techparkspecialreport

SPECIAL REPORT 2014 THE REGION’S BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Bruce A. WrightAssociate VPTech Parks Arizona, University of Arizona

David N. AllenVPTech Launch Arizona, University of Arizona

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Tech Parks Arizona

InnovationBy Eric Swedlund

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Tech Parks Arizona is leading the Uni-versity of Arizona’s tech parks into a new era – with plans designed to expand busi-ness engagement into areas that reflect the university’s research strengths, help faculty bring innovation to the market-place, and build research and develop-ment facilities for companies employing thousands of high-tech workers.

This year is the 20th anniversary of Tech Parks Arizona, which began in 1994 as the UA Office of Economic Develop-ment and included a single park that is known today as the UA Tech Park.

“The UA Tech Park’s first goal was to reach financial self-sufficiency. Thus, our mission and focus were initially to recruit revenue-producing tenants,” said Bruce A. Wright, associate VP for Tech Parks Arizona. His unit is part of Tech Launch Arizona, which focuses on technology

commercialization and industry-spon-sored research with the goal of moving knowledge and inventions developed by students and faculty into the market.

“Now we are at a point where we can be more strategic in the enterprises, com-panies and programs we recruit into the park and the types of partnerships we form. The benefit of our success is that we have been able to use our financial re-sources to expand the UA Tech Park and also acquire land for a new park,” Wright said.

The UA Tech Park, located about 13 miles southeast of the UA campus and managed by Tech Parks Arizona, was purchased in 1994 from IBM. The park helped commercialize UA-developed technologies as part of a broad regional economic development mission. In 2007, the UA also acquired property three miles

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“As the result of the success of

the UA Tech Park, we’ve had the resources to

acquire the land at The Bridges

and begin developing a

second park with a different physical form and different

development approach.”– Bruce A. Wright

Associate VP, Tech Parks Arizona

south of the UA’s main campus – at a location called The Bridges – for a sec-ond technology park. Originally con-ceived as a bioscience park, the focus has since expanded to embrace other technologies. The new park is now called UA Tech Park at The Bridges.

“We are trying to differentiate the parks,” Wright said. “Each will pro-vide faculty, students, companies and employees with a different array of re-search and development assets, oppor-tunities and benefits.”

Both parks are crucial elements of university strategic planning – includ-ing President Ann Weaver Hart’s Never Settle plan and the roadmap developed by Tech Launch Arizona a year ago to transform technology creation and commercialization at the UA.

“There’s been a confluence of op-portunity and performance that has been woven into a strategy for the parks,” said David N. Allen, VP of Tech Launch Ari-zona.

“Within rough-ly a six-month period, we had major changes and refinement in focus and orienta-tion for where the university is going in its research en-deavors, where it’s going to be mak-ing its investments for research en-deavors, and how TLA and the Tech Parks will work to-gether.”

The maturation of the UA Tech Park itself is a big reason it has been incorporated into a greater vision for how the UA can expand its research commercialization efforts, Allen said.

“It’s been a facility, a program, a net-work – and it has reached a level that is not seen by many universities. Most universities have to continually pour money into their technology park en-

terprises,” Allen said. “Over the past 20 years the UA Tech

Park has emerged as a major employ-ment center – a major concentration of technology workforce – and because the park is now in a positive financial situation, we can be confident that as we take some new strides and do things differently, we can indeed take its im-pact to a higher level.”

History of Research ParksThere are more than 175 university-

affiliated research parks in the United States. These parks have played a major role in creating high-tech, high-paying jobs.

IBM originally built the park in south-east Tucson in 1979, a state-of-the-art facility designed for its Storage Systems Division. When the UA purchased the facility, IBM remained as one of two

tenants – the other being Raytheon Missile Systems, which located 1,200 employees on-site. Microsoft signed on in 1996 and by the end of the decade, the Tech Park had 17 companies with a $1.5 billion total economic impact. In 2001, the Asso-ciation of Univer-sity Research Parks named the UA Tech Park the top university research park in North America.

The quick suc-cess was by design.

“I’m a student of research parks and I’ve studied what’s happened in the United States over the last

60 years,” Wright said. “I’ve taken a pretty hard look at top research parks in North America and there have been some generational changes.”

A number of parks sprang up after the success of early leaders like the Stanford Research Park, which was

Hughes Aircraft/Raytheon Missile Systems begin operations at UA Tech Park

University of Arizona purchases site from IBM to develop a university-affiliated research park

Microsoft leases space at the UA Tech Park

Vail High School and Arizona International Campus begin offering classes onsite

Integrated Biomolecule Corpo-ration, the UA Tech Park’s first new tenant, begins operations at the park

NP Phototonics – the UA Tech Park’s first UA-faculty-led company – begins operations

Association of University Research Parks honors UA Tech Park as the nation’s “Outstanding Research Park”

Arizona Center for Innovation, a business incubator, opens at the UA Tech Park

Citi becomes a major tenant and moves into Building 9060

UA South begins offering classes onsite at the park

UA acquires land at 36th Street and Kino Boulevard for UA Bio Park

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founded in 1951 and became the cor-nerstone of what is today known as Sili-con Valley. North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park was formed in 1959 to capitalize on the strengths of three nearby universities.

