OP ED

STEAM powered: How Arizona cities are growing new ideas

Carol A. Poore
AZ I See It
Jeremiah Coleman (from left), Tanner Saadi and Sean Parish sand wooden cars during a 2013 meeting of the STEM club at Bogle Junior High in Chandler.
  • Arizona is one of America%27s fastest-growing bioscience states
  • On any given day%2C hundreds of researchers across Arizona are investigating life-saving miracles of the future
  • Arizona%27s creative cities play a vital role in nurturing a STEAM-powered ecosystem

What do sports, science and the arts have in common in Arizona?

Each will create a world stage for Arizona, as Arizona Bioindustry Association's first White Hat Life Science Investors conference comes to Phoenix on Sept. 17-18, followed by a bevy of art walks, performances, and college and professional bowl games held from December through February.

While thousands of investors and top journalists visit our state, we who call Arizona home have great opportunity to show and tell a spectacular story about our state's creative capital.

The top story is this: Arizona is growing its STEAM-powered cities — places where science, technology, engineering, arts and math are vital to our state's quality of life and ability to attract and retain business, investment and talented workers.

Arizona is one of America's fastest-growing bioscience states. Guided by the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap, a long-term strategic plan commissioned by the Flinn Foundation in 2002 and updated this year, Arizona is rapidly rising in national rankings and well-positioned to take the global stage in key life science sectors by 2025.

In just a decade, Arizona bioscience jobs grew by 45 percent — nearly four times greater than the nation. Arizona's universities built major research hubs. Private research institutes were developed. Talented workers were recruited. Today, Battelle estimates the total annual economic impact of Arizona's bioindustry to be $14 billion, not including hospitals.

But there's more to this exciting story.

An artist's rendering of valley fever.

From Flagstaff to Tucson, bioscience research is addressing critical health threats. On any given day, hundreds of researchers across Arizona are investigating life-saving miracles of the future.

For example, since first discovered 121 years ago, no one has been able to crack the code for valley fever — why this dust-borne fungus impacts 150,000 people and 160,000 pets each year.

Soon valley fever may be wiped out in Arizona, where 60 percent of all U.S. cases occur and 150 people die annually as infection spreads beyond the lungs and attacks the skin, bones and brain.

In Flagstaff, the genome of valley fever is being analyzed at Translational Genomics Research Institute under the direction of Dr. Paul Keim, global infectious disease expert and renowned biology professor at Northern Arizona University.

In Tucson, Dr. John Galgiani is studying a promising antifungal medication, NikZ, at University of Arizona College of Medicine's Valley Fever Center for Excellence, while David Larwood of Valley Fever Solutions pursues commercialization. Galgiani's work includes valley fever vaccine research. He oversees The Valley Fever Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, partnering with UA College of Medicine — Phoenix and Valley Fever Alliance of Arizona Clinicians.

In Tempe, Dr. Stephen Johnston, Dr. Krupa Navalkar and others at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute are investigating "immunosignaturing," a new strategy to improve accuracy of valley fever tests, ruling out other infections that commonly produce false results.

Carol Poore

Each of these talented scientists are who they are today because of the education they received. Each chooses to stay in Arizona because opportunities abound, and because of their community's quality of life.

A few of the many success stories include ASU Preparatory Academy, Phoenix Union Bioscience High School, Heard School in Phoenix Elementary School District No. 1, and Arizona School for the Arts — all serving at-risk communities.

These schools are thriving and immersed in award-winning projects that integrate STEM with "A" for the arts. Students are being prepared for Arizona's emerging fields such as cyber defense, energy management and data-driven healthcare.This is why more than 50 organizations are teaming with Expect More Arizona to advocate for an education system that ensures all Arizona students are prepared for college and next-economy jobs in advanced industries right here in our state.

In Flagstaff, TGen, Lowell Observatory and other local science institutions banded together with local schools and community leaders to designate Flagstaff as "America's First STEM City," approved by the City Council, putting strong community focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math workforce and economic development. Students are provided access to Arizona's top scientists and advanced technology. Programs include a STEM-based art competition.

Pedestrians on Fourth Avenue in Tucson.

Arizona's most creative cities feature exciting downtowns and main streets where history, arts, storytelling and entertainment rock and reinvent citizen pride and each community's cultural fabric. Creative downtowns support workforce recruitment and serve as civic centerpieces — destinations for community conversations and inclusivity.

Downtown Phoenix is buzzing with grass-roots merchant associations, outdoor wall murals, unique art galleries local coffee shops and funky, art-filled neighborhoods such as Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue.

From coffee shops to research laboratories and shared work space, Tucson's Fourth Avenue corridor is punctuated by Sun Link, the city's new street car. Scottsdale, Mesa, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Chandler, Prescott, and Cottonwood feature distinct galleries, historic preservation and walkable main streets.

Downtowns of Sedona and Page reside near breathtaking natural beauty. Bisbee and Jerome are novel mining towns with storied pasts and thriving arts communities. Payson, Kingman, Lake Havasu, Globe, Winslow, Yuma and Nogales feature historic main streets and revived landmarks.

Arts and cultural events throughout Arizona represent an annual economic impact of half a billion dollars according to Arizona Citizens for the Arts. Arts prepare young people with creative and conceptual thinking skills, and Arizona's creative cities play a vital role in nurturing a STEAM-powered ecosystem that paves the way for our state's future innovation.

Carol A. Poore is founder and president of Phoenix Phabulous Experience.