Confluence, an innovation and technology conference, set for April 13-14 in Rome, Ga.

The Rome Floyd Chamber is pleased to announce the return of its two-day innovation and technology conference, Confluence, in the heart of downtown Rome. This year’s conference will be held on Thursday, April 13, and Friday, April 14, at the Historic DeSoto Theatre, 605 Broad Street.

Confluence is a two-day conference of inspiration, technology and motivation for business leaders, manufacturers, technologists, educators, entrepreneurs and students. Confluence promises to provide the latest trends in innovation and technology, as presented by local, regional and national leaders.

Confluence is a product of the Chamber’s Future Industries Initiative, a committee working to make connections between the county’s medical community and its K-12 and postsecondary educational system to support and grow local jobs.

This year’s Confluence includes world-renowned speakers recognized by national media sources and investors positively impacting our society with innovation and ideas that change the world.

“Rome and Floyd County continue to be at the forefront of technology and leaders in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and small business start-ups,” said John Quinlivan, 2017 chairman of the Board, Rome Floyd Chamber and CEO, Redmond Regional Medical Center.”Our annual Confluence conference highlights emerging technologies worldwide as well as state-of-the-art innovative techniques at use right here with Pirelli, Suzuki, OTR and Parker FiberNet, LLC. The conference highlights the Chamber’s priority of attracting and expanding high-tech, high-performance jobs for our area.”

The 2017 keynote speakers are:

G.P. “Bud” Peterson, PhD — Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson is the eleventh president of the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this capacity he oversees a top-ten public research university with more than 21,500 students and research expenditures of more than $730 million.

Throughout his career, Dr. Peterson has played an active role in helping to establish the national education and research agendas, serving on numerous industry, government, and academic task forces and committees. A distinguished scientist, Dr. Peterson was selected in 2008 by President George W. Bush to serve on the National Science Board through 2014. The Board oversees the National Science Foundation (NSF) and advises the President and Congress on national policy related to science and engineering research and education.

Janet Echelman — Janet Echelman is an artist who defies categorization. She creates experimental sculpture at the scale of buildings that transform with wind and light. The art shifts from being an object you look at, to a living environment you can get lost in. Using unlikely materials from fishnets to atomized water particles, Echelman combines ancient craft with cutting-edge technology to create artworks that have become focal points for urban life on four continents.

Recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Harvard University Loeb Fellowship, a Fullbright Lectureship and the Aspen Institute Crown Fellowship, her TED talk “Taking Imagination Seriously” has been translated into 34 languages with more than one million views.

“As chairman of this year’s Confluence, I am honored to represent the Rome Floyd Chamber and present this stellar lineup of speakers with keynote speaker Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson, president of Georgia Tech,” Mark Cochran, owner, Cevian Design Lab. “This year’s two-day event will feature world renowned speakers whose innovation and leadership continue to put them at center stage as pioneers in technology and innovation.”

Additional speakers include:

Lee Hanson – Owner of Guardian Innovations Company

John Grout, PhD – Chair of the Department of Creative Technologies at Berry College

Bill Rader – Founder and CEO of Efferent Labs

Christopher McKinney, PhD – Vice President of Augusta University

Steve Damon – President and CEO of 4P Therapeutics

Suresh Sharma – Author of “The 3rd American Dream”

Jeff Jahn – Founder of Dynamix Web design

John Cowan, MD – Inventor of “Flip Table”

Students from Darlington’s STEM program

Students from Caps and Grounds at Pepperell High School

Tickets can be purchased on the Rome Floyd Chamber’s website at www.romega. com on the Events Page. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone at the Rome Floyd Chamber, 706291-7663.

Please visit the website to learn more, http://www. confluencerome.org.