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Oct. 7, 2019

Media Advisory: UA Experts Taking Center Stage at TENWEST Impact Festival

  • What: TENWEST Impact Festival
  • When: Oct. 11-20
  • Where: Visit TENWEST.com for a full schedule of events.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Around 15,000 local, regional and national attendees are expected in downtown Tucson for the annual TENWEST Impact Festival, to be held Oct. 11-20. Approximately 250 speakers, including more than 50 from the University of Arizona, will discuss innovative solutions to social, environmental and economic issues. Some highlights include:

  • Meeting the Need for Higher Education & Professional Development in Indian Country – Monday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m., Tucson Convention Center, Greenlee Meeting Room. Robert Williams Jr., Regents Professor of law, and Tory Fodder, Indigenous Governance Program manager, will be part of a panel presenting a case study on how tribes can strengthen their governance, rebuild their nations and demonstrate sovereignty in action.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): Tap or slam on the brakes? – Monday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m., Tucson Convention Center, Greenlee Meeting Room. Paul Melendez, founder of the Center for Leadership Ethics in the Eller College of Management, will examine the benefits of AI technology, as well as economic, legal and ethical issues it raises.
  • The Art and Science of Making Musical Instruments – Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2:30 p.m., Tucson Convention Center, Apache/Cochise Meeting Room. Bruce Bayly, professor of mathematics, will bring a variety of instruments to illustrate the physical principles of their designs and show attendees how to make their own instruments.
  • Diversity in Entrepreneurship – Thursday, Oct. 17, 3 p.m., Tucson Convention Center, Gila Meeting Room. Joan Timeche, executive director of the Native Nations Institute in the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, will take part in a panel of how to create a level playing field in entrepreneurship for women- and minority-owned companies.
  • Creating Spaces for Healthy Aging: Measuring Health, Wellbeing & Performance Non-Invasively: From Molecules to Environment – Friday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m., Tucson Convention Center, Mojave Meeting Room. Esther Sternberg, director of the University of Arizona Institute on Place, Wellbeing and Performance, will discuss features of the built environment that promote physical health and emotional wellbeing, with a focus on aging populations.
  • Defending the Planet From Falling Rocks – Friday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m., Tucson Convention Center, Coconino Meeting Room. Amy Mainzer, professor of planetary science, will detail the search for potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that might impact the Earth.
  • From Farm to Table: AI Sensors and Big Data Help Produce More and Better Food – Friday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m., Tucson Convention Center, Greenlee Meeting Room. Monica Schmidt, associate professor of plant science; Uwe Hilgert, director of industry engagement, workforce development and STEM training at the BIO5 Institute; Eric Lyons, associate professor of plant science; and Murat Kacira, professor of biosystems engineering will take part in a panel about how new and advanced technologies can help farmers and businesses improve food production and distribution.
  • Humanity in the Age of the Genome Revolution – Friday, Oct. 18, 3 p.m., Tucson Convention Center, Greenlee Meeting Room. Michael F. Hammer, research scientist with Arizona Research Labs, and Floyd Chilton, professor of nutritional sciences, will discuss research on precision health, designed to avoid disease through individually tailored wellness strategies.
  • Podcast, Cli-Fi and Science Storytelling for Climate Action in the Built Environment – Friday, Oct. 18, 3 p.m., Tucson Convention Center, Mohave Meeting Room. Ladd Keith, assistant professor of planning in the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, will talk about how to give narrative shape to the climate crisis through novels, films and podcasts.

For more information and for a full schedule of events, visit TENWEST.com.
 

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Media contact:
Andy Ober
University Communications
520-621-9017
andyober@email.arizona.edu
The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 25 in 2018 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $687 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 62 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually.