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The Shenandoah Valley Connection top 
March 18,  2019
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SVTC Luncheon: How to Speak Web Developer (3/21)
TechNite19 (4/29)
No-Cost Cybersecurity Assessments at Blue Ridge Community College
Girls Go CyberStart for High School Girls (begins 3/20)
Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing (CAPWIC) (3/22-3/23)
Tom Tom Summit & Festival | Charlottesville (4/8 - 4/14)
Warrington Science Symposium | Winchester (4/17)
JMU X-Labs Innovation Summit (4/26)
Shenandoah Valley Open Tech Jobs
Rocktown Tech Slack Channel Link
SVTC MEMBERS INVITATION: DISPLAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP STATUS
   
March 21, 2019 | 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Wood Grill Buffet, Harrisonburg
 
Working with web developers can be challenging. You want to make educated decisions about the choices you're presented with but it's hard to make educated decisions when you have no idea what the developer across the table just asked you. This presentation should help you learn the lingo so that when your developer presents you with choices, you have a high-level understanding of what you're agreeing to.   

About the Speaker
Chiedo is the CEO of Chiedo Labs, a software agency that companies hire to build web, desktop, and mobile applications. He's passionate about his family, innovation, and the communities he serves in. If you've got something challenging, you've usually got his attention.


Thank you to our luncheon sponsors!
city of hburg logo            


 
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TechNite19 | April 29, 2019

During Tech Nite, approx. 275 attendees honor and recognize the technology innovators of the area. This recognition helps organizations and individuals immensely - the winning organization is able to expand its network, attract employees, and obtain publicity inside and often outside of the local region. Tech Nite allows attendees to witness the successes and innovative progression of the Shenandoah Valley. We encourage everyone to attend, network with others, and celebrate the innovative companies, organizations, educators, and leaders in our area. On Monday, April 29, we will gather for TechNite19.

Each year we receive a diverse set of nominees. Nominees come from a variety of disciplines - from agriculture to education and everything in-between. We gathered nominations for the 8 award categories between  Feb. 13 - March 13 and will announce the nominees soon

Want to know who's won before? Look at previous SVTC Tech Nite nominees & winners.


Award Categories for 2019:

 
JMU College of Integrated Science and Engineering (CISE)'s
Innovation in Community Impact Award

The ICI is awarded to an individual, team, non-profit/civic organization, or company in the Shenandoah Valley that aspires to use its capabilities to help solve a social or environmental issue in a local community while using technology to amplify the impact of a service, mission, or project. - A metric or measurable result of the impact is desired. Collaborative efforts are welcome and encouraged.

JMU College of Business (COB)'s
Innovation in Emerging Business Award
Awarded to a Shenandoah Valley start-up/emerging technology company or entrepreneur.
Must have 1-25 employees.

      
JMU College of Education (CoE)'s & JMU College of Science and Mathematics (CSM)'s
Innovation in Education K-12 Award
Awarded to the educator or program that provides exceptional technology leadership, innovative use, and/or development of technology, within the region's K-12 educational system or technology-training program while encouraging students to pursue higher education or training in science, technology, engineering or math.

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Cadence's
I nnovation in Higher Education Award
Awarded to the educator or program that provides exceptional technology leadership, innovative use and/or development of technology in the Shenandoah Valley region's higher educational system or technology-training program, while encouraging students to pursue higher education or training in science, technology, engineering, or math.

Center for Innovative Technology (CIT)'s
Innovation in Development Award
Awarded to a company or organization whose development of new technology applications and/or systems creates new processes, methodologies, and/or services for their own or others' benefit.




Dynamic Aviation's
Innovation in Utilization Award
This award recognizes outstanding commercial growth and achievement by an established company that either produces or markets high tech products or services, or an established company or organization that produces/offers more traditional products and services (where technology itself is not the core business purpose).


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Shentel's Dr. Noftsinger 
Leadership Award
Recipient's leadership has served as a catalyst for positive technology-related activity in the Shenandoah Valley.

 
Serco's
People's Choice Award
Awarded to one nominee from the other categories. All nominees are candidates - and the company, organization, or individual with the most votes through social media before and during the event will win. Voting starts the day all nominees are publicized and continues during the gala. (A special hashtag will be used; look for the announcement)
 

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No-Cost Cybersecurity Assessments
at Blue Ridge Community College 

   BRCC is now offering no-cost basic cybersecurity assessments 
for select businesses in the Shenandoah Valley!

This assessment starts by reviewing  your existing cybersecurity program to understand how prepared you are to deal with sophisticated attacks, including examining your relevant internal documentation, and then meeting with individuals in your organization who know how your security works in practice. You'll develop a profile showing strengths, weaknesses, and suggested improvements across six key cybersecurity areas .

The assessment team will check passwords, operating system versions, network device firmware versions, and the like to assess your risk level and vulnerability to ransomware, phishing attacks, and malware infection . The assessment team  will NOT request access to your computer systems, do any penetration testing of your systems, or access any information on your devices.

