Arizona Technology Council Announces the Future Innovators and Teacher of the Year Awardees for its 2023 Governor's Celebration of Innovation

PHOENIX - Oct. 11, 2023 - PRLog -- The Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Commerce Authority today announced the winners of the Future Innovators of the Year and Teacher of the Year Awards for the 2023 Governor's Celebration of Innovation (GCOI). The winners represent the best and brightest in Arizona's science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education ecosystem, as well as the outstanding teachers who inspire their students to achieve their goals. The students and teachers will be honored during GCOI, which will take place from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at the Chateau Luxe, 1175 E. Lone Cactus Drive, Phoenix.

"Fostering STEM talent within our state is critical to our innovation ecosystem and it is a big reason why the Future Innovators and Teacher of the Year Award winners are among my favorite to celebrate," said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council and SciTech Institute. "The youth of today will be the leaders of Arizona's technology industry of tomorrow and I am proud to honor these talented individuals, as well as the incredible teachers pushing their students to be the best they can be."

"The 2023 Future Innovator and Teacher of the Year winners showcase Arizona's ever-growing innovation ecosystem that's developing next-generation technologies," said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. "We are proud to help recognize these outstanding winners as part of our vibrant innovation community at the Governor's Celebration of Innovation Awards this fall."

The Future Innovator of the Year Award winners represent top-tier participants of the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (grades 9-12) for 2023. The winning students will receive $1,500 scholarships to further enhance their education, while honorable mentions receive $500 scholarships. Similarly, the winning teacher will receive a $1,500 cash award, while honorable mentions receive a $500 cash award. Listed below are the winners and honorable mentions, as well as the titles of each innovator's award-winning project.

Future Innovators of the Year Award Winners:

• Siddarth Adda, grade 11, BASIS Scottsdale - A Novel Segmentation-Based AI Approach for the Early Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema (DREAM) via Analysis of Retinal Fundus Images
• Ram Bubby, grade 11, BASIS Scottsdale - Evaluating the Impact of UV Light Exposure on the Growth of Red Malabar Spinach
• Baochan Fan, grade 11, Hamilton High School - Hypothalamic EZH2: A Key Regulator of Leptin Sensitivity in Obesity
• Sruti Peddi, grade 11, BASIS Scottsdale - FloodCast: Real-Time Flood Mapping and Prediction in Southeast Asia Using Remote Sensing Data

Future Innovators of the Year Honorable Mentions:

• Maya Marie Schwickert, grade 12, BASIS Scottsdale - Seaweed Blue Light Filter Light Spectrum Analysis of Seaweed Thin Films for LEDs
• Prisha Shroff, grade 10, Hamilton High School - GlucoseAssist: A Novel, Personalized System for Prediction of Blood Glucose Levels and Early Identification of Dysglycemic Events using Artificial Intelligence

Teacher of the Year Award Winner:

• David Wirth, Millennium High School, Goodyear

Teacher Honorable Mentions:

• Pradip Misra, Bagdad High School, Bagdad
• David Tyrel "Ty" White, Willcox High School, Willcox

The Future Innovator and Teacher of the Year Award winners were evaluated and chosen by a selection committee independent of the Council. The committee included members of the Arizona Council of Engineering and Scientific Associations, which supports, promotes and coordinates programs and activities of the engineering and science associations within the state through facilitated communication and leadership.

To learn more about GCOI and the Future Innovators and Teacher of the Year Award winners, or to purchase tickets for the Council's flagship event, please visit  https://www.aztechcouncil.org/event/gcoi2023/.