Wright characterizes that first gen-eration of university research parks as simply the foundation, with a focus on acquiring land and beginning opera-tions. The second generation of parks hinged on technology transfer, taking particular innovations into the market-place. The third generation found uni-versity research parks reaching outward to build partnerships and relationships with their communities and industry.

“I think we’re now in generation four, which asks, ‘What specifically can research parks offer to this whole process of technological innovation, commerce and development?’” Wright said. “A number of the parks are be-coming more focused in terms of what they provide, the business services they offer and the initiatives they pursue.”

Having multiple sites provides dis-tinct advantages in terms of flexibility and choices for businesses navigating a complex environment.

“We came to the conclusion that we had a great advantage with the UA Tech Park with its size and location – but at the same time we needed a park closer to the main campus of the uni-versity,” Wright said. “Some compa-nies like the suburban setting and other companies really want their employees in an urban environment. We’re trying to respond to different requirements that different businesses have.”

Alignment with the University’s Strategic Plan

To maximize the effectiveness of Tech Parks Arizona contributions to advancing the UA’s mission, Wright and his team are focusing on a defined set of research strengths.

Those areas include – aerospace, de-fense and security; water, environmen-tal sciences, agriculture and arid lands; solar and renewable energy; mining technology; and life sciences and bio-sciences. The UA’s strengths in optics and informatics also are foundational in these areas.

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“The idea now is to use those spe-cializations as guideposts to go out and attract technology companies into the region at one of the two parks. Those translate into some powerful industry areas,” Wright said.

By choosing to focus on just research areas that have the biggest advantage for the university, the mission will be clearer and the outcomes will help build critical mass.

“The other part of it is to use the parks as an asset and a tool for our re-search and educa-tional enterprises in the same areas. The opportunity for faculty to take advantage of do-ing research proj-ects, doing testing, doing demonstra-tion of their proj-ects at either park is an important part of what we’re trying to do,” Wright said.

To attract com-panies, Tech Parks Arizona and TLA are putting to-gether a series of “attraction teams” centered on those core strategic areas.

“We’re putting in-house staff to-gether, we’re putting technical and marketing expertise around that par-ticular area, we’re involving key people from the university and we’re bringing in representatives of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Pima County and the Arizona Commerce Author-ity,” Wright said. “We’re fashioning an attraction team that can reach out and bring companies in and connect them throughout the university and the com-munity and thereby enhance the oppor-tunities for successful recruiting of that company.

“We’re proactively going out and identifying companies – primarily small and midsized technology companies – that are looking for a relationship with the university and an entry point into the marketplace.”

Everything Tech Launch Arizona does – technology transfer, corporate

relations, research commercialization, starting new companies – can be aided by Tech Parks Arizona, Allen said.

“We’re trying to align the Tech Park and particularly the Arizona Center for Innovation (Tech Parks Arizona’s business incubator) as an integral part of the services Tech Launch Arizona is providing to the university and the community,” he said. “That is the quintessential role of TLA that we talk-ed about from the very beginning. TLA is more than just the sum of its parts. The parts can interact with each other

in a way to pres-ent something you would not have otherwise.”

The intermin-gling and interde-pendency of dif-ferent resources, people and skills centered on the university’s knowl-edge base is crucial in taking innova-tions to market.

“To be able to put small amounts of resources into proof of concept and be able to do it in environments that are nimble

like the UA Tech Park is something that other people in my seat would salivate over,” Allen said.

Two Parks – Dual PotentialThe 1,345-acre UA Tech Park now

has more than 40 businesses – includ-ing six Fortune 500 companies – with nearly 7,000 employees, and contrib-utes $2.4 billion annually to the region’s economy.

The UA Tech Park at The Bridges is 65 vacant acres, with infrastructure in place and, most importantly, no debt to be paid. Initially intended to focus strictly on bioscience, this park’s mis-sion has been expanded to include all technologies.

“The bad news is that the develop-ment of The Bridges was slowed by the Great Recession. But the good news is that it’s given us an opportunity to step back and be more reflective and strate-gic – and align that with what President

Tech Parks Arizona initiates Global Advantage program for international business development

Arizona Board of Regents approves the UA Bio Park master land use plan

UA receives a $4.7 million grant from the U.S. Depart-ment of Commerce Economic Development Administration for infrastructure improve-ments for UA Bio Park

Vail Academy and High School construction is completed and classes begin

Phase 1 of the Solar Zone, a joint venture between the UA and Tucson Electric Power, is completed – a $2.6 million infrastructure project that generates 23 megawatts

The UA Bio Park is “development ready”

Tech Launch Arizona is officially formed and Tech Parks Arizona named a component part of TLA

Security Innovation Hub Program, a laboratory for the testing and evaluation of border technologies, successfully hosts inaugural Border Technology Showcase

See more at www.techparks.arizona.edu

“We’re working to align the

Tech Parks as an integral dimension of the services Tech

Launch Arizona is providing to the university and the community.”– David N. Allen

VP, Tech Launch Arizona

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BizINNOVATIONHart is doing with the Never Settle plan and with Tech Launch Arizona. It’s a grand opportunity for us,” Wright said.

