At UAT, we’re proud to share stories of exceptional tech entrepreneurs, and this month we’re focusing on digital marketing. And in addition, since February is Black History Month, we feel it’s important to highlight black owned technology businesses.
AZ Family News Reporter Provides Students an Opportunity for Web Design
...and classrooms and labs and commons areas all around UAT!
Kyle Stecki recently completed his final in my NTS405 course (Network Security). He did an excellent job war gaming an attack, describing it in a very creative format.
Meet Professor Heather Peters!
Professor Peters received her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in secondary education mathematics and her master’s degree in education from Northern Arizona University. After teaching high school math in a public school for 11 years, she taught English overseas in a remote town in China, before joining the family at University of Advancing Technology as a mathematics professor four years ago.
We asked Professor Peters to share with us what she wished others would have told her before starting her educational journey. From budgeting to mentorship, her advice is full of answers to questions that you simply might not realize you should ask! Read on, and feel free to ask any questions it sparks as the fall semester will be here before you know it!
At the end of July, UAT students and alumni wrapped up the summer semester by competing in the Summer 2020 UAT Game Jam. Hosted online from July 17–26, the 9-day jam was designed to be open to all levels, including those who had never even made a game before, with professors available on Discord to mentor and help solve problems. Veteran jammers and experienced developers were also strongly encouraged to partner with and mentor the newbies.
An Interview with Shellye Cayce
Parents and students will be spending more time online and connected to other students, educators, and employers in the coming months. This new normal poses special challenges and can feel daunting. However, by being vigilant, paying attention to the details, and communicating with your child about privacy and personal safety, you should find this transition to be pleasant and rewarding.
One of the most common questions students have when choosing their field of study is also a very important question—will I be able to find a job when I graduate?
AZ StRUT and UAT Students Rebuilt Computers for Schools Throughout Three-Day Competition
At UAT, we are committed to helping our students find great employment and internships that match their skill sets. In fact, our Students Services team is actively working with companies who understand that although things may be different right now, we must still keep moving forward.
One such organization is Lights Camera Discover (LCD), a 501c3 nonprofit organization led by Executive Director Kema Charles, that provides underserved youth opportunities to develop confidence, build self-esteem, and learn teamwork through digital arts programs.
Kema Charles, Executive Director and Founder of Lights Camera Discover works with students on filmmaking and animation basics.
In addition to working with Student Services to match students with the needs of their nonprofit, Lights Camera Discover also works with Crystal Onyema, a National Admissions Representative at UAT. "I’ve known Kema Charles for seven years," said Crystal. "We randomly met at an old job and connected from day one! I have now been on the Board for the past five years. Before that, I taught screenwriting and helped run the bootcamps."
Crystal Onyema, a National Admissions Representative at UAT, is a Board member and volunteer at Lights Camera Discover.
Crystal says that thanks to Kema, LCD is really on the upswing. "Kema has taken the nonprofit to several other cities but still calls the Phoenix area its home," she said. "Dozens of successful workshops have been carried out and students spend time creating, shooting and editing their own films/animations. Kids who initially come in shy, withdrawn or with a defense mechanism are seen to gain confidence, and break out of their shell. For some, it is the first time being asked to be a part of a team, have responsibilities to carry out tasks. Some of the subject matter focuses in on self-confidence, social awareness and anti-bullying."
Recently, I sat down (Zoomed, rather) with UAT alum and network security badass Terra Cooke. She is an epic presence—worldly, thoughtful and brings vibes of power and leadership to any situation she walks into.
I think it’s safe to say that the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” has been overdone, and then some. But after looking at the photos from our latest near-space Mission 5, I simply cannot find the words to describe what the students have accomplished.
Considering the unrest and outpouring of anger currently sweeping the nation over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, I would like to remind my fellow employees of the injustices that persist in our society today. We must view this time as a searing reminder that there is still much to be done, to combat inequality in the hopes of a better and brighter future for generations to come. While there are no simple solutions to magically make the hurt and pain disappear, we must endeavor to use this extraordinarily painful time as the turning point on this important issue.
By Dr. Mark Bowles
Samael Newgate is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) student at UAT who is graduating with a Bachelors in Advancing Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, as well as an Associates in Data Science. For his final project in his advanced AI course, he programmed a JavaScript Face Recognition Application that works on any regular browser!
Google Home, smart watches, Nest, you’ve probably used one of these popular IoT devices before. This helpful technology allows users to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-computer interaction. This means you can have a smart home, or an IoT environment, where devices can communicate with each other for seamless user experiences.
Innovation is key at UAT—staff, faculty and students are always looking to create something. The University bought the Segway Loomo platform for Advancing Computer Science and Robotics and Embedded Systems students to program it. Enter Brandon Michelsen.
Scott Velasquez
Did you know that 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion each year? That equals 43,000 pints of donated blood used each day in the United States and Canada. Luckily, one donation can potentially save up to three lives.
