Commissioner Deborah Gist to Address R.I. Technology Business Community at BIO ED Event

June 16, 2010 - PRLog -- Providence, R.I. – June 16, 2010 – Tech Collective, Rhode Island’s Industry Associate for Information Technology and Bioscience, today announces it is welcoming Rhode Island Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Deborah A. Gist, to speak at its upcoming BIO ED session. The event will be held on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 from 8:30 – 10:30 am at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, R.I.

In the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education Forum of the BIO ED series, Commissioner Gist will address Rhode Island’s Bioscience, Technology and STEM business community. Topics of discussion will focus on changes and initiatives to better prepare the future workforce, and will include: current and future STEM programs and curriculums, Commissioner Gist’s “Five Priorities” plan, and Rhode Island’s efforts to attain federal Race to the Top funding.

“I don’t think I need to say how excited Tech Collective is to welcome Commissioner Gist to the STEM Education Forum of our BIO ED series,” said Kathie Shields, executive director of Tech Collective. “Commissioner Gist has quickly become a recognizable and influential leader within our state as she works to enact the much-needed improvements to our school and education systems. The result will better prepare our students for the Knowledge Economy workforce and foster the high-tech, high-wage opportunities that not only our children, but our entire state, will find success in. We look forward to welcoming Commissioner Gist and the Rhode Island’s Technology business community to this very special BIO ED event.”

The BIO ED: STEM Education Forum event is open to the public, and all bioscience, IT and technology stakeholders of any field or career are encouraged to attend. The event is free for Tech Collective members and $25.00 for non-members. Breakfast will be served. For more information and to register, visit www.tech-collective.org or contact Leanne Diggett at (401) 521-7805 x108 / ldiggett@tech-collective.org.

Commissioner Gist has recently been named among Time magazine's Top 100 most influential people. For more information on her “Five Priorities” plan or her leadership in attaining Race to the Top funding, visit www.ride.ri.gov/Commissioner.

About the Tech Collective BIO ED Series:
Tech Collective’s BIO ED series is a three-part suite of educational information sessions designed to provide an overview of Rhode Island's Biotechnology/Life Sciences industry, where it is today, its challenges and achievements, and how the industry, academia and government can work together to ensure its future success. Each of the events will provide a forum for knowledge sharing, awareness and an understanding of the potential for this industry to have a significant impact on Rhode Island's workforce and economy. The BIO ED series is sponsored by the Bioscience Industry Partnership grant funded through the Governor’s Workforce Board of Rhode Island. To learn more about BIO ED or Tech Collective, visit www.tech-collective.org.                                                                

Contact:
Giselle LaFrance
Manager of Media Relations
Tech Collective
401-829-8321
glafrance@tech-collective.org