“David Allen has created a technol-ogy innovation and commercialization model that is unique in the United States,” Wright said. “He’s taken the best from other areas and adapted them to the specific context of Tucson and the president’s strategic plan for the university. Tech Parks Arizona is doing the same thing. We’re not replicating a model that’s anywhere else. There are elements of what we’re doing, but it is a unique configuration between these two.”

Less than three miles from campus, at East 36th Street and Kino Parkway, The Bridges will be more urban and dense and offer a closer connection to both the main campus and the Arizona Health Sciences Center.

“The physical form will be different. It won’t have quite the suburban look of the UA Tech Park. It will have more of a vertical look. Some of the difficul-ties – for example, the distance between main campus and the UA Tech Park – will be solved by a closer option,” Allen said. “It is a different opportunity in the way we see it developing and the kinds of engagement it will have with the uni-versity – partly because from the very beginning we’ll build that engagement differently.”

The Bridges’ long-term plan calls for about 4 million square feet of devel-oped office and laboratory space that could support about 18,000 to 20,000 employees onsite, given the planned ur-ban density.

Even before Never Settle, planning for The Bridges was centered on a long-term vision, one the university could guide from the start – a very different beginning scenario than that of the first property at the UA Tech Park.

“With the Tech Park, we were hand-ed the existing infrastructure system IBM built and had to grow it and main-tain it,” Wright said. “With The Bridg-es, we built the infrastructure to exceed the foreseeable research and technology needs of our target companies – be-cause we needed to be ready for what-ever the technology world is going to demand from us in the future.”

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Success is built on collaboration, strategic alignments and shared goals. The University of Arizona’s Tech Park, now 20 years old, is providing that connection through what it calls Interactive Ground.

“We are a place that brings together the com-munity, industry and university resources to achieve innovative technology advancement, and ultimately, com-mercialization of that innovation,” said Bruce Wright, UA associate VP of Tech Parks Arizona.

Tech Parks Arizona is part of Tech Launch Arizona, an office that reports directly to Presi-dent Ann Weaver Hart and focuses on technol-ogy commercialization and industry-sponsored research efforts. TLA is about moving knowledge and inventions developed by students and faculty from the lab to the mar-ketplace where they can have a tangible impact on the region’s economy.

“Tech Parks Arizona is not just a set of buildings,” Wright said. “It’s a place that is trying to create an environment and a set of programs that will add value to the efforts of both the companies we engage with and the university.”

Focusing on the value that Tech Parks Ari-zona can offer and fostering that Interactive

Ground becomes the core element of every-thing that happens at the southeast side UA Tech Park, which pumps $2.3 billion annually into the region’s economy, Wright said.

A second park with infrastructure in place is ready to be built out on 65 acres located less than three miles south of UA main campus. This site was recently renamed UA Tech Park

at The Bridges.The UA Tech Park pro-

vides an alternate location for university classes and can be a place where vari-ous departments or pro-grams can engage in spe-cial projects with industry. Both UA South and the Outreach College offer classes at the park.

“The park can be a great big working, living laboratory for both fac-ulty and students who see a need to advance their research,” Wright said.

“We’re not a research center for the university in the pure sense. We’re a facility and environ-ment for applied research

– but we really see ourselves fitting in a couple of different areas,” Wright said. “We operate at the midstage of business incubation by help-ing companies move their product through the development process. The whole idea of taking technology from the design through first-gener-ation manufacturing is one of our key areas of


InteractiveGround

UA Grows Tech Companies By Eric Swedlund

“Our jobis to create

environmentswhere connections are forged, innova-

tion is nurturedand companies

grow by meeting market needs.”– Ken Marcus

DirectorUA Tech Park

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focus.” For the community, the tech parks are

an important asset that contributes to advancing the economic development goals of Tucson and the Southern Ari-zona region. “With respect to the com-munity, we’re a connection point for tech business activity. We offer commu-nity organizations the opportunity to come here and use the park as a place to engage with technology companies and industry,” Wright said.

On the industry side, the tech parks are an attractive resource for both new companies and those looking to grow. “Over the past few years, we’ve been trying to understand how the UA Tech Park fits into the larger goal of attract-ing technology companies into the re-

gion and growing technology compa-nies that are emanating from research conducted at the university,” Wright said. “We began to really ask, ‘What is the value proposition that the park of-fers to industry and to the university?’

