The meeting will focus on key elements of Florida's high-tech economy, including aerospace, biomedical research, agriculture, microelectronics and materials sciences, and computer sciences.
The meeting is co-sponsored by the Office of the Governor, the State University System of Florida, Enterprise Florida, numerous Florida businesses and the Washington, D.C.-based American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
This will be the seventh in a series of conferences in which the AAAS has partnered with a state or region. Successful conferences already have been held in Alaska, California, Georgia, the Midwest, New England and the Pacific Northwest.
"As we prepare to enter the 21st century, it is essential that government, business and academia continue to work together to ensure that our state maintains and enhances its position as home to advanced science and technology," said Karen A. Holbrook, vice president for research at the University of Florida and one of the conference organizers.
Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay will give the keynote speech at the conference, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport. Among the other participants will be John Ahlen of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Rick Korchak, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida Technology Development; U.S. Rep. David J. Weldon; and Albert H. Teich, director, AAAS Science and Policy Programs.
"Although most outsiders know it largely for its sunshine, its beaches and its oranges, Florida is very much a high-tech state," said Teich, who will present an analysis of the state's research and development activity and trends in federal, state and private sector [research and development] spending. "It is, in fact, the seventh-largest recipient of federal R&D funding. Industrial firms and the universities and government labs, which are their partners in research, represent the cutting edge of science and technology in the state. AAAS is pleased to play a role in this landmark conference, bringing these sectors together to help shape the future of science and technology in Florida."
The conference also will include sessions on constraints and opportunities for high-tech businesses in Florida, including:
- Creating new government/industry/university partnerships, led by Florida
A&M University President Frederick S. Humphries; Jack Crow, director of the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory; and Bio+Florida President Larry Clark;
- Improving Florida's economic competitiveness in the high-tech field, led
by UF engineering Dean Winfred M. Phillips; Frank Gillette of Pratt & Whitney;
and William Schwartz, president of Schwartz Electro Optics;
- Establishing high-tech capital, led by Arnold A. Heggestad, associate vice president for research and technology at UF and David G. Franklin, president of the Florida Development Finance Corp.
Some 30 business and academic research centers are expected to display their technologies and services at the conference.
More information about the conference, including registration forms, is available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ortge.ufl.edu/aaas/