Video: Annual Technology Summit Brings Diverse Group Together

OXFORD, MISS. (WCBI) -Whether it’s the business world, the military or academics, advances in technology impact all areas of society.
Leaders in many of those fields came together at Ole MIss for the second annual “Technology Summit.”

They may come from different fields,  but they all share common goals.

“The tech conference is all about levels of communication,” said Jay Monroe, of Globalstar.

This is the second Technology Summit, hosted by the University of Mississippi, Jim Barksdale was CEO of Netscape in the 1990s. He says it’s vital to hear about advances in technology and how everyone is impacted.

“What we’re trying to do is get these people together to talk about what future may bring in all different fields of technology from communications, to computing, to you name it and translate that information down to what can be used at the University of Mississippi and other schools in the state,” said Barksdale.

To help ensure the future workforce, students and researchers are prepared, Ole Miss is investing a hundred and 38 million dollars in the project behind me. It is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics building. Its opening is more than a year away, but it’s an example of the public and private sectors coming together to help ensure the state remains competitive in the face of ever changing technology.

“Our Center for Manufacturing Excellence is a really innovative academic program at the undergraduate level that combines engineering and business, these students take engineering and business classes, so by the time they come out they are able to think both as business people as well as engineers,” said Josh Gladden, with the University of Mississippi.

As dean of the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s school of medicine, Doctor LouAnn Woodward says the summit helps her and others understand the critical roles technology can play in healthcare.

“Technology has become the vehicle we are using to reach out into the rural parts of the communities, into those areas where they don’t have access to specialists and in some cases don’t have access to healthcare providers almost at all,” Dr. Woodward said.

All experts agree that getting broadband coverage to rural areas is a top priority and it will take everyone working together to make it happen.

Breakout sessions focused on topics such as “Strong Defense and Protecting the Homeland” and “Unleashing Economic Innovation.”