“From the outside in, we’re a place that can attract technology companies – whether they’re startups or mature companies – and bring them into a lo-cation that gets them connected to the university. That’s a primary focus – to attract companies that will both benefit from the university connection, as well as link back into the university as it con-tinues to do research and address those big questions facing society.”

That connection can provide com-panies access to faculty and relevant re-

search, access to a workforce in the form of work-ready graduates, and access to essential lab and production space. For new companies, the tech parks can pro-vide assistance in the entire process of moving technologies through the early stages of product development, proto-typing and first-generation manufac-turing, then providing market access as well.

“Our job is to create environments where connections are forged, innova-tion is nurtured and companies grow by meeting market needs,” said Ken Marcus, director of the UA Tech Park, describing the essence of the park’s In-teractive Ground ideal.

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The 65-acre Bio Park three miles from the University of Arizona campus was recently renamed UA Tech Park at The Bridges. The new name is part of a larger, more strategic plan to expand the park’s scope to encompass all technology companies seeking to connect with this top-tier research university.

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Cliff CossUA Researcher &Co-founder, GlycoSurf


In a year or so, products made by GlycoSurf, a University of Arizona spinoff, should find their way to store shelves as key components of sunscreens, anti-aging creams and other “cosmeceuticals.”

Based on the company’s hard work and success devel-oping and validating its invention – as well as honing its business strategy – that should all come to pass according to Cliff Coss, UA researcher and co-founder of GlycoSurf.

GlycoSurf uses technologies developed at the UA that are in the final stages of being licensed to a company co-founded by Coss and UA scientists and professors Jeanne E. Pemberton with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Raina M. Maier with the Depart-ment of Soil, Water and Environ-mental Science.

This promising startup is taking full advantage of services provided by Tech Launch Arizona to move through the business development process – from proof of concept on toward first-generation production. Tech Launch Arizona is a unit dedi-cated to maximizing the university’s impact through commercializing the inventions born of research.

“We’re a chemical materials man-ufacturer,” Coss said. “We make sug-ar-based surfactants and therapeutic agents. Our target markets are cosmeceuticals – anti-aging creams, sunscreens, skin-lightening creams. We sell the ac-tive ingredient for those products.

“The surfactants that are currently produced are labor-intensive and the purity is relatively low,” he said. GlycoS-urf ’s process efficiently produces surfactants that are more than 95 percent pure. And even though the products are synthetic, their process is also more environmentally friend-ly than the established method.

Initially, GlycoSurf worked with Wheelhouse Arizona, the unit within Tech Launch Arizona that helps develop new ventures. GlycoSurf has collaborated with Wheelhouse on a proof of concept project, which provided funding to ready their early stage technology for the marketplace.

To bridge the gap between proof of concept and

developing a business, the new company then became a tenant at the UA Tech Park, which offered services, facilities and equipment necessary to further develop their invention and manufacturing processes. With its business model cen-tered on a specialized chemical process, GlycoSurf needed to scale up production and advance from a small-scale fume hood into a dedicated laboratory bench that could accom-modate its new 7-foot reactor.

The UA Tech Park’s laboratory space was ideal because of its structure and support. The park customized the lab to accommodate GlycoSurf ’s specialized equipment, allow-

ing Coss and his teammates to rent a work-ready space without having to sink additional time into laboratory design and construction. The park’s “rent-a-bench” program allows com-panies the flexibility to expand their laboratory space while ramping up their operations to support their growth. In addition, the UA Tech Park offers a best-practices environ-ment, having adopted Good Labora-tory Practice standards for conduct-ing nonclinical research.

With the space and equipment challenges addressed, the company then worked on its business strategy with the Arizona Center for Innova-tion, a business incubator located at

the UA Tech Park that provides the hands-on business de-velopment assistance that new ventures need to start and grow successfully.

Looking at the entire process of taking an invention born of research all the way to market, GlycoSurf bubbles up as a prime example of how the University of Arizona sup-ports the entire technology commercialization continuum.

It all started with Coss simply reaching out to Tech Launch Arizona with an idea for an environmentally-friendly product.

From that point on, TLA’s resources were put to work to help this innovative researcher take that vision from a concept to full-fledged company. And today, Coss and his partners are on their way to contributing to a better world through successfully launching a better, smarter product into the marketplace.

“Our targetmarkets are

cosmeceuticals – anti-aging creams,

sunscreens, skin-lightning creams.”– Cliff Coss, UA Researcher

and Co-founder, GlycoSurf

GlycoSurfBenefits from Tech-to-Market Process

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Tech Parks Offer Business Advantage


More often than not, even the largest, most successful companies need to look beyond their own people and resources to advance. They need access to fresh talent, innovative ideas and new markets. Tech Parks Arizona offers an attractive array of services and initiatives designed to address those needs, giving companies a clear busi-ness advantage.

