Accelerate 2007 to be held Wednesday at the OnCenter

Accelerate 2007 to be held Wednesday at the OnCenterMay 07, 2007Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Accelerate 2007, a conference to explore new ideas in technology, manufacturing, energy and the environment, will be held on Wednesday, May 9, at the OnCenter in downtown Syracuse. The conference is designed for all individuals and organizations with an interest in creating vibrant, sustainable businesses and communities in upstate New York. Accelerate 2007 is sponsored by the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY); the CASE Center; the Central New York Technology Development Organization (CNYTDO); FOCUS Greater Syracuse and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems.

For information about the conference and to register, visit http://www.accelerate2007.com.

The program agenda will include breakfast and luncheon keynote presentations, a technology and new product exposition, education sessions, a networking reception and the annual MACNY banquet.

The morning keynote address, “The Business Case for Clean Energy,” will be delivered by Dan Reicher, director for climate change and energy initiatives with Google.org and former assistant secretary of energy with the U.S. Department of Energy. The afternoon keynote address, “Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature,” will be given by Janine Benyus, an author and renowned innovation consultant who has been noted as “having the most significant influence on the direction of technology and manufacturing for the next 100 years.” The MACNY Banquet keynote speaker will be Peter Morici, professor of international business at the University of Maryland and a former director of economics at the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Education sessions offered during the day will follow six tracks: Building Tomorrow’s Workforce; Business Growth; Clean and Renewable Energy; Community and Development; Manufacturing Excellence; and Technology Trends. Professional engineer and American Institute of Architects (AIA) continuing education credits are available for select workshops.

The technology and new product exposition will include Toyota’s “Highway to the Future: Mobile Hybrid Experience.”