Stomping Ground Coming to Tysons Galleria — “Stomping Ground, a coffee shop and biscuit-themed restaurant that after more than three years in business has become the epicenter of Del Ray’s Mount Vernon Avenue, will open a second location inside of the former Isabella Eatery space in Tysons Galleria.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Fairfax Schools on Two Hour Delay — All Fairfax County public schools are opening two hours late due to concerns following yesterday’s snowy weather. School offices and central offices opened on time. [Twitter]
Track Testing for Silver Line Phase II — “Workers constructing Phase II of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project recently rolled out a strange-looking piece of equipment called an Amberg IMS 5000… The tool, which somewhat resembles a yellow scooter, has been employed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority… to survey and assess project data on Phase 2 of the Silver Line.” [VivaTysons]
New Vienna Mural Almost Done — “Despite crummy weather and vehicles and pedestrians passing close by, two artists nearly have completed a panoramic mural of Vienna landmarks on the Vienna Shopping Center’s rear wall.” [InsideNova]
Fairfax County Schools Closed — Due to this morning’s snow and treacherous road conditions, Fairfax County Public Schools are closed for the day. [Twitter]
Fairfax Home Prices Flat — “Home sales were down slightly while average sales prices were flat in October across Fairfax County, according to new data… While sales were down, prices were effectively unchanged, with the overall sales price of $552,034 down one-third of a percentage point.” [InsideNova]
McLean Mansion for Sale — “It’s enough to appreciate the stunning architecture of this contemporary McLean home. Yet it goes above and beyond with its own sculpture garden.” [Patch]
Tysons Company Raises $100 Million — Tysons-based PFF, LLC has “closed a $100M capital raise and changed its name to Parabilis. Founded in 2013, by Dr. Edward Bersoff, the specialty financing company will continue in its mission to provide working capital funding to companies serving the U.S. Federal Government.” [BusinessWire]
The following article excerpt is from our content sharing partner, FairfaxNews.com.
Fairfax County public high school seniors have turned in another above-average performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
The College Board reports the mean SAT score on this year’s test is 1213. That’s 103 points higher than Virginia’s statewide average and 164 points above the average nationwide. The score also betters, by 28 points, the Fairfax County public schools’ mean score from last year.
Read more at FairfaxNews.com
What does the Tysons of 2050 look like?
Tysons 2050, an event hosted by the Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce yesterday at the Tysons Hilton (7920 Jones Branch Drive), brought technology experts across the region together to discuss how trends in cyber-security and AI will impact Tysons.
Rodney Lusk, director of National Marketing for Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, says the County expects 200,000 jobs in the Tysons area and 100,000 residents by 2050.
This growth will continue to spur development, which is well underway in various corners of Tysons. The View, a 3 million-square-foot mixed-use building planned for Tysons, is planned to be 600 feet tall, dwarfing the 470-foot Capital One Tower that currently claims the title of tallest in the region.
As Tysons moves forward, Lusk says there are certain elements beyond just office space and retail needed to make the area more than just a commuter hub. For instance, Lusk said, Tysons will need to have at least two performing arts centers in the area and a research university.
Paul McNeal, the co-founder of CryptoMarket360, said the future Tysons will look like something out of science-fiction.
“If you’ve seen Minority Report or Demolition Man,” said McNeal, “that’s where Tysons is headed in 2050.”
McNeal envisions technology driving Tysons towards a “frictionless society” with interactive ads based on user data and self-driving cars.
But as Tysons moves into the future, one of the main discussions centered on how new technology will also present challenges and opportunities for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
“The student to teacher ratio is going to be 200 to one,” said George Strawn, former National Science Foundation CIO. “But that’s carbon-based teachers. Everyone will have their own silicon tutor.”
Not everyone who spoke saw the future so starkly different as today.
Tarun Upaday, founder of Gallop.ai, said that the artificial intelligence in classrooms will be used more to complement the teachers rather than replace them. Upaday pointed to the current status of chess championships, where the top teams are not brilliant chess players or supercomputers, but fusions of the two that beat solely computers or solely human teams every time.
Upaday also said the work of Pindar Van Arman, whose machine artists were recently on display at Tysons Corner Center, represented what man and machine can accomplish working in harmony.
Falls Church-based education specialist Tosin Adetoro said artificial intelligence can also be used to support student populations that often fall through the cracks of the education system. In particular, Adetoro said personalized AIs have been found to be very helpful for students on the autism spectrum.
Jay Garant, director of Business and Community Partnerships at FCPS, emphasized that as valuable an asset as AI will be, it can’t replace teachers. As students begin to spend more and more of their lives staring at their phone screens, Garant said schools will be critical in teaching empathy.
“When kids begin to fail, they are more likely to [positively interact] with a human than anything else,” said Garant. “That won’t go away.”
Wristbands are now on sale for Haycock Elementary’s Fall Festival.
For $12 pre-purchased or $15 at the door, children will have access to unlimited games, moonbounces, face painting, magic and more. There will also be food trucks, pony rides, a cupcake walk, a scarecrow walk, balloon animals, a “butterbeer garten” and a 50/50 raffle.
Advance tickets are only available online until noon tomorrow. Children under two and adults are free. Armbands bought for children will be delivered to students by teachers on Friday (Oct. 19).
The event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 21 from 12-4 p.m, rain or shine. Parking at the festival is limited to handicap spaces, so attendees are encouraged to walk or use other parking spaces in the neighborhood.
The festival is also looking for volunteers to help run the event, promising shifts to be short and suite so volunteers can also enjoy the festivities. Sign up is available online.
Photo via Fairfax County Public Schools
