UA and Arizona Celebrate STEM Fields with Annual SciTech Festival

During February and March, more than 400 expos, workshops, discussions, exhibitions and tours at locations across the state of Arizona will bring science and technology to the public. 

The annual Arizona SciTech Festival provides education and information about how discoveries and innovations in math, science, engineering and technology have boosted the state and will continue to do so for years to come. The UA, which plays a role nationally and internationally in science-related research and education, is hosting and participating in a number of events during the festival.

Events involving the UA include:

• The Made in Arizona: Tucson Manufacturing Block Party is a key festival event, taking place on March 6 from 4-7 p.m. at Tucson Embedded Systems. The expo event is free and aims to teach everyone from adults and educators to children about diverse topics in aerospace, defense and engineering, entrepreneurship and business, and technology and computer science. Sponsored by the UA STEM Learning Center and the Arizona Technology Council, the event will include posters and presentations about their trades from Southern Arizona manufacturers and food trucks providing dinner options for attendees. Audience members will have a chance to sign up for tours of manufacturing companies to learn about topics such as how solar panels are made. Keynote speakers include Tucson City Manager Richard Miranda, Martha Ostheimer of the UA's STEM Learning Center and UA College of Engineering Dean Jeff Goldberg.

• The UA Research Farm is hosting half-day tours, providing attendees with hands-on food safety instruction from Yuma food safety experts, a visit to the fields to learn about farming and the crops that grow in Yuma, a recipe card and a bundle of self-picked fresh produce. Tour dates are listed here.

• Science City at the Tucson Festival of Books will include hands-on activities, lab tours, science presentations and demonstrations for all ages by researchers and faculty from the UA's College of Science and Bio5 Institute. The events will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on March 15 and March 16 on the UA campus.

• The UA's Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium has a variety of shows, including laser light shows every Friday night in February from 8 to 9 p.m. "Legends of the Night Sky" shows to teach about constellations on Feb. 15 and Feb. 22, and "Touring the Planets," a guided video and photo tour of our solar system with 3-D images of the sun, moon, Saturn and Mars, from 1-2 p.m. on Feb. 15 and Feb. 22. Other events at Flandrau include guided tours of the astronomical sights to be seen at night in the Tucson sky, and shows specially focused on explaining the mysteries of the planet Saturn.

Additional events will be held across the state. A complete schedule can be found at the Arizona SciTech Festival website.

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