Contact: Maridith Geuder
Representatives from state governments, industries and academic institutions in three Southern states will gather in Biloxi May 9-11 to discuss ways that science-based innovations can boost economic development.
Participants from Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana will discuss strategic partnerships under way in each state and develop action plans for new alliances between the three sectors.
Titled "The Role of University Research in Innovation and Economic Development," the event at the Bayview Hotel, Grand Casino, is hosted by the National Science Foundation-funded Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) in each of the states.
It is organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science Research Competitiveness Program. "The meeting coincides with the release of a new AAAS report on the future of science and technology in the Gulf States," explained Edward Derrick, research competitiveness program associate for the Washington, D.C.-based organization.
Among speakers and sessions for the three-day event:
--Mississippi state Sen. Grey Ferris, chair of the Senate Education Committee, will provide the keynote address at a 6 p.m. Sunday banquet.
--Al Teich, director of AAAS Science and Policy Programs, presents an overview of federal research and development projects in the three states.
--Mississippi State University President Malcolm Portera provides an overview of current partnering in Mississippi, with similar presentations from the Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education and the president of Alabama's Economic Development Partnerships in Monday morning sessions.
--Tom Meredith, chancellor of the University of Alabama System, provides a luncheon address on Monday.
--Speakers from Oklahoma, Maine and Virignia will present case studies of partnerships in their states during Tuesday sessions.
--Break-out groups for Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana will identify critical issues and develop action plans to foster economic growth.
The conference is one of seven organized nationally by AAAS on topics related to improving research competitiveness, Derrick said. It is the first in the South with this focus.