Contact: Maridith Geuder
A Nov. 21 symposium at Mississippi State will highlight Mississippi's emerging science and technology strengths, as well as its economic growth potential.
Sponsored by the university and the Appalachian Regional Commission, the 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. public program in the Wise Center auditorium will be convened by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. Jonathan W. Pote, MSU's interim vice president for research, will serve as moderator and one of the presenters.
"Our focus will be on technological innovations and directions the state may move in the future," Pote said. "It's appropriate that the ARC would host such a meeting at Mississippi State since we are a primary research institution within the commission's Mississippi area."
Established by Congress in 1965 to support economic and social development in the Appalachian region, the Washington-based ARC serves 13 states stretching from Alabama to New York. The agency regularly funds projects in areas ranging from education and workforce training to development of health-care resources.
In addition to Pote, speakers will include Alice M. Clark, vice president for research and sponsored programs at the University of Mississippi; ARC senior economist Greg Bischak; Charles Grayson, president of Starkville-based SemiSouth Laboratories, a private high technology startup company spun off of MSU research; and ARC telecommunications initiative manager Mark DeFaclo.
The speakers' topics include:
--Clark, an overview of the state's contributions to the nation's scientific research;
--Bischak, the region's capacity to broaden science and technology and how communities can become involved;
--Pote, Mississippi's science and technology sector and its growth potential;
--Grayson, private business technological innovations and the state's future; and
--DeFaclo, the role of the high-speed information highway in advancing the region's technology sector.
Pote said a panel discussion at the meeting's close will invite questions from the audience.
"This program should have wide appeal to students and faculty, as well as to anyone involved in economic or workforce development," he added.
For more information on the symposium at MSU, telephone (662) 325-3570.