The Ballston Science & Technology Alliance

Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance (BSTA) is a non-profit organization established to serve those engaged in and interested in science and technology. BSTA wants to increase understanding of and to engage the general public in a dialogue about contemporary science and technology and its impacts on everyday life. The BSTA is developing a purpose built center to make science accessible in an informal café atmosphere. BSTA will offer programs that feature speakers whose expertise span all sciences and showcase various technologies and applications. The BSTA is committed to promoting public engagement with science by having all programs and exhibits in plain English. The BSTA encourages collaboration and discussion of newfound information and breakthrough research. The public will be able to interact with technology and learn about scientific innovations. Scientists and researchers will be encouraged to build networks and open dialogues outside the traditional academic context for public discussion of the latest ideas in science.

Background

The Greater Washington Metro Area is among the top ten locations for high technology and knowledge based businesses. Knowledge based business are fueled by highly educated human capital often referred to as the “creative class”. As part of this Metro Area, Arlington has the highest concentration of workers in the science and technology, or creative positions. The Ballston area of Arlington is the epicenter of science and technology research. In addition to the National Science Foundation, Ballston is also home to major extramural research agencies such as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA). These government agencies attract many nonprofit organizations, think tanks and private sector companies that are engaged in science and technology. Many of the workers in these and other creative businesses reside in the urban villages along the Rosslyn-Ballston metro corridor.