Op-ed piece promotes science research, ISTB4

The Arizona Republic published an op-ed on March 31 in the Southeast Valley Opinions section by State Representative Andrew Sherwood describing why investment in science is important for Arizona.

"According to the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona’s university research enterprises in 2012 created 15 startup companies, nearly 400 invention disclosures and 47 U.S. patents," wrote Sherwood in the column. "It infused $1 billion of investment capital into our state’s economy. All of this is the result of university research."

“Before my visit to [ASU’s Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building IV], a constituent described it to me as 'the scientific community’s next flagship.' After my visit, I can tell you this is not an exaggeration,” he wrote.

ISTB 4, ASU's newest science building, is designed to advance research and discovery, and to encourage children to explore their futures as scientists and engineers. The building will do this through a mixture of high-tech labs, interactive environments and open spaces that will allow the public to witness research and technology advancement as it happens.

The seven-story, 293,000-square-foot building is designed to provide flexible laboratories for ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, ASU’s Security and Defense Systems Initiative, and research laboratories and centers of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Sherwood highlighted the facility’s impressive first floor gallery space and glass-fronted labs designed to engage visitors from the Valley and beyond. He writes that the facility “inspires the excitement of Earth and space sciences and the technologies that make new discoveries possible.”

The piece, "My Turn: Scientific research at ASU vital for state’s future," can be read in full via the link below.