to share network connectivity and figuring
out whether I am going to call you or you are
going to call me, or are we going to have to
meet someplace else, the connectivity piece
is very complicated and it all comes down to
what room you are in.
Communities often already possess the
necessary resources for teleconferencing
but lack the know-how to locate or utilize
those resources. Public libraries can
play a valuable role in providing access
to connectivity, especially in cities like
Sahuarita, Nogales, and Yuma.
As Major noted, “Part of that connectivity
in the future for many people has to be
using their libraries. Where do people go
who don’t have Internet in their home, or
a computer? They go to the libraries. So
we have to be able to provide access to
resources there.”
An important component of preparing for
the press conference was ensuring that
each location’s equipment worked and
that people were comfortable using it.
Martin, Assistant Director of ATP’s T-Health
Institute, underscored the value of testing
beforehand, saying it is important to make
sure that each remote site is comfortable
using their own equipment, and that each
site has a way to contact ATP so that if
there are any technical difficulties, the
problems can be resolved behind-thescenes without interrupting the actual
press conference. He added:
I was a little worried just because there were
a lot of sites that had equipment but it was
either in a closet and they hadn’t used it
[recently], or this was their first time using
it. So, I was a little nervous but it worked out
well. I was very happy with the outcome of it.
One of the most exciting results of the
press conference is the possibility of
future collaborations between ATP and
Arizona SciTech. Yonsetto, ATP’s Video
Conferencing Administrator, described the
fit between the two organizations:
The thing that makes us a good partner for
Arizona SciTech is that we have great friends
in communities where there are existing
science communities, but we also have great
connections in places where we can help build
science communities.
This could potentially be a statewide effort
and a really big kickoff, if we can help Jeremy
[Babendure] to get the kickoff onto the
Governor’s calendar so folks can schedule
their facilities. What a great way to kick off
AZSCITECH Festival 2016 by inviting mayors
to their own STEM/STEAM communities! Next
year, wouldn’t it be great if Jeremy and our
engineers built a videoconference to meet and
greet with fifteen mayors?
Our organization was perfect for the
[Arizona] SciTech event in that we have a
nice facility in T-Health for presenters, and we
have the equipment to bring in many remote
endpoints. Our program is largely focused on
education, training, and clinical interaction
with remote, hard-to-serve communities. Of
course, we also have many urban members
as well. The collaboration and technology
presented [at the teleconference] was a good
example of how you can bring communities
together via video.
Videoconferencing connectivity can build a
virtual community during this event to infuse
some great career possibilities—for instance,
Careers in Copper—Live from Sahuarita. We
could get someone to talk about agriculture
careers from Yuma. I would love to see a
couple of sites try to do theirs the same day—
teach them in advance how to do it, spend
time with them in advance, nurture the idea,
help make that happen for other folks. If you
want to do this in your hometown, this is
what you need and these are the resources we
can help you find.
Major presented her vision of next year’s
Arizona SciTech kickoff event, one that
would combine ATP’s teleconferencing
mastery with Tucson’s Key 2 Employment
Symposium, an established event that
highlights STEM careers:
Major emphasized that the kind of
collaborative effort that Arizona SciTech
champions can deliver outstanding
results: “I know we can really do great
things as a team. That’s the power of
videoconferencing!”
15