IWRC Aerospace & Defense

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

NASA
IEEE Computer Society
Alabama A&M University
SURGE
IEEE Region 3

IEEE-USA IWRC Aerospace & Defense

Where: Huntsville, Alabama
When: 3-4 December 2024

IEEE-USA IWRC is bringing the CHIPS Act to Alabama!

From 3-4 December, the IEEE-USA Innovation, Workforce, and Research Conference (IWRC) will bring together stakeholders from industry, government, and academia in Huntsville, Alabama, to meet, learn, and discuss the CHIPS Act and other government programs that promote innovation and small business in the southeast. The event includes an evening reception on Tuesday, 3 December, and a full day workshop on Wednesday, 4 December.

Through the CHIPS Act, Congress has allocated $56 Billion for chip manufacturing in the United States with a mandate that the government funding should be allocated throughout the United States. This event will give you an opportunity to meet potential partners from the U.S. federal agencies and learn more about how you can contribute to the Alabama and the southeast innovation ecosystem.

In Partnership with the
Huntsville Madison County Chamber

Huntsville Madison County Chamber

Who should attend?

Target Attendees

Industry: C-Level, VP level, engineers, legal staff, R&D, patent/small business attorneys, finance & VC

Gain access to potential partners in the federal government, information on tech transfer programs, access to federal SBIR and other research programs.

Government officials from the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF) and other agencies are coming to Huntsville looking for partners — like you! Learn about government programs to promote innovation and small business. Meet potential partners at Alabama Universities. Learn more about the CHIPS Act and how it relates to Alabama. Congress has allocated $56 Billion for chip manufacturing in the US. If you think that’s all going to Texas and California, you are wrong.

Academia:  Presidents, chancellors, tech transfer & patent offices, VPRs, researchers

Gain access to federal grant program officials, information on grant processes, connections with potential business partners, and education on the tech transfer process.

Come learn about potential government funding! Government grant officials from the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF) and other agencies are coming to Alabama to meet with the Alabama tech sector and engineers/ entrepreneurs like you! CHIPS Act requires more resources to flow into states like Alabama — government needs partners to make that happen. Learn how to partner with local small businesses.

Government: Policymakers, Federal funding program officers, economic development professionals, incentive managers, entrepreneurial support orgs

Access to local engineers/ entrepreneurs who are interested in learning more about federal government grants and becoming a part of the Alabama innovation economy. Help you to promote government programs in the southeast while fulfilling Congressional mandates.

Venues & Hotel

Tuesday, 3 December

Opening Reception

U.S. Space & Rocket Center

U.S. Space & Rocket Center
1 Tranquility Base
Huntsville, AL 35805
Saturn V Hall

Wednesday, 4 December

Conference Sessions

Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center

Huntsville Marriott at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
5 Tranquility Base
Huntsville, AL 35805

Hotel Info

Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center

Huntsville Marriott at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
5 Tranquility Base
Huntsville, AL 35805

Preliminary Agenda*

*Timing and speakers may be subject to change.

Download PDF Schedule

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

U.S. Space & Rocket Center
1 Tranquility Base
Huntsville, AL 35805

Time (CT)Session
5:30 - 7:30 PMOpening Reception
U.S. Space & Rocket Center 1 Tranquility Base
Huntsville, AL 35805
SATURN V HALL

Wednesday, 4 December 2024

Huntsville Marriott at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
5 Tranquility Base
Grand Ballroom and DISCOVERY and ATLANTIS Breakout Rooms
Huntsville, AL 35805

