SVTC Banner
The Shenandoah Valley Connection top 
March 16,  2018
Click Any Link Below to Jump to Article
Nomination Deadline Approaching - Submit Now! (3/16)
Design + Build for Grades K - 2 (3/7, 3/14, 3/21)
Fluor Engineering Challenge for K-12 Students (deadline 3/16)
Expanding Your Horizons for Middle School Girls (3/17)
GARCC's Business Excellence Awards (3/21)
Code Girls Panel Discussion @ VA Festival of the Book (3/22)
Google Apps: Personal, Professional and Business Productivity (3/27 - 3/28)
Maker City 101 for Youth Makers (3/27 - 3/30)
Pitch Perfect: Persuading Others to Invest in You (3/29)
X-STEM Symposium | For Middle and High School Students (4/5)
USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo | FREE (4/7 - 4/8)
Google Analytics & Dashboards (4/21)
Job Opening | Part-Time Web Programmer, JMU
Job Opening | Electronics Technician, ComSonics in Harrisonburg
Job Opening | Application Developer, Shen Valley Electric Coop
Nomination Deadline Today - Submit Now!

Choose a category:
Shentel's Noftsinger Leadership
JMU CISE Community Impact
JMU CoB Innovation in Emerging Business
  JMU CoE & JMU CSM Innovation in K-12 Education
CIT Innovation in Development
 JMU CIS and BSAN  Innovation in Utilization
Serco People's Choice (*)
(* All nominee's will automatically be nominees in this category)
 

Get ready! Nominations are most competitive when they are well coordinated between nominator and nominee, AND when they are accurate and complete. PLUS: self-nominations are welcome (no one knows who nominated whom).  Neither nominee or nominator need to be a member of the SVTC. 
Nomination Season Ends March 16, 2018.

A couple FYIs / changes for 2018:
  1.  Leadership category: ALL NOMINEES in the Leadership category WILL be publicized. (Instead of only the winner.)
  2. People's Choice Award (PCA): In a change from 2017, the PCA winner can also be the winner in a different category. (PS: Special hashtag to be used in voting will be announced in mid-March)

Pick a category and nominate an innovator, educator, or leader today! Take a look at previous SVTC Tech Nite nominees and winners. 


 

(If you want to reserve a spot in the nomination line and need an extension, please send an email to [email protected] and we may be able to accommodate on an individual basis.)

 

(*) Thinking of getting your name in front of the biggest tech crowd of the year?  Let us help you position yourself: SVTC Tech Nite sponorships 

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
GO Virginia Region 8 Grant Funds Available for
Eligible Projects



March 13, 2018 (Harrisonburg, VA)

The GO Virginia Region 8 Council of the Shenandoah Valley is now accepting proposals for eligible projects to be funded through the Commonwealth's GO Virginia initiative to grow and diversify regional economies.  GO Virginia is an initiative by Virginia's senior business leaders to foster private-sector growth and job creation through state incentives for regional collaboration by business, education, and government.  The Region 8 Council has approximately $828,000 in per capita GO Virginia funds to award for collaborative projects that involve two or more localities and a private sector partner.  Projects should be focused on the targeted industries and eligible activities identified in Region 8's Growth and Diversification Plan . In addition to the per capita funds, approximately $11.3 million in competitive statewide GO Virginia funds are also available for projects where two or more GO Virginia regions partner.
 
The most recent project funded by GO Virginia in Region 8 is the Rockbridge Area Advanced Manufacturing Program (RAAMP). RAAMP is a 40-week training program for welders at Byers Technical Institute, a new technical training center in Rockbridge County. The $200,000 needed to implement RAAMP will include a mix of GO Virginia funds and matching public/private investments from the Rockbridge County Economic Development Authority, the City of Buena Vista, and Byers, Inc., and will go towards expanding facilities and instructors to meet a critical demand for skilled welders in the region. 
 
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the project application guide available on the Shenandoah Valley Partnership website prior to completing an application.  The upcoming application deadlines are April 6, 2018, for per capita applications, and June 1, 2018, for per capita and competitive statewide applications.
 
GO Virginia Region 8 covers a large region from Winchester to Lexington and includes ten counties and six cities in the Shenandoah Valley, with a combined population of 525,000.  The 28-member council that oversees the GO Virginia program is made up of representatives from small and large business, higher and K-12 education, elected officials, and economic and workforce development organizations. 

For more information on GO Virginia, visit online at Shenandoah Valley Partnership or Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

About GO Virginia :  The Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity (GO Virginia) is a voluntary, business-led, bipartisan initiative that was formed to foster private-sector growth and diversification across nine economic development regions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. State financial incentives designated for regional projects that encourage collaboration among private sector companies, workforce, education, and government are administered by the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board.


