Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), the largest aerospace and defense company headquartered in Florida, participated in two events this week that highlighted the important role STEM education and technology innovation play in the state’s economy.
Harris, with about 6,800 employees in Florida, showcased its various education initiatives and innovative technology solutions during STEM Day at the Capitol and Florida Technology Day at the Capitol in Tallahassee.
At STEM Day, sponsored by the Orlando Science Center, Harris representatives discussed with legislators the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math education in securing the state’s workforce of the future. Harris’ STEM team also engaged with students, providing snap circuit kits and Lego Mindstorms robots to interact and experiment with.
In the last 10 years, Harris has dedicated more than $20 million to support STEM education projects and initiatives at the elementary, middle, high school and university levels. Harris employees across the U.S. have volunteered thousands of hours supporting STEM education in local classrooms and hosted hundreds of students at Harris facilities.
At Florida Technology Day, sponsored by Harris, employees showcased a variety of high-tech solutions, many developed by engineers in Florida. Harris-featured technologies included:
- First Responder Radios: critical communications link connecting police and firefighters in Florida and around the country.
- MyFloridaNet-2: state-wide communications network that connects public safety, law enforcement, public schools and other state and local government agencies.
- Smallsats: affordable solutions for customers with very high-speed communications requirements.
The St. John Paul II Catholic High School Aerospace Engineering Club also had a booth at the Florida Technology Day. Earlier this year, Harris sponsored the club’s participation in the Student Astronaut Challenge. At Technology Day, the club featured their project from this year’s challenge, which focused on using innovated technology to save lives during natural disasters.
“STEM education and technology innovation are vital to Florida’s future,” said Glenn Grab, senior director, Harris government relations. “We encourage lawmakers to ensure proper funding for these important areas to help Florida’s growing technology sector to thrive.”
Harris is one of the largest public companies headquartered in Florida, and its solutions are used by customers throughout the state in public safety, air traffic management, space and defense. It has 15 locations with 3.5 million square feet of office and manufacturing space, including the 464,000-square-foot Harris Technology Center and 23,000-square-foot Global Innovation Center. The company does $210 million in annual business with more than 1,000 Florida suppliers and invests $125 million annually in regional research and development initiatives.
About Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers’ toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $6 billion in annual revenue. The company is organized into three business segments: Communication Systems, Electronic Systems and Space and Intelligence Systems. Learn more at harris.com.
