PC Joins Arizona SciTech Festival With Feb. 7 Events, Including "Calculus: The Musical"

(PHOENIX, Ariz., Jan. 30, 2012) – The Arizona SciTech Festival is coming to Maricopa Community Colleges and many campuses, including Phoenix College, will be holding events and activities that showcase their offerings in science, technology, engineering and math.

As part of the festival, on February 7, 2012 Phoenix College will highlight innovations in chemistry, math, robotics, cadaver lab tour, medical lab science, histologic technology and bioscience education. Tours, demonstrations, speakers and two performances of "Calculus: The Musical!" will be featured. The latter will be shown in the Bulpitt Auditorium at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

“Calculus: The Musical!” is performed by a two-person troupe from Know Theatre of Cincinnati. It showcases calculus concepts in a humorous and accessible manner. The performances are free and open to the public.

Seth Goodman, PC's Project Director for Title V grant and coordinator of the school's SciTech activities, said the festival is "no small feat and will get better each year."

"It is intended to show there is a lot of activity in science, math and technology and a person doesn’t have to work too hard to seek it out," he said.

The point of the festival is to show people how science and technology will be driving forces in our society for years to come and offer them an entry point for becoming part of it, says Goodman.

Prior to each performance, PC Math professor James Sousa will make presentations on an open source arithmetic course he developed. Open source means the course materials are available online and free to use by anybody who would like to. They are especially helpful to students who need to brush up on pre-algebra math concepts and perhaps score higher on placement tests.

The open source pre-algebra coursework includes video instruction (YouTube), a digital e-book and online practice sessions with instant feedback. Sousa’s presentations, which will be at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Room 201, provide participants with specific information to access the open source course and materials.

For a full schedule of festival-related activities on the PC campus, click here.

The Arizona SciTech Festival showcases Arizona as a national leader in science, technology and innovation through a series of events spearheaded by the Arizona Technology Council Foundation in partnership with Arizona State University and Arizona Science Center. A plethora of activities during the month of February and into March will be held.

The festival is a grassroots collaboration of more than 200 organizations in industry, academia, arts, community and K-12, geared to generate interest and enthusiasm among all Arizonans about how science and technology will drive our state in the coming years.

For an event calendar of the general festival activities, click here.

For more information on PC SciTech activities, contact Seth Goodman at 602.285.7908.