February 14, 2018 (Richmond, VA)

Nine projects address strategic needs of regions in talent development, infrastructure development, and commercialization that will create higher paying jobs

Governor Ralph Northam today announced nine regional projects funded through GO Virginia (Growth and Opportunity for Virginia). Key members of the Governor's Cabinet, the General Assembly, and the business community approved $2,618,150 in GO Virginia regional per capita grant funds for projects across the Commonwealth. These grants are for projects that each region identified as vital to their efforts to diversify the regional economy, strengthen their workforce, and support collaborative programs between localities, public entities, and private businesses.

 

"GO Virginia's framework is unique in that it is empowering regional business leaders, local governments, and local educators to work together for the good of Virginia's economy," said Governor Northam. "These projects will strengthen our workforce and support our ongoing efforts to create opportunity in every corner of Virginia. GO Virginia will play an important role in developing the next generation of leaders and innovators from across the Commonwealth."

 

"GO Virginia's momentum continues as nine more projects were approved today," said GO Virginia Board Chairman John O. "Dubby" Wynne. "It is exciting to see more regional collaboration for economic development in nearly every corner of our Commonwealth. With this second round of projects approved, GO Virginia continues to make progress in addressing our state's economic challenges and in lifting up our communities. We look forward to carrying out this important work to boost Virginia's economy and create more higher-paying jobs over the next months and years."  

  

The GO Virginia Per Capita grant funds will be used to implement projects that align with the regions' Growth and Diversification Plans. These plans provide an honest assessment of the economic, workforce, and structural barriers in the region as well as the existing regional economic drivers and potential growth sectors in each region. Projects that address these challenges and opportunities are the first step toward the creation of higher paying jobs in the regions.

The regional per capita funding is awarded on a rolling basis by the State GO Virginia Board based on the regional application processes. All regions will be eligible for the statewide competitive grants that are expected to be awarded in April of 2018.

Six of the nine GO Virginia Regions submitted applications in this round of per capita funding. The nine projects approved today will leverage $4.3 million in non-state sources to assist with economic diversification throughout the Commonwealth. Local governments have committed $2.6 million toward these nine projects.

                                                                                   

View full list of grant awards and descriptions

Because we did not get to ask all the questions we had, we're offering the Deeper Dive! Join us March 1st for a "deeper dive" into cryptocurrency and all that comes with that fascinating topic. Dr. Morgan Benton, JMU CISE/ISAT, has agreed to speak again.

To help us narrow the topics to exactly the questions everyone wants addressed most, please contribute: March 1 Luncheon prep. What's on your mind: Bitcoin mining; public ledger; block chain; difference between bitcoin and etherum? Something else? Let us know.

Get yourself started with the topic:  https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-cryptocurrency.

You can also register for the luncheon on our website. 

A big thank you to our sponsors!

      

 

Come join us for Bits & Grits at Mrs. Rowe's in Staunton! This is a casual event. Just show up to drink coffee, have breakfast, or just talk with fellow techies in the Shenandoah Valley. Attendees should look for Kurt Plowman when entering Mrs. Rowe's.

Hosted by the  Shenandoah Valley SBDC with  Immerge Technologies, this Live Stream event is presented by Google in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and its Small Business Tech Coalition: Facebook, Square, and Constant Contact! 

Help your customers do business with you wherever they are. Whether it's in-person or on the go, it's important for you to create a seamless shopping experience to grow your business. Bring your laptop (or not) and enjoy this free LIVE STREAM workshop on the "big screen". Wifi connection will be available.  Feel free to bring your own lunch if you like, or visit one of the many dining options near the Ice House prior. Doors open at 12 noon.

Program Agenda:  

12:00                   Doors Open at JMU IceHouse Rm. 117
12:15                   Program Begins 
12:30                   Go Live for SBA Intro!
12:30 - 12:45      Constant Contact
12:45 - 1:00        Square
1:00 - 1:15          Facebook
1:15 - 1:30          Google
1:30 - 2:00          Live Q&A Pane l

Share on social media with hashtag  #SBAOpen4Biz

Or feel free to share or add to the discussion on  Facebook!

Register for Feb. 21, 2018 workshop

 

At its core, User Experience (UX) is defined as how someone feels about using a product, system, or service. Regardless of what we're designing - a website, an Android app, or a toaster - we all strive to make our designs useful, easy to use, and enjoyable to use. But how exactly do we make something useful, easy to use, and enjoyable? How do we know if the target audience is having a good or bad experience? This class will arm you with the essential tips to find those answers.

This class is for anyone who makes (or wants to learn how to make) websites, mobile apps, or other software. If you're a developer, a designer, a project manager, a content creator, or something else, you can integrate UX research and design into your practice.

This is a hands on course which will give you actionable tools to get started with user experience in your work day!

Tech Requirements
Your laptop. Note: A netbook or tablet is NOT a substitute.

Ready to become a dynamic online and offline business destination? Nationally renowned marketing expert and small business strategist, Jon Schallert of The Schallert Group will lead this dynamic workshop that will give business owners the tools to strengthen their web presence and transition to an experience-based business. 

Business owners will learn how to become a destination business - both online and in-store. In addition, attendees will:

• Get the strategies to make sure customers can find you.
• Discover ways to create an engaging and sales-driving website.
• Hear what creative businesses around the nation have done to defy impossible customer markets and attract people from miles away by creating an experience-based destination.
• Find out how to offer more than a transaction in order to become a destination - whether meal delivery subscriptions are eating into your dining room sales or Amazon is clicking away at your bottom line. 