Day one of the beginner drawing class starts with students exploring many types of traditional media. Getting comfortable with Conte crayon, various types of charcoal and art pencils is their first assignment. The drawing class guides students through an introduction to the hardness scale for art pencils and a tutorial on how different hardness levels of graphite react to erasing and blending. The goal of this class exercise is to introduce students to manipulating foreign media. We can’t wait to see the art they create!
Spotted! University of Advancing Technology (UAT) zombie fighters are having a great time! What is the most popular game of tag? College students would argue it’s Humans vs. Zombies, which is played around the world.
Student-led multimedia production company at UAT brings together innovation, creativity and a group of nerds. BunchOfNerds (BON) was created as a club for students to create projects and network.
What does financial literacy mean? You see articles on high schools graduating students who know math and how to read and write, but they are lacking fundamental life skills, including financial literacy. When many young adults move out, they still don’t know how to budget, pay bills or get insurance.
UAT makes students’ dreams a reality.
On Tuesday, April 14, UAT students presented their Student Innovation Projects (SIP). This time, however, it was not in our traditional theatre—but virtually—through Zoom.
Justin Anthony is a Navy veteran and UAT graduate. After running across his name in the Omaha World-Herald, we thought we'd check in to see how he feels about his education and experience at UAT, as well as his career since graduation. Read on to find out more about Justin!
Did you know UAT has their own version of Shark Tank, coined Tech Tank, where students pitch their hypothetical business ideas to a panel of real-world potential investors, business owners and entrepreneurs. The goal of Tech Tank is to see who can give the best pitch, arrive the most prepared and encourage the panel to invest in their idea.
Rebecca Levasseur
Ricky Martinez knows how to hustle. As an Excel Leader and Student Mentor, Ricky is a familiar face to all on the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) campus. He’s also active in clubs, is double-majoring in Game Programming and Robotics and Embedded Systems and works in the UAT Cafe.
Pictured front row: Blanca Vasquez, Antonio Newman, El Rois. Middle: Michael Durst, Jorge Martinez, Aramis Wero. Back: Donovan Potter
Pictured: Ricky Eredia with a lesser Madagascar hedgehog tenrec
University of Advancing Technology (UAT) celebrated our veteran students, friends and family on Veterans Day at the UAT campus amphitheater. The service, dedication and sacrifices made by the men and women serving our nation in the United States military are recognized by staff, faculty and students at UAT. The appreciation event included students writing thank you cards to send to active military.
Elijah McKay is President of the campus Nerf Club and a Founder's Hall Resident Assistant (RA). RAs are new students’ best friends. They help students with the transition to university life and their educational journey at UAT. RAs are known to be an information hub for academic matters, campus activities, administrative procedures and campus and community resources. Elijah enjoys being an RA because he can help bring people together.
During the first week that our nation was dealing with the spread of COVID-19, and while many were unsure of what to do for higher ed to continue on schedule, UAT students responded by not only easily converting to all virtual classes—they jumped at the chance to use their skills to be part of the solution.
Brandon Michelsen, Garren Koller, Ke’Ondrae Mell and Dylan Crockett are considered by UAT faculty, peers, and staff as outstanding, hard-working students. Due to their impressive combination of skills and experience with machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced programming, robotics, software development and app integration, they were selected as interns for a robotics project with UAT’s on-campus, co-working space designed for tech companies, Perimeter83.
Incoming!
Society is experiencing an unprecedented phenomenon. COVID-19 is forcing people all over the globe to stay in their homes and practice social distancing.
During a pandemic, it’s very easy to give up. There is a buffet of factors to choose from to justify that opinion.
By Lisha Dunlap, Sr. PR Assoc., Media & Influencer Relations.
Uncertain times. Those are the words repeated in every news program, commercial, article, and post. And although accurate, these two words have a very heavy connotation and carry the weight of our nation’s current fears.
At UAT, Professor Nathan Eskue is an excellent resource for space enthusiasts, with 20 years of aerospace/defense industry experience, including work for NASA, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman.
For some, keeping their distance from the rest of the world is a dream come true, and for others, it’s a bit of a nightmare. But no matter where you fall in the spectrum of introvert vs. extrovert, we all could use a little help keeping busy throughout this time of self-quarantine. Because everyone needs a better option than a Hallmark movie marathon…
At UAT, we are proud of our exceptional students. Every year our graduates impress the world as they go on to become respected innovators in their fields. One such person is Yasmin Nejad, a UAT alumni who graduated with not just one, but three degrees! Yasmin share her experience and insight with us, as she gets ready to continue her education in a master's degree program.
Tell us more about you… where are you from, what are your interests?
For technophiles, CES isn’t just a conference—it’s bigger and better than any theme park, and there are even more possibilities than most can imagine. Business and tech leaders from all over the world converge to show off what’s happening now, and even more exciting, what’s possible for the future.
