Keynote Speakers Announced for Inaugural Virtual Engineering Week

| Source: Informa Markets Engineering Informa Markets Engineering

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Informa Markets – Engineering, the leading B2B event producer, publisher, and digital media business for the world's $3-trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry, and organizers of the nation’s leading manufacturing events comprised of brands ATX, D&M, MD&M, PACK, PLASTEC, and Quality, today announced the keynote speakers that will headline its all-new digital event, Virtual Engineering Week.

Taking place November 30 through December 4, Virtual Engineering Week will bring best-in-class education to the global design, engineering, and manufacturing communities, providing event registrants access to over 100 sessions from top engineering and manufacturing thought leaders with topics ranging from 3D printing and digital solutions for medtech, to medical device product development, packaging trends, and sustainability. The expansive education lineup will kick off each day with a fireside chat and keynote presentation.

“Today’s critical times are requiring manufacturing processes to not only operate smoothly but more quickly than ever before, putting pressure upon these industries to innovate at an unprecedented pace,” said Steve Everly, Virtual Engineering Week Group Event Director. “With the added challenge of not being able to meet in-person, we curated Virtual Engineering Week’s conference to feature ample networking and connection opportunities for attendees to engage with the brightest minds across manufacturing industries today. We’re especially proud of our keynote and fireside chat speaker lineup, that will spotlight trends and new possibilities, and ultimately inspire much innovation.”

Information on each fireside chat and keynote session is below. The full schedule can be viewed here.

Monday, November 30

Welcome & Fireside Chat with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) (8 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Tom Costabile, Executive Director/CEO, ASME

Keynote: Making Healthcare Better with Additive Manufacturing (8:15 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Naomi Murray, Ph.D., Director of Advanced Operations for Additive Technology Solutions, Stryker
Presented by American Society of Mechanical Engineers – ASME

  • With the capability of creating innovative designs, accelerating the development process, and building from medical imaging, medical applications have been an additive manufacturing leader for more than 30 years. Diverse applications and a new era of medical manufacturing is emerging. In this keynote presentation, Dr. Naomi Murray will provide some insights into healthcare’s use of 3D printing in all areas and share her experiences with Stryker to leverage additive manufacturing’s design freedom to create shapes that were not possible before.

Tuesday, December 1

Welcome & Fireside Chat with Medical Alley Association (MAA) (8 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Shaye Mandle, President & CEO, Medical Alley Association

Keynote: Creating a Valuable and Virtual Medtech Experience (8:15 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Mike Thornton, Vice President, Research & Development, Image Stream Medical, wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus
Presented by Medical Alley Association

  • Healthcare IT solutions are partnering IoT and the Cloud like never before to facilitate a rich, virtual collaborative experience between physicians in a medical treatment location, such as an operating room during a clinical procedure, and vendors or other clinicians outside of the environment. In this keynote presentation, Michael Thornton, VP of R&D, will draw from his experiences at Olympus to provide insights into developing such medtech from the ground up, the engineering involved, and details on the technology development process, including Agile SW development.

Wednesday, December 2

Welcome & Fireside Chat with the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) (8 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Jane Chase, CPP, Fellow, Executive Director, Institute of Packaging Professionals

Keynote: Leading the Change in Medical Device Packaging (8:15 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Amy Stewart, Product Development Manager, Printpack Medical & IoPP Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee, Board Chairperson
Presented by IoPP Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee (MDPTC)

  • The CDC estimates that on any given day, one in every 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection. It’s these odds that draw professionals from medical device manufacturers, their packaging supply partners and package designers, and every individual who feels the gravity of packaging integrity to patient safety to lead change.

Thursday, December 3

Welcome & Fireside Chat with the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) (8 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Patrick Farrey, CEO, Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)

Keynote: Altering Decisions for Plastics Consumption in a Circular Economy (8:15 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Conor Carlin, Vice President, Sustainability, Society of Plastics Engineers
Presented by Society of Plastics Engineers – SPE

  • Conor Carlin will share current opportunities to inform our decisions in life cycle assessments, designs for the environment, and application of specific regulatory changes.

Friday, December 4

Welcome & Fireside Chat – What's New For You in 2021? An Anaheim Update (8 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Hayley Haggarty, Group Event Director, Anaheim, Informa Markets – Engineering

Keynote: Mayo Clinic 2030: Hospital of the Future (8:15 a.m. PST)
Speaker: Mark Wehde, Chair, Division of Engineering, Mayo Clinic

  • Prior to 2020, the two main drivers of change in healthcare were costs and improvements in technology leading to better diagnostics and therapeutics. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes that were under way to better utilize digital technology have dramatically accelerated. In this keynote the chair of engineering at Mayo Clinic will discuss how the rapid increases in technology related to connectivity, data analytics, cloud data storage, artificial intelligence, robotics, and sensors is enabling the creation of something new, something that was previously only in the realm of science fiction.

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About Informa Markets – Engineering:
Informa Markets’ Engineering portfolio is the leading B2B event producer, publisher, and digital media business for the world's $3-trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry. Our print and electronic products deliver trusted information to the engineering market and leverage our proprietary 1.3-million-name database to connect suppliers with buyers and purchase influencers. We produce more than 50 events and conferences in a dozen countries, connecting manufacturing professionals from around the globe. The Engineering portfolio is organized by Informa, the world’s leading exhibitions organizer that brings a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

About Informa Markets 
Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Engineering, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world’s leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.