When onsite, the cybersecurity assessment team interviews key staff members and conducts interactive discussions with your management and security team to explore areas of concern and to learn how your people, tools, and processes contribute to your current incident detection and response capabilities.

Next, they may ask  to check your operation system versions, firewall and network device firmware versions, antivirus/malware versions, password policies, etc. They do not need any personal details, passwords, or have any access to your data.

Finally, the team will prepare a comprehensive report that details findings and prioritizes recommended actions your organization should take in order to improve its cybersecurity. Also included is a rating of each action's importance , cost, and implementation difficulty, along with a roadmap view of short-, medium-, and long-term implementation strategies.


Interested in getting a free cybersecurity assessment?  Contact Dan O'Brien at
  [email protected] or call  (540) 453-2254.
 
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for High School Girls (begins 3/20)
Game begins March 20 | More information
 
Girls Go CyberStart is a fun and interactive series of digital challenges designed to introduce girls to the field of cybersecurity. More than 6,600 high school girls played Girls Go CyberStart in 2018 and loved it! Best of all? Girls will compete in three stages for the chance to win cash prizes for them and their school as well as scholarships to help pay for college.

No prior experience is required as the program gradually builds knowledge base, introducing participants to exciting topics like cryptography, web vulnerabilities, Python, Linux and forensics. Teamwork, persistence and determination are key. Whether a participant already knows a bit about coding, or have never considered a career in technology, they'll enjoy Girls Go CyberStart!


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Capital Region Celebration
of Women in Computing (CAPWIC) 
(3/22-3/23)
 
 
March 22 - 23, 2019 | $25 to attend
James Madison University, Harrisonburg
 
The Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing Conference  gives high school students the opportunity to network with women at undergraduate, graduate, and professional networks to promote the recruitment, retention and progression of women in computing related fields that lack diversity in the national work force.

Top Reasons to Attend
  1. Practice public speaking by presenting a poster or flash talk.
  2. Share your work and ideas with your peers and experts during the poster session, flash talk, or technical short.
  3. Get valuable feedback about your work and ideas via your poster presentation or technical short
  4. Win a prize by competing in the Poster Competition.
  5. Be inspired. Meet technical women like you and celebrate your accomplishments together.
  6. Hear success stories of technical women who made it this far!
  7. Broaden your skills by attending a workshop.
  8. Meet recruiters from business, industry, and academia for internships, jobs, or graduate programs.
  9. Find a new job or internship. Bring your resume to our career fair to apply for job and internship opportunities.
  10. Did we mention that it is FUN!
Participation
There will be 3 types of participation in the area of computing research as well as efforts to increase diversity in computing, e.g. outreach programs or programs to engage students outside the classroom.
  • Flash Talks: Five-minute presentations of 20 slides, where slides automatically advance every 15 seconds. Talks will have a 15-minute window to provide time for feedback and mentoring. Reports on preliminary results, work-in progress, or anything fun and creative related to the conference are welcome in this category. Open to high-school, undergraduate, or graduate students as well as professionals.
  • Posters: Presenters create a 24" x 32" poster of research, a class project, or other type of work-in-progress including efforts to diversify computing before the conference and are present at the poster during the session to discuss content. Open to high school, undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Research Shorts: An opportunity to give a 15-minute presentation with an additional 5 minutes for questions, similar to a talk at a research conference. Work should be technical in nature, investigating new ideas in any area of computer science. The intention is to give presenters a friendly environment in which to practice a future talk or work out details in an ongoing project with an audience capable of constructive feedback. No paper is required, only an abstract, so future publication of the work is not limited. Open to undergraduates, graduates, and professionals.
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April 8 -14, 2019 |
Charlottesville, Virginia
 
The Tom Tom Summit is a series of six conferences that gather civic leaders, entrepreneurs, engaged citizens, and legendary innovators to explore what makes hometowns thrive in the 21st century. These boutique conferences offer unparalleled access to today and tomorrow's leaders in a beautiful downtown setting of galleries, theaters, restaurants, and public spaces.

The 6 conferences that take place during the summit will be: 

Students and educators from across Virginia assemble for a day-long celebration of student creativity, innovation, and passion. The Youth Innovation Conference inspires high school students to take charge of their education by pursuing their interests and ideas.

The Civic Innovation Conference is a day-long forum connecting changemakers across sectors. Session themes such as equity and inclusion, creative placemaking, affordable housing, local journalism, community wellness, and data-driven policy make for a unique event that offers real-world playbooks from across America and fosters alliances for lasting impact on today's most important challenges.

The Renewable Energy Conference is a boutique, single-day gathering of executives, technologists, and policymakers for an in-depth discussion of 2019 trends to watch. Unpack the arrival of grid parity and the explosive growth of green finance. Get the inside story on game-changing innovations in storage, automation, microgrids, energy blockchain, and IoT. Learn how corporate and municipal emissions reduction targets affect your work and community, and engage with policymakers to explore climate action plans in your region. 