Friday, January 31 through Sunday, February 2 The Global Game Jam (GGJ)—the world's largest game jam event—happened around the world, with a physical location taking over the campus of the University of Advancing Technology (UAT).
At UAT, we are proud of the work students consistently do while on campus, but it's really exciting to see them continue on with great success after graduation. Every year our students leave to become respected innovators, and an excellent example is Tylene "Ty" Robinson, International & Sales Operations Manager at Symetrix in Seattle. Read on to find out where she's been and how she's achieved her current success.
Each year, a variety of professional development organizations release data on emerging and in-demand fields to help the market predict changes and bridge gaps in the talent workforce. This data is informative for career-changers, but especially important for younger students planning for their future and choosing a college degree. For those interested in becoming a tech expert in some function of Artificial Intelligence, Software Development, Data Science, Robotics or Cyber Security, there appears to be a promising future ahead.
This past fall, AZBigMedia hosted a panel of Arizona Cyber Security experts at the AZ Tech Talk, moderated by UAT’s very own Data Privacy expert, Dr. Dave Bolman, University of Advancing Technology’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer. The panel was brought together to provide critical information to Arizona individuals, businesses, and schools on the rising concern of data privacy, how to safeguard systems to prevent a cyber security breach from occurring, where to find cyber security resources and how to get help after a cyber-attack of at any level has occurred.
by Valerie Cimarossa, Vice President, Marketing & Technology
Jacob Glass and Ceara McSherry have gone a long way since graduation... literally, a long way in their travels across the globe. From zip-lining through the rain forest to chasing shipwrecks off the coast of New Zealand, these two have documented an exciting voyage since leaving campus, capturing their adventures and beautiful surroundings. As they come to the end of their journey, we sent them some questions about life after UAT. Read on.
UAT students created a virtual escape room for their Student Innovation Project, and Phoenix is buzzing about it!
by: Valerie Cimarossa, UAT Vice President of Marketing & Technology
Last summer Mattel released a new line of scientist Barbies co-designed with National Geographic and ecologist Nalini Nadkarni. The line includes Barbies featuring scientific careers such as a marine biologist, astrophysicist, photojournalist, conservationist and entomologist. This isn’t Barbie’s first STEM career. In past years Barbie has worked as a computer engineer, a Mars explorer, an architect, a game developer and most recently a robotics engineer. But what impact on our young people, with career aspirations as big as their imaginations, does this really have?
Dr. Mark Smith, Professor and Program Champion of Business Technology, has been throwing UAT students to the sharks for 4 years through his “Mark Tank” program. Held at the end of each semester and upon completion of the Business 200 course, students are mostly competing for entrepreneurial bragging rights, but those presenting also get exposure to area professionals who judge the competition—and the people that choose who swims away a winner.
Meet Drew Foster, Animal Curator at the Phoenix Zoo and Adjunct Associate Professor at UAT. It’s well-known that UAT tech classes are hands on, but many don’t know that our expert adjuncts also bring other real-world experiences to their classrooms, and Drew has done that in an exciting way through his Animal Diversity class.
Read how bringing zoo animals into the classroom has made for greater learning for UAT students, and see what’s ahead for Drew’s spring courses.
Our students are preparing to be holly jolly for the holiday season!
When you want to know about computer science, the best person you can ask—of course—is a scientist! So, we sat down with Dr. Jill Coddington, Advancing Computer Science (ACS) Program Champion and Professor, to talk about Computer Science Education Week.
At UAT, a Student Innovation Project (SIP) is a culmination of an undergraduate student’s hard work on a specific assignment relative to their degree and technological field of study. A SIP is similar to a Capstone or Master’s thesis but with an agile, new-age approach to developing a student’s career-readiness.
In late November, UAT students participated in the Good Morning IoT Contest, the 3rd Delos AI Coding Contest for Westworld. For AI students, it was an opportunity to turn their dreams into reality, as Delos was looking for AI (Artificial Intelligence) coders for Westworld, and contest winners are considered for these positions.
Drones are always a hot item on holiday tech wish lists, so we checked in with Jacy Smith, our Business Development Specialist for Perimeter83, to review a few of UAT's drones.
With the Christmas countdown on, the tech-savvy and their parents may struggle to find a gift cool enough for those who can already design their own game or program a robot. But don’t worry, we got you. We interviewed the President of University of Advancing Technology, Jason Pistillo, for this year's hottest gifts to ensure your ability to knock your recipient's plushy Star Wars-themed socks off.
The U.S. Census Bureau is preparing for the 2020 Count, and the City of Tempe is joining their efforts to spread awareness and highlight its importance. On Friday, Nov. 15, student creatives and community storytellers met at the Tempe History Museum for Tempe Creatives for the Count, a collaborative event held to brainstorm and design digital content and messaging that will spread awareness about the 2020 census.
