Lone Star College-University Park and the Energy Conference Network will hold the first-ever Texas Open Innovation Conference Tuesday & Wednesday, March 28 & 29, in suburban northwest Houston one of the fastest growing communities in the country thanks to the city’s role as a global energy hub.
Innovation leaders from across the country will speak about how new approaches in technology, education and leadership are creating synergies and opportunities that were unheard of a decade ago.
“Our College was founded in 2012 based on an ‘Invitation to Innovate (i2i),’” said LSC-University Park President Shah Ardalan. “Hosting this national conference demonstrates just how far we have come in four years fueled with our i2i focus. We know innovative practices will lead to cutting-edge discoveries in every field that our students may choose, including those that we can’t imagine today.”
Highlighted speakers include
Steven Gonzalez, deputy, strategic opportunities & partnership development for NASA;
Rustom K. Mody, vice president of technical excellence-enterprise technology at Baker Hughes;
Michael Stone, director of innovative learning for the Public Education Foundation in Chattanooga, Tenn.; and
David Zuniga, commercial innovation manager, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.
Mody, a registered professional engineer, holds 17 patents and has written more than 70 articles and publications. Stone is the cofounder of devXPD, a national teacher and educational development organization, and Gonzalez works to support the long-range strategy for the Johnson Space Center. Zuniga’s responsibilities include developing projects that could lead to the commercial utilization of the International Space Station’s national laboratory.
Organizers continue to add speakers to the conference proceedings and a complete listing is available on the conference website.
Christina Robinson, chief strategist for Innovation at LSC-University Park, said innovative practices are moving higher education institutions ahead. “Academia is joining business and industry in the search for new ideas that can transform operations,” she said. “This conference will focus on an open exchange of ideas and conversations about the future in education, business and industry.”
LSC-University Park is collaborating with the Energy Conference Network on the venture. Energy Conference Network CEO Symon Rubens said. “Advancing discussion about innovation across all areas is vital to growth and now more than ever. Executives realize that encouraging innovation and collaboration across organizations will exponentially improve outcomes.”
For the past two years, Lone Star College-University Park has hosted Innovation Week during which students, faculty, staff and community members have presented new ideas and products. The week has encouraged those involved to look at new ways of doing things.
Conference goers should expect to hear and meet with high-level executives who are pioneering new processes and ideas. Early registration discounts are available at the conference website: www.texasopeninnovation.com.
“The Texas Open Innovation Conference is going to be a fascinating, exciting event - we can’t wait," Rubens said.
Those interested in sponsorships for the event may contact Robinson at Christina.Robinson@LoneStar.edu or Melissa Zerber at Melissa.Zerber@energyconferencenetwork.com.
Early conference discounts available on the conference website: www.texasopeninnovation.com.
The conference is presented by Lone Star College-University Park. Sponsors are: Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Australian American Chamber of Commerce, North Houston Regional Center for Economic Development, International Association of Innovation Professionals, the League for Innovation in the Community College, the Innovation Leadership Forum and the CIO Review.