajted.org Pinto Valley Mine is an open pit copper mining company in Miami, Ariz. pintovalleymine.com
Poore & Associatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Carol A. Poore is a strategic planning expert and international author/ speaker whose robust leadership and capacitybuilding background in corporate, Mousegraphics creates high-quality, nonprofit and higher education full-color graphics and signage from contexts assists organizations. www.carolpoore.com business cards and white papers to banners, trade show displays and R3EWaste is an R2 certified signs. mousegraphics.com electronic recycling company that focuses on IT asset Myndshft Technologies is disposition, resale and reuse, and working at the intersection of big environmentally friendly e-waste data, intelligent automation and solutions. R3EWaste.com IoT. Through a cognitive Internet of Things platform, the company develops smart connected applications. www.myndshft.com Mountain Institute JTED #2 offers a range of career and technical education courses to Western Yavapai County students. www.mijted.net
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NEW MEMBERS Semple, Marchal & Cooper is one of the pre-eminent certified public accounting firms in the Southwest. It offers audit and accountingrelated services, together with sound business and financial advice and a full range of tax and management consulting services to public, private and non-profit enterprises in various industries. semplecpa.com Shepherd Software is a cloud-based veterinary practice management SaaS company that is revolutionizing the veterinary industry. Shepherdapp.com Sierra Vista is a city of opportunity. With a population of approximately 45,000, there is room for growth. The city’s Economic Development Division assists existing businesses and those looking to locate within the city. www.sierravistaaz.gov
To join the Arizona Technology Council, a member-supported group that represents the interests of the state’s technology community, go the www.aztechcouncil.org.
STAX3D is a 3D technology company producing highly effective solutions—cost, time and quality— for clients ranging from kindergarten through business. These technologies can provide a one-stop shop for innovation. www.stax3d.com Tech Data is a global distributor of electronics and computer systems ranging from the desktop to data center. www.techdata.com The PMO Squad focus is project management consulting across multiple industries and to various sized organizations. www.thepmosquad.com The Shea Group is comprised of C-level executives. www.willneitzke.com vCORE Technology Partners is an IT solutions and services provider with expertise in hybrid cloud infrastructure, security, networking, data protection and managed services. www.vcoretec.com
Vertech provides industrial automation and information services, including plant floor automation, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), manufacturing execution system (MES) software, and business systems integration. www.vertech.com Viptela provides softwaredefined wide area network (SDWAN) technology to Global 2000 enterprises and Tier-1 service providers that secure and virtualize WAN infrastructure. www.viptela.com WiZR advances safety and security via industry leading, AI-based computer vision technology with IoT integrations enabling rapid deployment of real-time video analytics across new or existing cameras. www.wizr.com
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& Digital Solutions |Alliance Bank ||APS | Arizona Collaboratory | Audio Eye| Blue Canoe Marketing A & D Digital Solutions | Alliance Bank |Bank APS Collaboratory | Audio Blue Canoe Marketing Digital Solutions || Alliance Bank | APS | APS Arizona Collaboratory | Audio Blue Canoe Marketing A& &D D Digital Solutions |Alliance Alliance Arizona Collaboratory Audio Eye| Blue Canoe Marketing AA &A Digital Solutions Bank APS | Arizona Collaboratory | Eye| Audio Eye| Blue Canoe Marketing A &D DD Digital Solutions |Alliance Bank || |Arizona APS | |Arizona Collaboratory | |Eye| Audio Eye| Blue Canoe Marketing Clements Agency | cStor | Commercial Real Estate Group of Tucson | CyrusOne | EY | GuardVant Clements Agency | cStor | Commercial Real Estate Group of Tucson | CyrusOne | EY | GuardVant Clements Agency | cStor | Commercial Real Estate Group of Tucson | CyrusOne | EY | GuardVant Clements Agency | cStor | Commercial Real Estate Group of Tucson | CyrusOne | EY | GuardVant Clements Agency | cStor | Commercial Real Estate Group of Tucson | CyrusOne | EY | GuardVant Clements Agency | cStor | Commercial Real Estate Group of Tucson | CyrusOne | EY | GuardVant Indecomm Global Services |Infusionsoft Infusionsoft |LeaseWeb ||MSS | Okta | Pima Community College | Simpleview Indecomm Global Services Infusionsoft |LeaseWeb LeaseWeb Pima Community College Simpleview Indecomm Global Services | LeaseWeb | MSS Okta College |College Simpleview Indecomm Services | MSS |MSS Okta | Okta Pima College | Simpleview Indecomm Global Services || Infusionsoft Infusionsoft || LeaseWeb MSS | Okta | Community Pima Community College | Simpleview Indecomm Global Services || |Infusionsoft |LeaseWeb |||MSS || |Pima Okta | |Community Pima Community | |Simpleview Solugenix | Sun Cooridor Inc. | Symantec | Trailblazer Advisors | UA Tech Park | ViaWest | World View Solugenix | Sun Cooridor Inc. | Symantec | Trailblazer Advisors | UA Tech Park | ViaWest | World View Solugenix | Sun Cooridor Inc. | Symantec | Trailblazer Advisors | UA Tech Park | ViaWest | World View Solugenix Sun Cooridor Inc. | Symantec | Trailblazer Advisors | UA Tech Park | ViaWest | World View Solugenix | Sun Cooridor Inc. | Symantec | Trailblazer Advisors | UA Tech Park | ViaWest | World View Solugenix | Sun Cooridor Inc. | Symantec | Trailblazer Advisors | UA Tech Park | ViaWest | World View FALL 2017AZTECHCONNECT.COM AZTECHCONNECT.COM AZTECHCONNECT.COM AZTECHCONNECT.COM 023 023 AZTECHCONNECT.COM AZTECHCONNECT.COM AZTECHCONNECT.COM 023 023 023 023 023 For For more more information information on sponsorship, on sponsorship, visitwww.aztechcouncil.org/sponsorship www.aztechcouncil.org/sponsorship visit www.aztechcouncil.org For For more more information information on sponsorship, on sponsorship, visit visit www.aztechcouncil.org For For more more information information on sponsorship, on sponsorship, visit www.aztechcouncil.org/sponsorship visit www.aztechcouncil.org
2017 ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL
CYBERSECURITY L U N C H
F O R U M
Thursday, December 7| ASU Skysong 11:30AM-2:00PM
Join us for the chance to learn about the threats, vulnerabilities and consequences related to data security and privacy matters. The event will feature a panel discussion, keynote speaker, and lunch.
Get your tickets at aztechcouncil.org/event/cybersecurity-lunch-forum-2017
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