Global AdvantageGlobal Advantage is a partnership be-

tween Tech Parks Arizona and The Off-shore Group, which owns and operates manufacturing communities in Mexico and provides integrated support services to international companies who participate in these communities. The innovative collab-oration is designed to leverage the benefits and assets of the Arizona-Sonora region.

“Traditionally, many of the technology companies that are trying to enter the U.S. market come through the East or West coasts,” said Bruce A. Wright, associate VP president of Tech Parks Arizona, a unit of Tech Launch Arizona. TLA is a cabinet-level office focused on the UA’s technology commercialization and industry-sponsored research efforts, moving knowledge and in-ventions developed by students and faculty into the market.

“Tech Parks can be an alternate way to enter the U.S. market – particularly in ar-eas where we have world-class strengths at the university, or existing technology bases. We’re putting together a program that al-lows for a soft landing for some of these companies.”

Key technology areas are:

• Advanced energy

• Mining technology

• Defense and security technologies

• Bioscience and health

• Agriculture, water and arid lands technology

“Those five technology clusters are all areas in which the University of Arizona has very strong research programs and can have a direct connection to the Southern Arizona economy,” Wright said. “We think we can be very competitive in attracting in-ternational companies to the region, draw-ing upon strengths in those technology sec-tors.”

These additional key technology areas cross through all tech areas:

• Sustainability

• Imaging (optics/photonics)

• Advanced manufacturing

• Informatics

Launched in October, the Global Ad-vantage initiative is reaching out to busi-nesses, offering help in locating facilities, market analysis, regulatory compliance and access to a qualified workforce.

“We’re ramping up a marketing cam-paign and we’re putting together a whole array of business support services that can assist those companies with their market entry,” Wright said.

The partnership with Offshore, which operates three manufacturing parks in Mexico, is crucial. It allows companies that do research and prototyping at the UA Tech Park to ramp up manufacturing at more competitive rates.

Arizona Center for InnovationThe Arizona Center for Innovation, a

component of Tech Parks Arizona, fosters startups and assists emerging and mature technology companies in the development and commercialization of ideas, discover-ies and products. AzCI provides resources such as co-working space, full-service of-fices, professionally managed state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment, an inno-vative business development curriculum, and connections to business experts and

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Igniting Synergy at the Solar Zone

Not everything about solar energy is cut-and-dried, good and green.

A solar photovoltaic system might not seem so green if you’re the neighbor next to a square mile solar farm that turns into a heat island at night.

And it now appears that the blindingly bright desert sun might not even be the best place for solar production.

Two groups of University of Arizona sci-entists working out of the UA Tech Park say there was a lack of solid research on those aspects of solar farming, so they are using the Solar Zone to research the interaction of environment and solar en-ergy production.

Clouds Blowing in the Wind Not surprisingly, solar electric production plunges when clouds obscure sunlight. So, accurately predicting cloud cover minute to minute could be of great value to power companies, said Alex Cronin, associate professor in the UA College of Science Department of Physics.

Electrical utilities must have the capacity to make up for momentary variations in power generated by a solar plant that occur with changes between bright sky and cloud cover, he said.

“From individual (residential) rooftop photovoltaic systems I have seen solar power generation drop 50 percent in

three seconds from a thick cloud pass-ing by at the speed of the wind,” Cronin said. “The variation in power generation when clouds pass by is also very dra-matic for large utility-scale systems.

“In short, if we are going to take solar power generation to its next evolution, we must develop a much better under-standing of the close relationship be-tween the performance of solar power generation systems and the environment where they do their work.”

Optimal Temperatures for SolarWhile it’s obvious solar energy produc-tion only works when the sun is out, and multiacre solar panel and collector farms

By Dan Sorenson

www.BizTucson.com


The Solar Zone at the UA Tech Park is one of the world’s largest multitechnology, testing, evaluation and demonstration sites in the world. Out in this simultaneously experimental and functional sea of solar panels, eight companies employing a variety of technolo-gies are generating 23 megawatts of power.

The Solar Zone is a working laboratory for University of Arizona researchers – with the capability of monitoring how multiple types of technologies perform side by side under identical operating conditions. University researchers are testing everything from so-lar power forecasting to the environmental impact of solar energy installations.

Through its strategy as an alternative energy proving ground, the Solar Zone brings university researchers together with industry to address these very real-world challenges. Such partnering not only powers innovation, it is one of the core tenets of the UA’s Never Settle strategic plan.

This is where ideas can move from proof of concept and proto-type testing to incubating a startup company and launching a new product – all with the help and support of Tech Parks Arizona.


mentors-in-residence. Companies that have participated in AzCI

programs have attracted grant funding, in-vestments and employees, and established new products in the marketplace contribut-ing to the local economy.

AzCI serves as the Interactive Gound for startups, creating a rich and diverse culture that inspires and encourages further innova-tion. The center provides opportunities for startups and emerging companies to access the resources and connections new ventures need to move forward.

