October 2024 TechCast | Future Innovators: Shaping Arizona’s STEM Legacy
In the latest episode of AZ Tech Cast, hosts Steve Zylstra and Eric Miller chat with two of the Council's 2024 Future Innovator Award winning students as well as STEM and workforce development industry leaders. The future of STEM talent is bright in Arizona!

Episode Overview
Subscribe to AZ TechCast today so you never miss an episode.
In this October episode of AZ TechCast, hosts Steve Zylstra and Eric Miller sit down with two remarkable students recently named winners of the Council’s 2024 Future Innovators of the Year awards. These students will be honored at the Council’s upcoming Governor’s Celebration of Innovation in November. These young STEM leaders—Rishabh Sreepathy and Aditya Lakshminarasimhan – discuss their innovative projects, their passions and their aspirations for the future. Industry guests, including experts from ACESA (Arizona Council of Engineering and Scientific Associations) and Honeywell, join the conversation to highlight the importance of education, workforce development and celebrating Arizona’s brightest STEM talents. Tune in for an inspiring conversation with the future of STEM talent in Arizona!
2024 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation Future Innovator Award Winning Students:
- Rishabh Sreepathy, Grade 10, Desert Mountain High School, Scottsdale – FungiBug: Detection of Fungal Infection via A Rapid, Accurate, Handheld, Small Volume Blood Diagnostic Device
- Aditya Lakshminarasimhan, Grade 11, BASIS Scottsdale – Elucidating Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Host Protein Interactions: Graph Attention Networks (GAT) and Structural Visualization
Industry Experts:
- Arizona Council of Engineering and Scientific Associations (ACESA) – Award Partner/Facilitator
- Kevin Kilzer, Past President
- Robert Cruthis, President
- Honeywell – Future Innovator Award Sponsor
- Heather Kohn, Workforce Development Lead
![]() Rishabh Sreepathy |
![]() Aditya Lakshminarasimhan |
![]() Heather Kohn |
![]() Kevin Kilzer |
![]() Robert Cruthis |
|
About AZTechCast
The official podcast of the Arizona Technology Council, AZTechCast is dedicated to covering innovation and technology in Arizona and beyond. Through the art of the connected conversation, AZ TechCast’s hosts and guests share success stories, tech news and analysis about the region’s leading startups, companies and emerging technologies, as well as the latest industry trends and critical issues propelling Arizona’s growing technology ecosystem. Visit www.aztechcouncil.org/techcast to learn more or to listen to recent episodes.
About PADT, Inc.
Phoenix Analysis and Design Technologies, Inc. (PADT) is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. The company is an Ansys Elite Channel Partner and a Stratasys Platinum Partner. They are also a channel partner for Flownex, EOS, and ZEISS #handsonmetrology. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona, and from offices in Torrance, California, Lakewood, Colorado, and Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as through staff members located around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.