#VegasTech STEAM Sessions with East Career & Technical Academy Students

Originate, a digital product development and venture firm with an office in Las Vegas, is presenting #VegasTech STEAM Sessions with East Career & Technical Academy students on February 27, 2015. The Innevation Center proudly sponsors the space where the event will be held.
A recent economic development assessment by Brookings Mountain West finds the K-12 educational system in Nevada is underperforming and workforce skill level is low, yet the state possesses the fundamental economic assets to build the next Nevada economy.
Brookings Mountain West’s report, “Cracking the Code on STEM: A People Strategy for Nevada’s Economy,” by Jessica Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, and Siddharth Kulkarni can be found here.
“Our team listened to the presentation from Brookings Mountain West this past November,” said Rob Meadows, founder and CEO of Originate. “We were inspired to organize an event with the Clark County School District to bring high school students to our Las Vegas office at The Innevation Center to hear from local entrepreneurs, startup founders, and STEAM professionals about what it’s like to work in technology.”
Meadows is a product of the Clark County School District and graduated from Bonanza High School in Las Vegas. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in computer engineering and a master’s degree in computer science. In 2003, Meadows co-founded Lumitrend and was CEO of the company until its acquisition by Asurion in August 2006. In 2007, Meadows founded Originate and is partner and CEO.
East Career and Technical Academy is a comprehensive magnet high school that offers several distinct program areas of study. Students select their program of choice when applying for admission. Students then follow a four-year sequence of courses as specified for their program area. Students can choose coursework in Education, Medical Professions, Culinary Arts, Entertainment Marketing & Hospitality, Automotive Mechanical Technology, Information Technology Systems, Construction Technology, and ElectronicsTechnology. Rigorous coursework, hands-on projects, job-shadowing, and internships give students first-hand experience in their selected program areas.
“STEAM educational initiatives are at the forefront of Switch’s philanthropic efforts which is why we are thrilled to donate space at The Innevation Center for this important and exciting event,” said Adam Kramer, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for Switch. “When students get the chance to interact with the entrepreneurial minds that make up the VegasTech community, they will see first-hand how companies apply the fundamentals of traditional STEM learning with the Arts (STEAM) to build successful businesses that solve major problems.”
Originate hopes the event will excite and motivate East Career & Technical Academy sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the Electronic Technology and Information Technology Systems programs to continue to pursue STEAM-related fields post-high school.
“We organized three panels for the event,” said Jacqueline Jensen of Originate. “Panelists from the local tech community range from software developers at Originate, to local drone startup Skyworks Aerial Systems, to former NFL player turned startup founder Gerome Sapp. There will be participation from the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce Foundation, VegasTechFund portfolio companies, UNLV graduates, and Startup Weekend Las Vegas organizers. The goal for the event is to introduce students to individuals in our community who are doing amazing things in technology, and allow them a space to ask questions about their future in their own studies.”
About Originate: Originate partners with forward-looking enterprises and high growth startups to design, build, and invest in ambitious software products and companies. Our designers, developers, and product strategists design and build modern mobile, web, and data-driven software in iOS, Android, Ruby, Scala, Node.js, Javascript, and other scalable technologies. To fully align partners and employees, Originate passes through 20% of the upside it earns in each partnership to the employees that contributed to the success. Founded in 2007, Originate has nine global offices in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Orange County, Las Vegas, New York, Boston, Stockholm, and Hangzhou, China. Visit to http://www.originate.com to learn more.
About The Innevation Center: The Innevation Center is a 65,000-square-foot collaborative workspace and community event venue driving Nevada’s new innevation economy, donated to the community by Switch Founder and CEO Rob Roy. As the most successful technology entrepreneur in Nevada’s history, Rob Roy created The Innevation Center as a result of his passion for enabling a more diverse Nevada economy. He is “paying forward” the success of Switch by helping to empower Nevada’s next generation of economic leaders. Emerging tech companies, global powerhouse brands from SUPERNAP, economic developers, educators, community stakeholders and universities collaborate at The Innevation Center to move Nevada forward. Together. Learn more at http://www.innevation.com.