“We recently updated our programs and facilities to create a dynamic environment that inspires, encourages and empowers en-trepreneurs to transform their startups and emerging companies into successful and sustainable companies,” said Anita Bell, act-ing director of AzCI. “We are focused on providing the best support possible for each individual company.”

AzCI is an established and integral com-ponent of the region’s entrepreneur ecosys-tem. It is an active member of the National Business Incubator Association and a found-ing member of the Arizona Business Incu-bation Association. AzCI was launched in 2003, and its extended history and partner-ships enables it to bring proven best practices to the companies and community it serves.

Solar ZoneThe Solar Zone is one of the largest mul-

titechnology solar testing, evaluation and demonstration sites in the world.

It provides a single location for all ele-ments of solar energy including generation and distribution; research and development; assembly and manufacturing; product devel-opment; testing and evaluation; training for a suitability-minded workforce; and public education, outreach and demonstration.

“It’s testing and evaluating different kinds of solar generation and how you integrate that into the utility grid and manage envi-ronmental factors,” said Ken Marcus, direc-tor of the UA Tech Park.

Phase 1 of the Solar Zone – a joint venture between the UA and Tucson Electric Power – is nearing completion, with eight compa-nies generating 23 megawatts of power.

For Phase 2, the focus is on new solar and renewable technologies that need to be test-ed and introduced to the marketplace, par-ticularly in energy storage.

“We’re reaching out to companies that have new technologies in storage to convince them they should move the technology to the park for testing,” Wright said.

Igniting Synergy at the Solar Zone could have some effect on adjoining properties, other less obvious concerns are worth a look, said Nathan S. Allen, assistant staff scientist and sustainability coordinator at the UA’s Biosphere 2.

For instance, the brightest places may not be the best. Like most electronic devices, photovoltaic panels perform better and more efficiently at lower tem-peratures, Allen said. So, counterintui-tive as it might seem, if the amount of sunlight remains equal, cool Colorado might be better for making power from the sun than sizzling Arizona. The al-ready higher ambient temperatures of the desert might reduce the efficiency – and return on investment – for solar systems in hotter environments.

And the “heat island” effect – the re-tention and delayed release of heat by man-made materials – could be bad news for neighbors living next to mas-sive solar systems, Allen said.

“Basically, the work we are doing is a response to concerns about rapid devel-opment of solar-generation farms in the area. A number of local neighborhood associations and environmental groups raised concerns about heat islanding and there wasn’t any research.

Measuring ‘Heat Island’ Effect“The Tech Park, with a variety of sizes of solar systems, is providing a good laboratory for measuring heat islanding effects,” Allen said.

He’s is working with Greg Barron-Gafford, assistant professor in the UA School of Geography and Develop-ment, to find answers to some of the questions about heat island effects.

Working with the Solar Zone at the UA Tech Park is great, he said. “The site has large tracts of solar and also large tracts of undisturbed desert, as well as parking lots and buildings. We set up monitoring in those different areas.”

Barron-Gafford said he and Allen went into the project not just wondering whether the solar installation would cre-ate a solar heat island, but also whether the heat island effect really matters.

The questions being considered, Bar-ron-Gafford said, included “How big is that island?” and “Would any heat island reach far enough outside the in-stallation to have a detectable effect in those neighboring areas?”

Allen said, “From a human-environment perspective, this is a great chance to think about how we want more renew-able energy in our domestic portfolio, but these questions about the impacts come up.”

So far Allen and Barron-Gafford have a year’s data from the project at the Solar Zone, Allen said. While they have yet to complete and publish their findings, what they learn will surely affect our perspectives on how – and where – to take the future of solar energy genera-tion.




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“We see opportunities through the tech parks to

provide criticalinfrastruturefor advanced

manufacturing”– Bruce A. WrightAssociate VP, Tech Parks Arizona

Other areas of focus are next-genera-tion solar, such as integrating solar gen-eration into the skin of a building, the roof of a car or even clothing fabric.

“We have whole groups of faculty across campus working in the area of renewable and solar energy, so there is a lot of connectivity with the university,” Wright said.

Read more about leading edge solar research on page 112.

Security Innovation HubThe Security Innovation Hub is an

initiative that supports new and existing border security technologies, focusing on Southern Arizona’s growing indus-try and UA research strengths around homeland defense and border security technologies.

“We’ve been working with a group in the College of Engineering to put to-gether rapid- response teams – because many times federal government or civil-ian companies will put out an RFP and they want a quick response to evaluate that technology,” said Molly Gilbert, director of university and commu-nity engagement, Tech Parks Arizona. “We’ll work with faculty and students to conduct third-party analysis of these systems.”

In addition to independent third-party testing, the initiative focuses on connecting the broader industry to the UA Center for Excellence in Bor-der Security and Immigration funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the new UA Defense and Security Research Institute.

The hub initiative is a natural effort to take advantage of the university’s strategic location near the U.S.-Mexico

border and strategic military installa-tions. Capitalizing on the university’s strengths, the region’s security sector is growing – with more than 50 border technology companies currently oper-ating in or near Tucson.

