UAT, Small Private Tech College Prepares the Programmers, Engineers and Tech Innovators of the Future.

​By: Michele Peters, AZ SciTech Writer​

If the thought of becoming a robotic engineer, game innovator, cyber warrior or forensic sleuth sounds right up your alley, then the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) needs to be on your “aware of” list.

This small, private college tucked quietly away in the Tempe area is a bastion of education for those who are into the world of latest technology and STEAM. In short, UAT is a committed catalyst to making the region a hi-tech hot spot and create opportunities for the future STEAM professionals in our area.

But in these times of sprawling universities, thousands upon thousands of students on multiple campuses…what does a small, private university solely dedicated to technology look like? An interview with Dr. David Bolman, UAT Provost and Dean clarified everything “…if I could build a college based on STEAM, what would it look like? Unique, interesting and high energy…a college that I would have gone to, if it had existed when I was choosing a school…stimulating, engaging and creative. It would be an example of the best thinking – practice creativity – practice STEAM. More than take classes, pass tests and get a degree. It would include creativity into the curriculum, within the scope of the class. For instance, learn how to build a robot – then actually build that robot. We build a culture at UAT, the students actually try out what they want to do…”

According to Bolman, technology and helping create the professionals of tomorrow also includes learning about history, art, and culture, it includes learning to work in teams. Build and design something together, as a team; teams that are comprised of diverse people, different ages. Technology needs to be adaptable and be part of our lives, conscious of who we are as a people, it’s aesthetics, it’s design; it is who we are as a culture. This is the future of STEAM.

In Bolman’s opinion, the future of jobs in Arizona will be science and STEAM-based which was a major reason he gave for UAT sponsorship of the AZ SciTech Festival. He stated, “taking part in the Festival plants the idea of a future career in STEAM in the minds of Jr. high and high school students. It will be much easier to fill the pipeline with STEAM-educated professionals if we get these students thinking about STEAM careers now, thinking they can create a life, a career, doing this.”

And Bolman’s opinions are supported by facts. The Department of Labor refers to the ‘sciences’ as the ‘Creative Class’ job classification, STEAM jobs will represent 35-45% of those ‘creative class jobs. Bolman continued, “…in Arizona it will easily be one in three jobs – these will be STEAM jobs. “…we want to be the model of what STEAM education will look like ten years from now, to help students become immersed in STEAM.”

UAT and its stated mission “to educate students in advancing technology who innovate for our future…” is perhaps one of the main reasons UAT has been a participant in the AZ SciTech Festival since the Festival’s beginning five years ago and is now a much appreciated sponsor of the annual event. “The AZ SciTech Festival, all of its activities, hands-on demonstrations, wide breadth of STEAM, fits exactly with our philosophy of creativity and STEAM education. A great example is the AZ SciTech Chief Science Officer (CSO) initiative and the CSO Camp. This extends STEAM education far beyond the realm of ‘support’.

So for all those technogeeks, soon to be technogeeks and wannabe technogeeks, there really is a dream college experience for you – where your technogeekiness, your uniqueness combined with the power of a well-rounded education in technology is your future in STEAM. And it’s right here in Arizona!