Register for Feb. 27, 2018 workshop  

Virginia Space Grant Consortium is partnering with NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton and NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore to provide hands-on research experience opportunities for at least 23 Virginia Community College students during summer 2018. These paid opportunities will be identified by both NASA Centers with current Center missions and projects that are at a point which would maximize hands-on engagement of the students at project critical stages, while inspiring students, teaching them the nature of project work, communications and teamwork, and providing strong exposure to a wide range of technical and scientific career paths. Student researchers will work with NASA research advisors on the designated research project over the course of a 10 week, 40-hour- per-week, summer research experience. Students will receive a $5,000 stipend. Application packages are due February 26, 2018.

Deadlines

• Summer 2018 Application Due: FEBRUARY 26, 2018
• Electronic Recommendations Due: MARCH 2, 2018
• Selection Notification Deadline: On or about APRIL 16, 2018

Contact 

Debbie Murray, Program Manager, Virginia Space Grant Consortium, dbmurray@odu.edu; 757-766-5210 or Nicole Shaw, Program Assistant,  lnshaw@odu.edu

More information, eligibility requirements, and registration for summer research program

The upcoming Networking at Noon is presented by  Tech Team Solutions. The e ducation moment will be presented by Toastmasters. Toastmasters will be focusing on, "Communicating with Confidence".

Networking at Noon will be held the 4th Tuesday of the month from 12-1:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Historic Gateway. During this luncheon attendees will have time for open networking, networking at their table, and hear a short educational moment from a guest speaker.

Register for Feb. 27, 2018 luncheon

Join Northern VA's leading big data and analytics companies and prominent thought leaders at the second annual Capital Data Summit on Feb. 28, 2018 at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner.

Featuring keynote speakers and panels offering unique insights on how big data and analytics are transforming industries and producing results for organizations and their customers, a technology showcase of the region's leading big data and analytics companies, and unmatched networking opportunities, the Capital Data Summit will provide exceptional business development and educational value for NVTC members and the entire Greater Washington technology community.

Keynote Speakers
William Ruh, CEO, GE Digital, and Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, GE
Mark Ryland, Chief Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services Public Sector

NEW IN 2018!
The 2018 Capital Data Summit will include a new University Data Challenge, in which teams of students representing the region's universities and community colleges will be challenged to analyze and respond to a topic/question using any combination of data sources and statistical, mathematical modeling, big data, and related techniques available to them.

Cost
Member: $395.00
Additional Member Attendee: $345.00
General Audience: $550.00
Student: $50.00
Government Employee: $25.0

The challenge is simple. Build something using computer science and technology that can help solve an imminent social problem under one of four themes - global health, a safer world, intelligent technology, and bridging inequalities. You can think of it as a virtual hackathon for middle school girls.

Step 1 - Register

Before you start working on your project, decide whether you want to work as an individual or in a team. Then,  register yourself or your team before the registration deadline. No unregistered individuals/teams will be allowed to participate. 

Step 2 - Build The Project

You're about to embark on an exciting journey over the next few months while you're building your project. After you pick a theme and finalize a project idea, you're ready to get started with building. Building can mean anything from physically putting together machine parts for a robot to writing code for a mobile app to prototyping a new prosthetic device. The possibilities are endless. After an initial build, you'll want to test it to make sure everything works the way you want it to. And after multiple retests and rebuilds, you'll finally end up with a product that you're not only proud of, but which can make a difference. 

Step 3 - Submit The Project

Once you're satisfied with your project, you're ready to submit. To submit, you will need to prepare a te chnical report and, video, and blog post on your project. The submission portal will open in January of 2018.

About ProjectCSGIRLS

ProjectCSGIRLS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to cultivate a love for technology and computer science in girls and encourage them to pursue their interests and careers in these fields. They believe that nurturing an interest in science, math, and technology during the critical middle school period will help girls to better see themselves as the future leaders of tomorrow. They aim to do this through a unique idea - the nation's largest computer science competition for middle school girls. ProjectCSGIRLS is run by high school and college students from around the country who are incredibly passionate about computer science and technology. Simply put, they are here to drive change.

Are you aware of a technology that could transform your industry but you don't have time to explore it? Does your organization have long-range design problems that you don't have the resources to solve yourself? What if you could hire graduates who are ready to start working on your top needs from Day One?

The 2018 *VIRTUES Summit will focus on strategic coordination between higher education and industry with the aim of fostering creative, confident and market-ready students who are experienced in emerging technologies.

JMU X-Labs is entering its third year collaborating with distinguished government and industry organizations that give interdisciplinary student teams real-world experience. We invite industry professionals who are eager to plug into our expanding programs to come work directly with students and faculty from universities across the commonwealth and form mentorships with exceptional students.

*Virginia Industry Resources Through Undergraduate Education Summit

Register for March 1-2, 2018 VIRTUES Summit

Every year, Technovation invites teams of girls from all over the world to learn and apply the skills needed to solve real-world problems through technology. Teams can range in size from 1-5 girls with 10-14 year olds in the junior division and 15-18 in the senior division.

Girls work in teams to build both a mobile app and a business plan to launch that app, supported by mentors and guided by our curriculum. T echnovation's curriculum takes students through 4 stages of launching a mobile app startup, inspired by the principles of design thinking:

• Ideation: Identify a problem in the community
• Technology: Develop a mobile app solution
• Entrepreneurship: Build a business plan to launch the app
• Pitch: Bring the business to market