“We are a border community and we have strengths in this area,” Wright said. “This also not only brings the technolo-gy forward for economic development, but addresses this concern about border security while allowing legitimate trade

to move across the border.“The big question is how to solve

what appears to be an inherent con-flict between legitimate free trade and the ability to interdict the bad guys or drugs being brought across the border. This has huge impact on Tucson and Southern Arizona.”

Read more about leading edge secu-rity research on page 115.

Advanced Manufacturing Hub As the demand for cutting-edge mate-

rials in fields such as biological sciences and nanotechnology increases, the role of manufacturing in the U.S. economy is shifting. The Obama administration has undertaken a number of initiatives intended to support advanced manu-facturing in the United States. Tech Parks Arizona is taking steps to leverage this movement and position the Tucson region as a hub for making the tomor-row’s products and materials.

“We want to be part of that as a uni-versity, and as a community. We see opportunities through the Tech Parks to provide critical infrastructure for ad-vanced manufacturing,” Wright said.

The foundation of the Advanced Manufacturing Hub has begun to take shape, with the UA receiving a planning grant from the federal government to put together a regional strategy over the next year, with the goal of positioning Southern Arizona to participate in this next-generation business. Then, with partners from Yuma, Ariz. to Las Cru-ces, N.M., the coalition could submit a proposal to get federal designation as an advanced manufacturing region.

“Our planning process is going for-ward, pointing toward certain tech-nological areas and the supply chains necessary to support an advanced man-ufacturing effort,” Wright said.

By identifying supply chains that pro-vide the exact manufacturing expertise and are in alignment with the univer-sity’s research strengths, Tech Parks Arizona is one step closer to creating an advanced manufacturing hub that can respond to market needs and ultimately generate a greater economic impact for the region.


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Trying to test or evaluate a modern bor-der security or military weapons system with tools made for machines from an earlier time is like servicing a Formula One race car with a Model T tool kit.

“If you’re the Department of Defense, maybe you’re used to testing missiles. That’s fine. But security and defense technology is so much broader today,” said Ricardo Valerdi, associate profes-sor of systems and industrial engineering in the University of Arizona College of Engineering.

“It’s now cybersystems, robotics or drones – things emerging so quickly that you can’t predict behavior, response or failure of the technology. There’s so much more intelligence in these products that traditional testing methods do not work.”

The testing and evaluation of new tech-nologies is an essential focus as aca-demics, companies and government agencies collaborate to develop these technologies and sculpt them to address today’s challenges – and tomorrow’s as well.

Valerdi is the developer of testing and validation methods for the Security In-novation Hub, which Tech Parks Arizona established to provide independent third-party testing, demonstration and evalu-ation for border, defense and security technologies. The Security Innovation Hub serves as a connection point where

researchers like Valerdi are developing testing and evaluation methodologies for new and existing technologies to validate their effectiveness outside a con-trolled environment such as a laboratory.

“We have the capability at the UA Tech Park to test these technologies in an out-door environment. Instead of just testing them in a lab, researchers can test pro-posed technologies in the field with real-life conditions, like wind, rain, sun and interferences from radio frequencies and electromagnetic fields. This provides in-dustry and governmental agencies with the benefit of seeing the technology dem-onstrated in action.

“The basic idea is if you have a system that has an unlimited combo of configu-rations, you can’t test all possible config-urations. You have to do smarter testing, combinations most likely to break the system. You want to break the system as soon as you can.”

“Right now a lot of it is about cybersecu-rity – hackers. But it could be applied to unmanned aerial vehicles, drones – any system that has software. Not only do we have the technology to do the test-ing, but the methodologies. And smarter means less expensive. We want to build a methodology that becomes smarter over time.”

“It’s nowcybersystems,

robotics or drones.There’s so much more intelligencein these productsthat traditionaltesting methods

do not work.”– Ricardo Valerdi

Associate Professor College of Engineering

The University of Arizona

www.BizTuc-

Testing the LimitsBy Dan Sorenson

Biz


In world of high-tech advances, university researchers play a critical role. Technology con-cepts need to be tested and validated before they can be developed into products for the market – which is especially im-portant when that market is de-fense and security. University of Arizona experts evaluate these ever-evolving technologies, not just in the laboratory but also out in the real environment.


BizINNOVATION


Robots &Solar Go-Karts

By Mary Minor Davis

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The mission, should the team choose to accept it, is to construct a robot that can carry out a se-ries of actions, both on its own and controlled by a team of operators, to compete in a complex game in a carefully constructed arena. Points are awarded. Competitors are eliminated in each se-ries, and alliances are formed as the competition draws to its final conclusion with one robot win-ning the battle.

While this may sound like an outline for a high-tech Hollywood sci-fi thriller, it is actually the basis for the FIRST Robotics Competition, an international compe-tition in which students in grades 9 through 12 employ STEM – sci-ence, technology, en-gineering and math – concepts, formulas and principles to construct and operate robots that meet the challenge. The program is one of two high school STEM projects supported by Tech Parks Arizona.

