If you're a fan of the revolutionary Segway Personal Transporter, mark your calendars now: Inventor, entrepreneur, and advocate for science and technology Dean Kamen will be the opening keynote speaker for the co-located PTDA 2009 Industry Summit and FPDA 2009 Network Symposium. To be held on October 22 to 24 at the new Hilton San Diego Bayfront, this is the first time the two organizations will co-locate their fall meetings.
Widely known as the Segway's inventor, Kamen is president of DEKA Research & Development Corp., Manchester, N.H. As an inventor, physicist, and entrepreneur, he holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for medical devices. As an advocate of technology to improve lives, Kamen founded the nonprofit US FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The vision of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, and foster self-confidence and leadership.
The theme for the fall meeting is “What's Your Next Move?” and will feature programming designed to help participants prepare for life after the recession. Attended by leaders in the industrial distribution industry, members from PTDA and FPDA will share keynote speakers, workshop sessions, and networking events over two days. In addition to Kamen, Alan Beaulieu of the Institute for Trend Research will speak at the closing luncheon, offering economic insights.
A key component of the co-located meetings will be the Motion Control Technical Conference and Showcase. The conference is for technical specialists in the power transmission/motion control industry to learn about motion control trends and technologies.
For more information, visit www.ptda.org/IndustrySummit.