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The Shenandoah Rockbridge Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International and Virginia Innovation Accelerator are cosponsoring a moderated speaker panel event on Oct. 29 at the Virginia Horse Center.
The panel will focus on smart city development efforts at the federal level being conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Information will be shared about NIST’s plans and activities centered around helping communities learn from each other, improve on successes and build smart city standards.
Michael Dunaway of the NIST Global Community Technology Challenge (GCTC) will be on hand to discuss the new smart cities program and development of a nationwide information sharing and analysis network that will include a lessons-learned repository and plans for sharing advanced technologies and best practices.
Aric Sherwood from the Army Program Executive Office – Enterprise will also be a panelist and speak to the federal Small Business Innovation Research program and related Smart City, Internet of Things and AI development. Both Dunaway and Sherwood will also discuss information on their respective organizational internship programs and job opportunities.
Local government, academia and industry representatives round out the panel and will focus discussions on our region covering business opportunities, workforce development and industry-government partnerships. There will be an open time where panelists will take questions from the audience.
The panel session will be recorded and released as a podcast as part of the AFCEA SIGNAL magazine “Disruptive by Design” series posted on Spotify.
After the panel, innovative displays from academia and industry will be open, and food and beverages will be available as attendees are afforded the opportunity to network and establish connections.
Organizers want to encourage anyone interested in the event and topics to attend and engage with local and regional business leaders, governmental representatives, STEM/IT faculty and students from area high schools and universities. Students and job seekers are encouraged to bring resumes.
The event is free but pre-registration is required. The registration can be completed at https://www.picktime. com/VIACOWORK. The event includes a barbecue dinner buffet and beverage. A cash bar serving regional beer and wine will also be available.
For additional details, contact Jeff Thompson at jeff. [email protected] or Nickie Hawkins at nickie@theadvancementfoundation. org.