Molly Gilbert, direc-tor of university and community engage-ment for Tech Parks Ar-izona, said supporting STEM projects makes good business sense.

“We look at this as part of workforce development for the region,” she said. “For our employers here at the Tech Park, a large part of their success is dependent on the ability to attract quality talent. We believe that by supporting these types of programs, we can help spark interest in STEM careers.”

The FIRST Robotics Competition was started in 1992 to provide a platform for “smart people to compete,” according to Don Adams, an in-structor at Vail Academy and High School and the robotics team coach. FIRST – which means

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is an organization that develops a new game each year where teams of 25 or more students must build a robot that can actively per-form the actions in the game specifications.

Teams have six weeks to build complicated robots, a process that requires not only a deep understanding of engineering and technical principles, but also the know-how to apply them to real-world problems. They must develop a business plan and raise money to offset the nearly $15,000 required for materials, registration and

travel fees to partici-pate in the regional competition.

Adams said Cater-pillar has generously committed to sponsor-ing the costs of one regional competition each year, with the UA Tech Park provid-ing a workshop for the team to use to build their robot. Employees from Raytheon Mis-sile Systems, IBM and other Tech Park ten-ants volunteer as men-tors for each group of competitors.

“The whole thing is based on teamwork, strategy and coopera-

tion,” Adams said. “Our goal is to build relation-ships and to give kids exposure to a STEM envi-ronment that is fun and competitive. I think we accomplish this very well.”

Tiffini Tobiasson, a recent graduate of Vail Academy and High School who has participated in the program for four years, including serving as co-captain for a year, couldn’t agree more. This fall, she will attend the Illinois Institute of Technology on a full scholarship, studying chem-ical or mechanical engineering with a minor in

“The approach we’re taking is

not just telling kids these are good

careers, but showing them why they are.

And there’s fun involved too.”– Molly Gilbert

Director of University andCommunity Engagement

Tech Park Arizona

Summer 2014 > > > BizTucson 117www.BizTucson.com Summer 2014 > > > BizTucson 117www.BizTucson.com


business administration. “The FIRST robotics program and

team have been my inspiration for life,” Tobiasson said. “Before I joined the team I knew nothing about what I wanted to do. But after joining I fell in love with the people, the lessons and the principles. I learned the principles of engineering and this is where I found my place.

“I have always loved to make things, but I never really thought that I could make a career out of it until I joined the team. I know that I will always be involved in FIRST because it stands for so much more than just building robots. It teaches confidence.”

In addition to the robotics competi-tion, Tech Parks Arizona initiated Rac-ing the Sun, a solar go-kart race now in its third year. It’s held at the Mussleman Honda Circuit facility near the Pima County Fairgrounds.

Michael Keck is a teacher at Ciene-ga and the coach for the solar go-kart club. Utilizing STEM applications, he said, students construct a solar-powered vehicle, incorporating solar panels do-

nated by Global Solar, a local solar panel employer. Racing the Sun com-petitors must also develop a business plan, a budget, a marketing and public relations plan, and fundraising goals. As part of the annual race, they are also required to make a presentation to a panel of judges.

For the first two years, three teams from Tucson participated. After pro-moting the competition during the an-nual Association for Career Technical Education of Arizona conference last year, Tech Parks Arizona opened reg-istration statewide and participation increased with nine total teams partici-pating in the race.

In Tucson, the race drew teams from Canyon del Oro, Cienega, Rincon/University, Sabino and Santa Rita high schools. Phoenix-area high schools that competed were Desert Vista, Dysart, Ironwood, McClintock and Shadow Ridge.

“What makes it fun for me is seeing the light bulb go off with these kids once they solve a ratio or understand the relationship between the mechanics of the vehicle, the design, weight and

speed,” Keck said. “The project drives the learning.”

Gilbert added, “When I was in high school, no one was showing me what it looked like to be an engineer or a scien-tist, so I didn’t know what it meant to do those kinds of jobs. I didn’t like math and I knew engineering required a lot of math – but if someone had shown me what it was like to be an engineer, that might have changed my perspec-tive. That’s part of what we’re trying to do with these programs.

“The approach we’re taking is not just telling kids these are good careers, but showing them why they are. And there’s fun involved, too.”

For the community, programs like these help feed into larger workforce development goals and create better jobs, Gilbert said. They also support Tucson’s mission to train and retain high-tech talent and become a high-tech city.

“We need to have the employee base to attract those companies,” Gilbert said. “Programs that inspire like these help foster that goal.”

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The BoxerBots placed third in the FIRST Robotics Competition 2014, Aerial Assist. Aerial Assist, the name of this year’s game, combines the two features of the game: obtaining assist points by passing the yoga ball to other robots and then launching the ball into the air for even more points.

http://www.techparks.arizona.ed


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htp://tucsonymca.org

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