Time (CT)SessionSpeaker
8:00 AMRegistration and Breakfast
8:30 AMWelcome and Kickoff
8:45 AMHow Alabama Can Contribute to the CHIPS Workforce
  • Will Goins
    Chair, IEEE Huntsville Section (Introduction)
  • Russell Harrison
    Managing Director, IEEE-USA
9:15 AMOpening Keynote: Defense Implications of CHIPS Act
  • Donna Joyce, Ph.D.
    Army Senior Research Scientist for Protective Technologies, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center
9:45 AMNASA Small Business Opportunities
  • David Brock
    Small Business Specialist, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
10:15 AMNetworking Break
10:45 AMBreakout Sessions
1) Innovation and Intellectual Property
DISCOVERY
  • Jennifer Fowler
    Director and Principal Investigator, Arkansas National Science Foundation EPSCoR (Moderator)
  • Mark Adams, Ph.D.
    Director, Alabama Micro/ Nano Science and Technology Center, Auburn University
  • Hulya Kirkici, Ph.D.
    Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of South Alabama
  • David Vance Lucas
    Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson
  • George White, Ph.D.
    Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Georgia Institute of Technology
2) Opportunities and Challenges in Workforce Development
ATLANTIS
12:00 PMNetworking Lunch/Fireside Chat with NSF
1:00 PMAerospace and CHIPS Keynote
1:30 PMHow the Southeast Can Contribute to the Microelectronics Commons
2:00 PMNetworking Break
2:30 PMBreakout Sessions
1) Broadening Collaboration with the U.S. Defense Enterprise
DISCOVERY
2) Broadening Collaboration with U.S. Aerospace Enterprise
ATLANTIS
  • Curtis Hill
    PI, ODME Project and Lead, NASA InSPA Commercialization of Semiconductors, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (Moderator)
  • Tim Lee
    2024 IEEE-USA President-Elect/Boeing
  • Rima Kasia Oueid
    Senior Commercialization Executive, Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Dale Thomas, Ph.D.
    Alabama NASA EPSCoR
4:15 PMSharing Notes: Breakout Session Report Out
5:00 PMWrap-Up and Adjourn
Time (CT)
8:00 AM

Registration and Breakfast
8:30 AM

Welcome and Kickoff
8:45 AM

How Alabama Can Contribute to the CHIPS Workforce

  • Will Goins
    Chair, IEEE Huntsville Section (Introduction)
  • Russell Harrison
    Managing Director, IEEE-USA
9:15 AM

Opening Keynote: Defense Implications of CHIPS Act

  • Donna Joyce, Ph.D.
    Army Senior Research Scientist for Protective Technologies, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center
9:45 AM

NASA Small Business Opportunities

  • David Brock
    Small Business Specialist, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
10:15 AM

Networking Break

10:45 AM - Breakout Sessions
DISCOVERY

1) Innovation and Intellectual Property

  • Jennifer Fowler
    Director and Principal Investigator, Arkansas National Science Foundation EPSCoR (Moderator)
  • Mark Adams, Ph.D.
    Director, Alabama Micro/ Nano Science and Technology Center, Auburn University
  • Hulya Kirkici, Ph.D.
    Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of South Alabama
  • David Vance Lucas
    Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson
  • George White, Ph.D.
    Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Georgia Institute of Technology
ATLANTIS

2) Opportunities and Challenges in Workforce Development
12:00 PM

Networking Lunch/Fireside Chat with NSF
1:00 PM

Aerospace and CHIPS Keynote
1:30 PM

How the Southeast Can Contribute to the Microelectronics Commons
2:00 PM

Networking Break

2:30 PM - Breakout Sessions
DISCOVERY

1) Broadening Collaboration with the U.S. Defense Enterprise
ATLANTIS

2) Broadening Collaboration with U.S. Aerospace Enterprise

  • Curtis Hill
    PI, ODME Project and Lead, NASA InSPA Commercialization of Semiconductors, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (Moderator)
  • Tim Lee
    2024 IEEE-USA President-Elect/Boeing
  • Rima Kasia Oueid
    Senior Commercialization Executive, Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Dale Thomas, Ph.D.
    Alabama NASA EPSCoR
4:15 PM

Sharing Notes: Breakout Session Report Out
5:00 PM

Wrap-Up and Adjourn

Meet Our Speakers & Panelists

  • Mark Adams, Ph.D.

    Mark Adams, Ph.D.

    Director, Alabama Micro/ Nano Science and Technology Center, Auburn University

  • Jared Ashcroft

    Jared Ashcroft, Ph.D.

    Director, Micro Nano Technology Education Center

  • David E. Brock

    David E. Brock

    NASA Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) Manager
    Small Business Specialist
    NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

  • Julia Buckley

    Julia Buckley

    Chief Operations Officer, Reliable MicroSystems, LLC

  • Kaitlin Bulavinetz

    Kaitlin Bulavinetz

    Senior Advisor to the Principal Director for Advanced Computing and Software
    Associate Director, Global Research Watch within the Office of Strategic Intelligence & Analysis
    Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering for Critical Technologies (OUSD(R&E))

  • Lyndsay Ferguson

    Lyndsay Ferguson

    Vice President for Talent Initiatives
    Huntsville/ Madison County Chamber of Commerce

  • Jennifer Fowler

    Jennifer Fowler

    Director and Principal Investigator, Arkansas National Science Foundation EPSCoR

  • Matt Francis

    Matt Francis, Ph.D.

