In Brief: Arizona FORGE moves to Tech Launch Arizona, Sealey Challenge returns
Arizona FORGE now part of Tech Launch Arizona
Arizona FORGE, a program designed to cultivate entrepreneurial and problem-solving skills among students, is now part of Tech Launch Arizona, the office that commercializes university inventions.
Since launching in 2012, TLA has worked with university inventors to register over 3,000 inventions and launch more than 140 startups.
Short for "Finding Opportunities and Resources to Grow Entrepreneurs," Arizona FORGE launched in 2019 and was housed downtown in the Roy Place Building. It had been a unit of Research, Innovation & Impact.
"This is a natural evolution of the services we provide to those members of our incredible student body who are interested in entrepreneurship and developing their own ideas into startups," said Doug Hockstad, associate vice president for Tech Launch Arizona. "It's an exciting new challenge and an incredible opportunity for TLA to grow into a new role, and the team is diving in, full steam ahead."
Arizona FORGE's Student Ventures program, which supports student entrepreneurs with in-person and virtual resources and programs, allows TLA to expand its reach. The program, led by Derick Maggard, will now include TLA resources such as a network of more than 500 experts who volunteer to help entrepreneurs, a mentorship program and training for science-oriented entrepreneurs through the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program.
Since it was launched in 2012, TLA has worked with university inventors to register more than 3,000 inventions and launch more than 140 startups.
The Sealey Challenge returns in August
The University of Arizona Poetry Center is again participating in The Sealey Challenge, an initiative that encourages people to read one book of poetry each day in August.
The University of Arizona Poetry Center has more than 57,000 poetry books and chapbooks.
"Not every poem or book of poems speaks to every reader in the same way. But I think every book of poems has something for each of us to find," said Sarah Kortemeier, library director at the Poetry Center. "The Sealey Challenge opens us to wisdom we might not otherwise encounter."
The Sealey Challenge was created by poet Nicole Sealey in 2017 after she realized she was not carving out enough time in her schedule to read poetry for pleasure. She began the challenge to hold herself accountable.
"While it is an ambitious challenge to read 31 books in 31 days, there's really no wrong way to 'Sealey,'" said Melissa Goodrich, digital strategy and marketing coordinator for the Poetry Center. "Some days you might read just one poem, other days half a book, other days a whole book. All time spent with poetry is meaningful, and that's really what's at the heart of The Sealey Challenge."
The Poetry Center, located at 1508 E. Helen St., was founded in 1960 and has thousands of books from university-affiliated writers.
"We can connect Sealey Challenge readers to nearly 60,000 books of poetry in one building," Kortemeier said.
Participants can track their reading on the downloadable Sealey Challenge certificate. Goodrich added that The Sealey Challenge also offers a complimentary "golden sealey" to anyone who completes the challenge.
Participants are invited to share their experiences on social media using #thesealeychallenge or #sealeychallenge and to play Sealey Challenge Bingo to enter giveaways.
Kyra Berg is a student writer in the Office of University Communications.