On Friday from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and Mississippi State University, two leading contributors to the advancement of technology in Mississippi, will host a conference in the Wise Center Auditorium to examine the future of science and technology in the state. The ARC is a governmental agency that was developed in 1965 by congress to address persistent poverty and economic despair in the Appalachian region, which expands across 13 states. This region covers 22 counties in Mississippi, including Oktibbeha County. The ARC was developed with five main goals in mind: to develop a knowledgeable and skillful population, to strengthen the region’s transportation capabilities, to build local and regional capacity and leadership, to create a more dynamic economic foundation, and to promote a healthier population. Since the development of this organization, Mississippi has received 1,291 grants from it for non-highway projects.
“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,” Dr. Jonathan W. Pote, MSU interim vice president for research and conference speaker, said.
The forum, “Mississippi’s Science and Technology Assets and Opportunities,” will be the second in a series of regional forums co-sponsored by the ARC and local universities to examine opportunities for economic growth in the region.
The ARC has chosen five speakers to cover various topics dealing with technology and science in the state of Mississippi. Since the meeting is sponsored by the ARC, two of the speakers will be from that organization.
ARC senior economist Greg Bischak will speak on the region’s ability to expand science and technology and aspects of community involvement, and ARC telecommunications initiative manager Mark DeFaclo will discuss the role of the high-speed information highway in improving the area’s technology sector.
Dr. Alice M. Clark, vice president for research and sponsored programs at the University of Mississippi, and Dr. Charles Grayson, president of Starkville-based SemiSouth Laboratories, a private high technology startup company spun off of MSU research, will also speak.
Pote will discuss the growth potential of science and technology in Mississippi; Clark will give an overview of the state’s contributions to national scientific research; and Grayson will talk about private business technological innovations and the state’s future within these.
“[I] will give a broader background on some of the special needs of a early stage high tech business, a brief review of MPI and SemiSouth Laboratories, what they’ve accomplished and future plans,” Grayson said about his part in the forum.
Several guests are expected to attend this convention, including Gov. Ronnie Musgrove who serves as a member of the ARC. The public is invited to join the discussion. After their presentations, at the meeting’s close, questions from the audience will be accepted.
“The forum is focusing on Mississippi’s science and technology assets and on opportunities to build on these assets. Business and community leaders, elected officials, educators, faculty, staff and students-anyone with an interest in the future of Mississippi-should attend,” Sandra Harpole, MSU interim associate vice president for research, said.