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
  Fluor Engineering Challenge for K-12 Students
(deadline 3/16)
 


Entries submitted online on March 16, 2018 by midnight

Who can enter? 
The 2018 Fluor Engineering Challenge is open to K-12 students around the world. Students can enter individually or as teams of up to four students. Only one entry per team is allowed. 

What do I do? 
Build a device to launch a ball as far as possible, and another device to catch it, all from a limited list of materials like pencils, rubber bands, paper, and tape. The farther you can launch the ball (following the challenge rules) before it touches the ground, and the fewer materials you use, the higher your score. Finish your design and submit your score before the March 16, 2018 deadline to enter the contest. Full details, including the building and launching rules, allowable materials, scoring, and testing can be found in the  Ball Launcher project at Science Buddies.

Where is the challenge happening? 
Students can do this challenge anywhere! The 2018 Fluor Engineering Challenge is designed as a fun hands-on engineering project to do at home, in the classroom, or as part of an afterschool program.

When is the challenge taking place?
Students may build and test their ball launchers anytime now through March 16, 2018. Entries may be submitted February 18, 2018 through March 16, 2018. All entries are due by midnight Pacific Time (GMT-8) on March 16, 2018.

Who is eligible for the $1,000 USD prizes?
To qualify to receive a $1,000 USD prize, an organization must be classified as a U.S. 501(c)3 public charity, a public or private primary or secondary school, or an international nonprofit or non-government charity with a valid registration number. The organization must be located in one of the geographic regions listed above. An organization may enter as many teams in the 2018 Fluor Challenge as they desire. Each entry increases an organization's odds of winning, but an organization may only win a total of one prize.


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
 Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) for Middle School Girls 
(3/17)
 


March 17, 2018| 8:15 am - 3:20 pm
Memorial Hall, JMU, Harrisonburg

All participants will receive breakfast and lunch.  
There is no registration fee, but all students and accompanying
adults and teachers must pre-register. 


Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) is a one-day math and science conference for girls in grades 6-9. The participants engage in exciting, hands-on workshops organized by JMU faculty, attend science presentations and demonstrations, and interact with JMU students who are studying math and science. Parents and teachers are invited to attend EYH with their students.  We plan to offer adult workshops again this year.  Parents and teachers are also welcome to accompany their students to all of their activities.

About EYH
Expanding Your Horizons at James Madison University engages young women in high-quality hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities and small-group interactions with female scientist role models to foster and support the young women's interest in STEM fields, to increase their awareness of opportunities in STEM-related careers, and to empower them to see themselves as future participants in these fields and careers.


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Business Excellence Awards 
(3/21)
 


March 21, 2018 | 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm 
Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center, Staunton

The Dinner and Awards Ceremony gives the Chamber an opportunity to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations in the community. The Chamber recognizes and presents an award to the: 
  • Small Business Excellence Award
  • Large Business Excellence Award
  • Woman-Owned Business Excellence Award
  • Non-Profit Excellence Award
  • Young Professional Award
  • Business Leadership Award 
Please note, registration for this event will close promptly on Friday, March 16th at 5pm.

Register for March 21, 2018 Awards Ceremony

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Code Girls Panel Discussion @ VA Festival of the Book (3/22)
March 22, 2018 | 6:00pm-7:30pm
Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Smart Women Got it Done, a 90-minute talk with author of Code Girls, Liza Mundy, will be facilitated by CWIT Vice President, Kim Wilkens. Liza Mundy is a former staff writer for the Washington Post. She is the author of four books, including the New York Times bestseller Michelle: A Biography, and writes for The Atlantic and Politico.

Code Girls shares the story of thousands of American women recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy to serve as codebreakers, facing sexism and misogyny while keeping their involvement a secret. The Washington Post described Code Girls as, "Irresistible... We owe Mundy gratitude for rescuing these hidden figures from obscurity. Even more valuable is her challenge to the myth of the eccentric, inspired, solitary male genius, like Alan Turing."

This event is free and open to the public.

Register for March 22, 2018 panel discussion

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Google Apps: Personal, Professional and Business
Productivity 
(3/27 - 3/28)
 


March 27 - 28, 2018 | 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm 
Most people are familiar with the popular search engine Google. However, there is so much more Google has to offer for personal productivity and business professionals to take advantage of with a Google Apps account. This course looks thoroughly at many of the most productive Google Apps and how tried and true best practices can make a major positive change for you and/or your business.
 
To stay up to date with current events and find credible information via the Web, we'll review Advanced Google Searching, Google News, Alerts, Plus, and Chrome.  For improved efficiency and communication we closely examine Google Mail and Google Calendar.  Online productivity and collaboration for word processing, presentations, spreadsheets and more will be fully covered via Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Apps.  Come learn how Google can improve your personal, professional, and business productivity!
 