    Founder and President/CEO of Ozark Integrated Circuits, Inc.

  • Erin Gawron-Hyla, Ph.D.

    Erin Gawron-Hyla, Ph.D.

    Workforce Development CTEA Lead
    Microelectronics Commons
    DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

  • Eric Grigorian

    Eric Grigorian, P.E.

    Director, IEEE Region 3

  • Rosalyn Hobson Hargraves, Ph.D.

    Rosalyn Hobson Hargraves, Ph.D.

    Division Director, NSF Division of Undergraduate Education, Directorate for STEM Education

  • Russell Harrison

    Russell Harrison

    Managing Director, IEEE-USA

  • Erik Heilman

    Erik Heilman

    Director of Government Relations, IEEE-USA

  • Curtis Hill

    Curtis Hill

    Principal Investigator and Subject Matter Expert
    NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

  • Dr. Donna Joyce

    Donna Joyce, Ph.D.

    Army Senior Research Scientist for Protective Technologies, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center

  • Hulya Kirkici

    Hulya Kirkici, Ph.D.

    Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of South Alabama
    Fellow IEEE

  • Jeffrey LaRoche, Ph.D.

    Jeffrey LaRoche, Ph.D.

    Engineering Fellow, Advanced Technology Programs, RTX

  • Tawnya Laughinghouse

    Tawnya Laughinghouse

    Director, Materials and Processes Laboratory
    Marshall Space Flight Center

  • Tim Lee

    Tim Lee

    2024 IEEE-USA President-Elect
    Boeing Technical Fellow

  • David Vance Lucas

    David Vance Lucas

    Partner
    Womble Bond Dickinson

  • Zach McGovern

    Zach McGovern

    External Relations Officer
    City of Huntsville

  • Tim Morgan, Ph.D.

    Tim Morgan, Ph.D.

    Technical Director
    Microelectronics Commons

  • Rima Kasia Oueid

    Rima Kasia Oueid

    Senior Commercialization Executive
    Office of Technology Transitions
    U.S. Department of Energy

  • Dale Thomas

    Dale Thomas, Ph.D., P.E.

    Professor and Eminent Scholar of Systems Engineering, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH)

  • Ebonee A. Walker, Ph.D.

    Ebonee A. Walker, Ph.D.

    IEEE Region 3 WIE representative

  • George White

    George White, Ph.D.

    Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships
    Georgia Institute of Technology

  • Zhigang Xiao, Ph.D.

    Zhigang Xiao, Ph.D.

    Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    Alabama A&M University

Registration

TierPrice
Full Registration - Non-Member$350.00
Full Registration - IEEE Member$300.00
Student Non-Member$195.00
Student IEEE Member$145.00
IEEE Life Member$145.00
Speaker/Panelist Registration$250.00
Exhibit Space*

Exhibit Space (Includes one registration) - Includes exhibit space for the organization in the event exhibit hall, one event registration, and placement of the organization’s logo on the event website.

*Additional fees may be incurred for the exhibit table and features like electricity. Closer to the event, we will provide a contact at the event venue.		$550.00

Registration Includes

  • 3 December IWRC reception at the Space and Rocket Center.
  • 4 December IWRC conference sessions with continental breakfast and lunch provided at the Huntsville Marriott at the Space and Rocket Center.

Related Events

IEEE-USA/DOD Roundtable

When: 3 December 2024 | 1:30 – 4:00 PM CST
Where: Georgia Tech Research Institute Huntsville Offices

IEEE-USA/DoD RoundtableIEEE-USA, in partnership with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) within the Department of Defense (DoD), will be hosting an invitation-only roundtable discussion with selected members of the Alabama small business community at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Huntsville offices.

IEEE-USA would like you/your company at this event. The Roundtable will focus on opportunities and challenges to tech transition and on-boarding new technologies into the DoD. This event will give you a chance to discuss your perspective on the federal contracting process, share success stories, discuss obstacles, and identify ways to work together more efficiently.

To participate, please fill out the this form as soon as possible. If selected, you will be sent a link to register for the event.