Freedman, Orcutt et al.:
Hope that you're going to send someone to this meeting!!!!
Lend your engineering and manufacturing expertise to some who would seek DARPA funds, etc.??........
Thursday February 21, 2:50 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: UCSD CONNECT
Working Together to Prevent Another Terrorist Attack: Diverse Companies Focus on Converging Technologies to Strengthen Homeland Security
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) CONNECT Conference Spotlights Need for Innovative National Security Solutions That Unite Defense, High-Tech and Life Science Industries
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2002-- Government and industry executives will gather February 27 at a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) CONNECT-sponsored conference to discuss how concern for homeland security has heightened the need for innovative products that converge high-tech and life science applications to bolster national defense.
The CONNECT conference is designed to spark thinking about re-tooling existing technologies for new applications or for converging different technologies to create entirely new products for national defense. Tailored to help technology executives and capital providers understand new business opportunities, the conference has attracted speakers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the state of California's security office.
``The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is focused on strengthening local, state and national public health capacity to respond to growing threats from biological and chemical terrorism,'' said Dr. Stephen A. Morse, the conference's keynote speaker and Associate Director for Science, Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program, National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), CDC. ``Fostering an active dialog between government and industry is essential for helping the high-tech and life science communities understand how to best channel their resources to develop new solutions for fighting terrorist-generated infectious disease threats.''
The conference organizer, UCSD CONNECT, has been successfully supporting entrepreneurs and promoting new technology development and business growth in the San Diego area since 1985. CONNECT is now using that foundation to aid in the homeland security effort.
``September 11 has changed our lives,'' said Dr. Fred G. Cutler, Executive Director of CONNECT. ``We're all rallying behind our nation, but we're in a very special position here in San Diego -- there are very tangible things we can do to help. We've long had a military and defense infrastructure, and we're also widely recognized for our strengths in life sciences, telecommunications and information technology. It's just a natural fit for San Diego to be at the helm of technology convergence with our world-class technologies. And it's a natural fit for CONNECT to promote it and help our companies find new ways to grow their business.''
Conference attendees will be able to dialogue with industry and homeland defense policy leaders at the federal and state levels, and technology experts from the San Diego area.
Speakers and panelists for the homeland security conference include:
Dr. Stephen A. Morse (keynote speaker), Associate Director for Science, Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program, National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Centers for Disease Control (CDC); Dr. Frank Fernandez, former Director of (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency -- U.S. Dept. of Defense (DARPA)); George Vinson, Special Advisor to California Governor Davis on State Security; Dr. Michael Heller, UCSD Professor and co-founder of Nanogen; John Sylvester, Supervisory Special Agent, Counter-Terrorism FBI San Diego; Frank Hewitt, CEO ComGlobal and National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) Board Member; Daniel L. Alspach, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, CEO, ORINCON Defense; and Tom Shefferd, San Diego Defense Consortium.
Dr. Stephen A. Morse, Dr. Frank Fernandez, Frank Hewitt, and George Vinson are available for media interviews. To arrange, call 858/964-1317.
Converging Technologies: Working Together for Homeland Security is the first of a series of conferences exploring how the convergence of technologies from different fields is creating new business opportunities or unique applications of existing technologies in a novel way. CONNECT is collaborating with ORINCON Defense for this conference.
It will be held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., on February 27, from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The cost for attending is $75 for CONNECT members and $95 for non-members. The additional programs in the series are: Sensornet, April; Molecular Medicine, June; I.T. and High Throughput Biology, August; Medical Devices and in vitro Diagnostics, November. To register or for more information, visit connect.org or call 858/964-1300.
About CONNECT
UCSD CONNECT is widely regarded as the nation's most successful regional program linking high-technology entrepreneurs with the resources they need for success: technology, money, markets, management, partners, and support services. Focused on assisting growth companies in the San Diego region, CONNECT has been directly involved with over 650 companies since its inception in 1985. Part of the University of California, San Diego, CONNECT has a dual role in accelerating growth: it assists growth companies in the San Diego region and promotes the commercialization of technology from university-based research. CONNECT's programs also help business service providers, attorneys, accountants, bankers, investors, and marketing professionals with the knowledge about emerging technologies and access to new business opportunities. CONNECT is entirely self-supporting and receives no funding from the University or the State of California. It is supported by membership dues, course fees, and corporate underwriting for specific programs. For more information, visit connect.org.
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Contact:
UCSD CONNECT, San Diego
Theresa Cervantes de Torres, 858/964-1317
tcervantes@ucsd.edu
or
Mark Forster, 858/792-1919
mjf@gkminc.com |