In order to access many of the features discussed in this class, participants are encouraged to set up a free Gmail account (https://accounts.google.com/signup) before coming to class.

Register for March 27 - 28, 2018 Class

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Maker City 101 for Youth Makers 
(3/27 - 3/30)
 


March 27 - 30, 2018 | 9:30 am - 11:00 am 
Making City 101 is composed of 90-minute sessions designed to help youth makers learn the basics of the more advanced areas of the studio.  Limited spaces, advance registration required. Free with paid admission or membership!

Tuesday, March 27 | 9:30 - 11 AM | DESIGN WITH INKSCAPE
Use design software to create you own vector images. Take an idea from simple sketch to a computer image perfect for downloading and then producing on the Maker City laser and vinyl cutters. 

Thursday, March 29 | 9:30 - 11 AM | 3D MODELING WITH TINKERCAD 
Want to create your own 3-dimensional designs? First, you'll need to learn the basics of Tinkercad! Using shapes, you can adjust, build and transform objects from your screen to objects that you print on the Maker City 3D Printer. 

Additional classes and registration for Maker City 101

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

March 29, 2018 | 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm 
JMU Carrier Library, Room 301

You have an idea for a business or think you'd be perfect for a position.  How do you successfully pitch yourself or your idea to the stakeholders who can make it a reality?  Please join us for a panel discussion to learn the basics of a networking pitch or business proposal from our expert presenters.  Refreshments will be served at this free event.  All are welcome!

Panelists will include:
Ms. Joyce Krech, Director of the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center
Dr. C.K. Lee, Assistant Professor in JMU Dept. of Management
Ms. Christina C. Roeder, Lecturer in JMU Dept. of Management

* Guest parking will be available on levels 2-7 of the Grace Street Parking Deck. *


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
April 5, 2018 | 10 am- 3 pm

X-STEM - sponsored by  PwC,  NBC4 and  NCR - is an Extreme STEM symposium for middle through high school students featuring interactive presentations by an exclusive group of visionaries who aim to empower and inspire kids about careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These STEM role models and industry leaders are sure to ignite your students' curiosity through storytelling and live demonstrations. 

Advance registration is required to attend.

Register for April 5, 2018 Symposium

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
Saturday: 10 am- 6 pm | Sunday: 10 am- 4 pm 

Mark your calendars for the 5th USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo on April 7-8, 2018! Explore 3,000 hands-on exhibits from the world's leading scientific and engineering societies, universities, government agencies, high-tech corporations and STEM organizations. The two-day Expo is perfect for children, teens, and families who want to inspire their curious minds.

Join 350K+ attendees to celebrate science at the Expo and engage in activities with some of the biggest names in STEM. Hear stories of inspiration and courage, participate in mind-boggling experiments and rock out to science during our incredible stage shows.

This event is free, but donations are appreciated. 


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

April 21, 2018 | JMU Lakeview Hall 
$36.00   per person (scholarships available)

You added Google Analytics tracking code to your site, and you (occasionally) measure site visitors and pageviews. You know there's more to be done, but you aren't sure what. This two session class will help you better understand Google Analytics, select metrics to measure your site and build a dashboard that tracks your website performance.

Top class takeaways: Understand what Google's metrics and reports mean... and which you should actually pay attention to.

Get best practices for collecting and using website data. Get help turning your business goals into specific, measurable metrics. Use Google's new tool Data Studio to build your own dashboard. This talk will be hands on and questions are welcome!

Prerequisites & Tech Requirements
  • This class is for people with various levels of technical experience (beginner to advanced) who want to better utilize Google Analytics tools to measure their website's statistics.
  • Bring a laptop to follow along and experiment during this hands-on workshop.
  • To get the most out of this course, it is recommended that you get access to Google Analytics for a site that you manage. If you need help adding analytics code to your site, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMpcxyqXXDE
About Your Instructor: Emily Patterson
Emily Patterson is the founder of Bee Measure (  http://beemeasure.com/ ), an agency that helps nonprofits use data to create more effective websites and digital marketing. She started the company in 2016 by drawing on her experience at Public Broadcasting Service and Better Business Bureau. Emily believes that data can help organizations of all sizes work smarter and do more with limited budgets. When she's not getting nerdy at work, Emily enjoys the outdoors, reading and sampling Charlottesville's many breweries. Emily is also a PMI-certified Project Management Professional.

