AMPED science and technology center at ASU is helping to energize the New Economy Initiative
Arizona is on the hunt for high-tech industry, and one of the lures are five science and technology centers being built by Arizona State University.
The centers are a key part of the New Economy Initiative, an ambitious plan conceived by government, industry and civic leaders to bring the state to the forefront of technological innovation.
Historically Arizona’s economy relied on the five Cs — cotton, cattle, citrus, climate and copper — plus growth and tourism.
To prosper, the 21st century needs more. Technology moves quickly, but ASU’s status as a research university means faculty work on the very cutting edge of it.
ASU has already launched two of the science and technology centers, or STCs. One is the MADE (Manufacturing, Automation and Data Engineering) STC; read about it here.
And the other — the AMPED (Advanced Materials, Processes and Energy Devices) STC — is focused on the three key components needed to electrify the entire energy sector, from automotive to the utility grid: photovoltaics (solar), batteries and power electronics.
AMPED is directed by Zak Holman, an associate professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. The center is located in ASU’s Research Park in Tempe.