(Washington, DC, April 26, 2016) – Bringing attention to the Next Gen intelligent transportation workforce, ITS America 2016 San Jose, the new venue highlighting intelligent transportation and integrated mobility, will kick off the three-day event by launching its first-ever V2X High School Lab (V2XHS). San Jose area students will participate with Michigan students in a V2X connected vehicle open, hands-on laboratory where, utilizing a 3D printer, they will design and build their own connected and autonomous vehicles. A news conference to introduce the program will be held Monday, June 13, 9:00 a.m. PDT, at the McEnery Convention Center.
“ITS America 2016 San Jose brings with it a commitment to the community of San Jose by serving as an incubator for next generation ITS. By partnering with Mobile Comply and Square One Education Network, ITS America 2016 San Jose will bring this exciting field of next generation transportation to future engineers, entrepreneurs and financiers,” said Regina Hopper, president and CEO of ITS America. “This workshop will allow students to get a hands-on view of this burgeoning sector of the transportation industry as the need to attract and retain a talented workforce grows.”
V2X (Vehicle-to-X) refers to intelligent transportation systems where vehicles and infrastructure systems are interconnected, providing more precise knowledge of the traffic situation across the entire road network. Connected transportation promises increased safety, environmental, and economic benefits.
The Mobile Comply-Square One Education Network partnership brings together industry and education to develop a connected vehicle certification for teachers and students through classroom training, materials, and lessons. A full classroom curriculum is expected to be in place in Michigan for the 2016-2017 school year.
“It has been a passion of ours to aid in the growth of the community by bringing awareness to the ever-evolving connected and autonomous vehicle environment,” said Elaina Farnsworth, CEO of Mobile Comply. “The training required for the future workforce to support the convergence of technologies needs to begin before students even enter the workforce. It is only through dedicated partnerships, such as those with ITS America and Square One that we can increase the visibility of intelligent transportation and promote mobility nationwide.”
“With the structured and scalable curriculum Mobile Comply can provide, the hands-on applications Square One can impart, and ITS America leading this movement in intelligent transportation, together, we have a robust, consistent and multi-sector learning environment that is crucial for our future professionals entering into this space,” said Karl Klimek, executive director of Square One Education Network.
Mobile Comply is the international leader in developing and delivering curriculum, training, and credentialing programs that prepare businesses and technical professionals to participate in the evolution of intelligent transportation. Mobile Comply’s competency-based training programs equip employees and organizations with the knowledge and skills they need to understand connected and autonomous vehicle technology and the systems the technology enables, so they may leverage that knowledge to drive results in their companies and projects.
Square One Education Network is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, providing grant funding to schools and other K-12 learning environments, enabling them to provide innovative, meaningful STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs.
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) advocates for industries marrying tech and transportation, putting transportation at the center of the Internet of Things (IoT). ITS America works to identify and drive public policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels to advance deployment of the technologies that will support data-driven integrated mobility.
ITS America 2016 San Jose & Next Gen Workforce
Free Student Registration
Registration for the V2X Student-Led Lab is closed, but ITS America supports the next generation workforce by offering registration at no charge to eligible students. To qualify, a student must be an undergraduate currently enrolled full-time at an accredited college or university. To request free student registration, photocopy your valid Student ID and email it, along with your full name and address, school, phone number, and email address to Rachel Rettberg at rrettberg@itsa.org. Write, “I want to participate in ITS America 2016 San Jose through free student registration.”
Student Essay Competition
The ITS America 2016 San Jose Student Essay Competition is sponsored by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). The winning student will receive a $1,000 cash prize, complimentary registration, and expenses-paid travel and hotel accommodations at the venue. Eligible students must be postsecondary graduate or undergraduate level currently enrolled full-time at an accredited college or university. For further info and requirements, visit ITSAmerica2016.org/SwRIStudentEssayCompetition.
ITS America 2016 San Jose
A new show representing this transformative moment in intelligent transportation, ITS America 2016 San Jose is built around the theme “Integrated Mobility. Transportation Redefined.” Each day has its own focus:
- “#THISisITS Making It Work,” on Sunday, June 12, features public-private partnership and investment opportunities, highlighted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Accelerating ITS Deployment Day” workshop.
- “Wheels & Things” rolls in on Monday, June 13. Sponsored by Xerox, the day revolves around all things using, altering or creating new ITS technology.
- “The Infrastructure of Things” on Tuesday, June 14, is built around all the things that interact with wheels and things.
- “Show Me The Money!” on Wednesday, June 15, will feature venture capitalists and the changing business models that are disrupting the “transportation” landscape.
For more information, visit ITSAmerica2016.org.
#THISisITS
Why is Oakland County, Michigan important in this space?:
- Home of the “Oakland County Connected Car Task Force”– building the business case for how communities can implement and pay for the connected car infrastructure
- More Autonomous Vehicle Patents are awarded to Michigan companies than anywhere else in the nation.
- Michigan graduates the highest # of Engineers per capita than any other state in the U.S.A.
- 75 of the Top 100 Global Auto Suppliers are located in Oakland County, Michigan
- Tech248- an IT/Tech Cluster of over 2,000 tech companies call Oakland County , Michigan home including Microsoft, Google (3 locations), Intel , HP , and others.
Contact
Karen Santos
ITS America 2016 San Jose
ksantos@itsa.org
Katherine Robertson
Mobile Comply
krobertson@mobilecomply.com
Barb Land
Square One Education Network
barb@squareonenetwork.org
Source: ITS