Location: JMU Lakeview Hall (JMU XLabs), 298 Port Republic Rd, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.
Pre-registration is required: 

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Job Opening: Software Engineer

Jenzabar is looking for a talented and experienced Software Engineer to join our team of passionate people in designing and developing a high quality, end user focused administrative web application for higher education. This individual should be highly proficient with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript/jQuery and have a passion for web development as well as a keen eye for well-designed UX and UI. The Software Engineer should have solid experience with Responsive Web Design techniques to build interfaces which will adapt to the many devices in which our end users will use to access our application. Solid experience with developing .Net MVC web applications and the .Net framework is highly preferred. If you enjoy working in a team environment to develop an application that will not just let users do their work but help them do their work, then please consider joining the Jenzabar team.

 
_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Job Opening: Assistant or Associate Professor of Data Science
JMU Co llege of Integrated Science and Engineering| Harrisonburg

The Department of Integrated Science and Technology ( ISAT ) at James
Madison University ( JMU ) invites applications for a tenure-track position
at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor beginning August, 2018. The Department of Integrated Science and Technology (soon to become the School of Integrated Sciences) is a dynamic, highly interdisciplinary academic unit of 50 faculty with terminal degrees in 39 different fields. Our graduates are innovative problem solvers with strong analytical and teaming skills that enable them to work on complex socio-technical problems facing organizations, communities, and society. Additional information on the department and its individual programs can be found at http://www.isat.jmu.edu.


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Job Opening: 
Director of Information Technology 

Lexington City Schools | Lexington

The Director of Information Technology is responsible for the design, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of all server, network, and computing technology for Lexington City Schools and the City of Lexington. This position also assists with networking and server support at the Rockbridge ECC. The position reports to the Superintendent of Lexington City Schools and the City Manager. Given oversight of the city's varied technology infrastructure, the Director of Information Technology must be self - driven, organized, and possess a keen attention to detail. As primary support for faculty, staff, and students, the Director of Information Technology must also be collaborative and committed to customer service. 


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Job Opening: Part-Time Web Programmer
JMU College of Health and Behavioral Studies| Harrisonburg

James Madison University is seeking a temporary, part-time web programmer to join the Creative Services team. This wage position is a crucial part of a small team serving the College of Health and Behavioral Studies and the College of Integrated Science and Engineering. The Creative Services team is looking for someone who enjoys learning new things, works well independently, and can easily communicate with both technical and non-technical clients.


_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Job Opening: 
Electronics Technician
ComSonics| Harrisonburg

ComSonics, Inc, is currently seeking an experienced 2nd shift Electronics Technician in the Harrisonburg, VA facility. This position will be focused in the line repair area.  Qualified candidates should possess:

  • 2+ years of fundamental electronics knowledge with prior experience in troubleshooting and repairing electronics equipment
  • Ability to effectively utilize service manuals, hand tools and test equipment to diagnose and repair electronics equipment
  • Experience using electronic test equipment (Digital Volt Meter, Signal Generator, Network Analyzer)
  • Soldering/desoldering experience required

Pay commensurate with experience.  ComSonics is an established corporation that offers rich employee benefits including medical, dental, vision & life insurance, short & long-term disability and employee ownership plan.  

More information at ComSonics.com

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Job Opening: Application Developer
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative | Mount Crawford

SVEC is looking for an Application Developer to design, develop, test, and implement software applications and interfaces to meet the needs of the Cooperative. Applicants should visit  www.svec.coop  (Your Cooperative > Employment) and print an application, which can then be mailed or delivered to an SVEC office (P.O. Box 236), or emailed to  [email protected] .  

View pdf for more information

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Participate in the local tech conversation: Rocktown Tech (Slack)

Currently there are 18 channels and over 250 members. Please join in! 
Sign-up link:  https://rocktowntech.herokuapp.com/

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
SVTC MEMBERS INVITATION: DISPLAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP STATUS
Membership Badge Available 
 
Use our new graphic on your own website (and remember to link back to our website www. svtc-va.org !) 

Choose the graphic file of your choice:

Let us know when you incorporate this graphic and we'll mention your site in return!


Examples:
See how our Level I Members  grep Innovation, LLC displayed our membership badge on their  website!

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
View our profile on LinkedIn

Follow us on Twitter 

 

Like us on Facebook  

Level III Members

  

 

CIT Logo  

 

city of hburg logo


 



 
Lumos Logo


 

 

 

 

 

Serco logo
null

WAW Logo

>> Ready to become a member, too?  

Membership
Benefits & Prices
 

 

>> How have you benefited from participating in our activities and/ or from membership? Tell us!

 

[email protected]   

 

 

 

Contact Us 

Shenandoah Valley Technology Council
800 S. Main Street MSC 3615
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
540-568-7882

 

 

Join Our Mailing List!