Corridor NEWS RELEASES

Local Students Take an Up-Close Look at High Tech Careers

Demonstrations at UF Aim to Get Young Students Excited About Math and Physics

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (September 20, 2011) –As part of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s (FHTCC) techPATH initiative to cultivate tomorrow’s workforce by promoting high tech careers to students, the University of Florida’s (UF) Department of Physics will host a special program showing Alachua County middle school students the science behind major forces of nature, all while exploring the high tech field of simulation. 

The September 20 “Math and Physics Day” will introduce 30 local middle school students to the value of science and math through physics experiments, presentations from academic experts and a fun, hands-on session with the world’s largest portable hurricane wind and rain simulator at UF.

“Math & Physics Day is an exciting way to share information about a range of technical career fields to which many of the students might never be exposed,” said Dr. Jeff Bindell, director of the FHTCC techPATH Educational Consortium and lecturer in physics at the University of Central Florida (UCF).  “This program is intended to ‘light the spark’ to get kids thinking about how math and physics could help them in their future careers.”

In addition to interactive lessons, Math & Physics Day will demonstrate the diverse opportunities for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, showing students the education it takes to secure fun, high tech jobs in many diverse industries.

About the Florida High Tech Corridor Council
The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is a regional economic development initiative of the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Florida (UF) whose mission is to grow high tech industry and innovation in the region through research, workforce and marketing partnerships.

The unique partnership involving more than 25 local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs) and 14 state and community colleges, has resulted in a strategic approach to high tech economic development that involves matching funds research, workforce development and a marketing program leveraging governmental, EDO and corporate budgets on a regional rather than local basis.

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council was the International Economic Development Council’s category winner for Partnerships with Educational Institutions during its 2009 Excellence in Economic Development Awards.  In 2010, the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) awarded the Council’s Matching Grants Research Program in the category of Improving Competitiveness of Existing Industries as part of its 2010 Excellence in Technology-Based Economic Development Awards.

For more information, visit www.floridahightech.com.

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