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Disability as a Catalyst

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Wired Magazine calls Asperger’s Syndrome “The Geek Syndrome”. Bram Cohen, founder of Bit Torrent, often talks about Asperger’s as a catalyst for his success. STEM Force Technology is a local for-profit social impact company that hires individuals with Asperger’s in the STEM fields. Learn how individuals with Asperger’s, and Autism Spectrum Disorders, have shaped the field of technology and how creating pathways for underserved populations benefits individuals and the marketplace.

Garret Westlake is the founder of STEM Force Technology. He is also the Director of the Disability Resource Center for Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus, and a faculty associate in the College of Technology and Innovation where he teaches in the Technological Entrepreneurial Management program.

Popup Hackspace Event

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Popup Hackspace @ The Night Gallery

What: A popup hack night with free pizza, red bull, music, networking, and fun opportunities to innovate, create, and collaborate. Come see what the Phoenix-metro area has to offer innovators of all ages. The event will include burlesque dancers, improv comedy performances, and presentations by Gangplank, ASU’s Venture Catalyst and HeatSync Labs. Stop by for food, music and hanging out.
When: Saturday, January 7, 2012; 3:00 pm until 10:00 pm
Where: The ASU Night Gallery at Tempe Marketplace
Who: Anyone with a pulse is invited!
Why: To raise the community’s awareness about the ways creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship are being supported at Gangplank and ASU.

Tentative Schedule
3:00-4:00pm — Capoiera Demonstration & Torch Theatre performance
4:00-5:00pm — Presentation by HeatSync Labs
5:00-6:00pm — Belly Dancing & presentations by Venture Catalyst and Entrepreneurship @ ASU
6:00-7:00pm — Open Beta (come share your own startup product and vote) – See details below & Gangplank presentation
7:00-7:20pm — Scandalesque Performance
7:30-9:00pm — Startup Speed Dating – See details below
9:00-10:00pm – Hack wrap

**If you are a creative, collaborative group in the valley that is interested in participating, email katie@gangplankhq.com

Open Beta Session Details
If you’re going to fail with a new product or service, fail fast. The only way to stay ahead of the market is to get your stuff into the hands of testers as quickly as possible. Who cares if it’s not perfect? You don’t need to add that new feature UNLESS your customers tell you it’s necesary. At Open Beta, get the feedback you need on your startup NOW. Quick and dirty presentation [3-5 minutes] followed by live testing and feedback.
RSVP: To participate in Open Beta, email katie@gangplankhq.com.

Startup Speed Dating Session Details
Everyone needs somebody to love…for their startup team. Your co-founder, developer or designer is out there, you just need to be thrown in a room together to see if sparks ignite. Register for Startup Speed Dating and we’ll do the work for you. We’ll pair you up with prospects and give you the time you need to get to know each other.
RSVP: Register for Startup Speed Dating at http://startupspeeddating.eventbrite.com/

American Red Cross

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Nicole Underwood of the American Red Cross Grandy Canyon Chapter, discusses how the American Red Cross helps with disasters, and specifically how the organization is community focused, driven, and supported. From volunteers, to donations, to outreach, with longevity in the US and AZ (almost 100 years!) American Red Cross’ humanitarian mission is a reflection of the needs our community has.

Five Communities Project Winner!

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Contributed by Wendy Coneybeer

In late September, we were notified that Gangplank was part of a group of 10 finalists selected from 31 non-profit organizations which had applied for the inaugural “Five Communities” project sponsored by the Center for the Future of Arizona. Following a four-week long “Why Gangplank?” campaign spearheaded by Operations Director Katie Charland, which culminated in the creation of the microsite WhatIsGangplank.com, we are pleased to announce that our community has been selected as one of the five winners of the “Five Communities” competition.

As one of the winning nonprofit organizations, Gangplank will apply jointly with the Center for the Future of Arizona and the other four winners for $1.5 million in funding ($100,000/year over a three-year period or $300,000 per project) to implement our “Big Idea” proposed to help strengthen Arizona at a local level. This idea includes focusing on the people in our community to provide connections, educational opportunities, and the mentorship that they will need to become effective participants in the new economy.

The other organizations joining Gangplank in the “Five Communities” award are:

  • The Arizona Wine Growers Association
  • Desert Botanical Garden and the Conservation Alliance
  • YWCA Tucson
  • International Sonoran Desert Alliance

The Center for the Future of Arizona is an independent nonprofit organization with a mission “to help Arizonans shape and define the future through an action-oriented agenda focused on contemporary issues and topics critical to the state.” For more information on the Center, the “Five Communities” project, and the winners, check out www.TheArizonaWeWant.org.

Academy Classes for 2012

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Gangplank believes you never stop learning. As a result, we strive to offer classes/workshops providing content to keep Gangplankers moving at the rapid pace of business. Academy courses last approximately 60-90 minutes on Tuesday evenings (unless otherwise stated), with the goal for participants to walk away with a new or expanded skill set. For 2012, we are expanding our class offerings, scheduling at least two Academy courses each month. Here is a preview of the classes already scheduled: Continue reading →

History to the People

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Cali and Brianna are history doctoral students at Arizona State University who passionately believe that history should be accessible to all and that historical thinking is both relevant and highly in demand in the twenty-first century.

To address these needs, they are in the early stages of planning a website — www.historytothepeople.org — with a tentative launch date of February 1, 2012. This website will provide a forum in which a non-academic audience can obtain scholarly historical information that maintains its high academic standards and yet is directed specifically toward a public audience. Thus, blog posts, videos, and other media will emphasize application and the historical thinking behind the material. As well as a legitimate and accessible source of information, they envision historytothepeople.org as a vehicle promoting historical interest and conversation, a place in which people can ask questions, consider new ideas, and engage in a dialogue about history and the role of historical thinking in our daily lives.