This article is part of a year-long blog series, Partner Profiles: Bringing the AZ STEM Ecosystem to Life. We’ll be highlighting the organizations statewide that build bridges and create connections to unite a wide array of STEM-focused industries.
In the heart of Cottonwood, Arizona, a unique force is energizing rural STEM education through creativity, curiosity, and hands-on learning. The Science Vortex of the Verde Valley is more than just a STEAM center, it’s a community hub where children ages 2 to 12 are drawn into a vortex of discovery, collaboration, and innovation. Focused on science, technology, engineering, art, and math, (aka, STEAM), Science Vortex brings the spirit of STEM to life through immersive activities designed to make learning feel like play.
As a proud partner in the Arizona STEM Ecosystem, and an active contributor to SciTech Institute’s mission, Science Vortex represents the power of localized, community-driven STEM efforts. Their work helps ensure rural students are not only included in statewide STEM initiatives, but succeeding in them.
Summer is one of the most exciting times at Science Vortex. In June, the team partnered with the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District to bring hands-on STEAM activities to more than 200 students. In May and July, they run public camps covering everything from Minecraft coding to real-world STEM careers. These camps aren’t just educational, they’re joyful. Every workshop becomes a space where math and science feel accessible, exciting, and deeply relevant.
Chief Science Officers Kellan (left) and Mica (right) exploring the Generator Nauki Science Center in Jaslo, Poland
Located in a largely rural region, Science Vortex helps close the opportunity gap for students who may not otherwise have access to STEM enrichment. Activities like robotics, coding, and engineering introduce kids to ideas and tools that can shape their futures and make school subjects more engaging. Even for those who don’t pursue a STEM career, the programs foster critical life skills like problem solving, creativity, and teamwork that benefit any career path and help build stronger communities.
One of the most inspiring aspects of Science Vortex’s work is its student leadership. Their Chief Science Officers (CSOs) play an active role in shaping programming and expanding the reach of STEM beyond their hometown. Most recently, two CSOs, Mica and Kellan, traveled with their program leader to Jaslo, Poland, where they led a scribble-bot workshop at the Generator Nauki Science Center. This cross-cultural collaboration helped lay the groundwork to potentially expand the international CSO program to Poland, a development made possible through Jaslo’s budding Sister Cities partnership with Sedona, Arizona.
This global connection is a testament to the strength and reach of SciTech Institute’s Chief Science Officers program, which empowers students to become advocates for STEM in their schools, communities, and beyond. Science Vortex continues to be an integral part of that movement, elevating rural youth voices and showing what’s possible when local passion meets global opportunity.
As part of the SciTech STEM Ecosystem, Science Vortex continues to prove that innovation doesn’t just happen in labs or tech hubs – it happens anywhere kids are encouraged to build, question, and create. And in Cottonwood, Arizona, it happens every single day.
To learn more about the Science Vortex of the Verde Valley and its many programs, visit: https://sciencevortex.org/