Thursday, April 11: Creative Ecosystems
The Creative Ecosystem Conference is a daylong meeting of the minds for arts administrators, curators, artists, and supporters from the Mid Atlantic and beyond. Focused on fostering productive alliances, this event will demystify how small organizations with limited resources can achieve outsized impact for the artists and communities that they serve.

Thursday April 11: Applied Machine Learning
The Applied Machine Learning Conference has sold out for two years running and continues to generate excitement with its focus on applied science and practitioner-driven content. This premier, day-long event features a who's who of researchers, entrepreneurs, and writers, as well as numerous opportunities for networking and recruitment at mixers, power lunches, and afterparties, all on Charlottesville's picturesque Downtown Mall.
Friday, April 12: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Over the past decade, hundreds of accelerators, incubators, innovation districts, angel networks, coworking labs, and other ecosystem support organizations have sprouted in America's small cities, all with the goal of propelling our hometowns to the forefront of innovation and economic growth. The Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Conference is a unique, daylong summit for leaders to take stock and set the stage for even greater impact through data-driven presentations and lasting alliances.

There will also be a tech mixer on April 12th from 5pm - 8pm! 

For more information (and to see other events), please visit  https://tomtomfest.com.

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The Warrington Science Symposium  is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Halpin-Harrison Hall, Stimpson Auditorium. Dr. Talitha Washington from Howard University will speak on her research to a general audience followed by a student poster session. The student poster session will include research posters from the sciences and mathematics. This is a free event and open to the public. 

Dr. Talitha Washington's Research: 
How Modeling Can Explain Our World
In our ever changing, complex, information-rich world, we increasingly rely on mathematical and statistical modeling to advance our frontiers of knowledge. Even though the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed on July 1, 1940, we did not completely understand the reasons for its collapse until Dr. Joseph McKenna presented a nonlinear model in 1999. The relatively recent outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus urgently requires understanding of how it spreads in a society so we can prevent further infections. The burden on law enforcement to keep our society safe can be eased through predictive policing which can create strategies to reduce crime and improve public safety. With models of our world, we can have better bridges, eliminate epidemic diseases, and live in safer communities.

About the Speaker
Dr. Talitha Washington is a tenured Associate Professor of Mathematics at Howard University. She is currently a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Undergraduate Education. She is interested in the applications of differential equations to problems in biology and engineering, as well as the development of nonstandard finite difference schemes to numerically solve dynamical systems. She is the recipient of the 2019 BEYA STEM Innovator Award, MAA's 2018 Leitzel Lecturer, and an ASI Fellow.  

More information about April 17, 2019 Science Symposium
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April 26, 2019 | 3 pm - 6 pm
JMU Lakeview Hall, Harrisonburg
 
JMU X-Labs Innovation Summit - open to college students from the Shenandoah Valley.
Students from all eight courses will display and present their final projects to administrators, industry client partners, family and friends. You are invited to join us to connect with extraordinary students, watch presentations and explore an open symposium of demonstrations and displays of student solutions.
The 8 Courses
  1.  Augmented/Virtual Reality
  2.  Autonomous Vehicles
  3. Blockchain
  4. Community Innovations
  5. Creativity and Innovation
  6. Hacking for Diplomacy
  7. Internet of Things
  8. Medical Innovations
Parking

Non-JMU Participants
Parking for the summit will be available in lots L and P between 2 pm and 8pm on Friday, April 26th. Parking permits will not be necessary during that time.

Please note that regular enforcement will be in effect in all other parking lots and in lots L and P before and after the time frame listed above. Guests may receive parking citations if parked in restricted lots. Guests are prohibited from parking in specialty spaces such as service vehicle spaces, handicap spaces without proper permits, expired timed spaces and fire lanes.

Please refer to the  JMU campus map for parking locations. You'll find lots L and P in blue near the labeled "Lake Area":  http://www.jmu.edu/parking/_files/parkingmap.pdf

JMU Participants
All regulations for JMU students, faculty and staff will remain in effect, and students attending the event are required to park in appropriate student parking lots with a JMU parking permit.


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join_our_team_sign.jpg
  • Chiedo Labs, Harrisonburg (two full-time Javascript Developer openings, Back-End Developer, React Developer, Web Development Intern)

  • Harrisonburg High School (Computer Science Teacher)
  • Jenzabar, Harrisonburg (Software Developer, Senior Software Developer, etc) 
  • Bridgewater College Art Department (Practitioner in Residence : Visual Designer )
  • Budget Referee, Harrisonburg (Full Stack Developer with front end web development focus)
  • IT Decisions, Harrisonburg (Level 2 Technician / Systems Engineer)
GOT ADDITIONAL JOBS THAT SHOULD BE PUBLICIZED ? SEND US A NOTE AND WE'LL PUBLICIZE THEM.
 
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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/

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SVTC MEMBERS INVITATION: DISPLAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP STATUS
Membership Badge Available 
 
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Let us know when you incorporate this graphic and we'll mention your site in return!


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The Shenandoah Valley Technology Council does not endorse the companies, organizations, teams, or events mentioned, or take a stand on any of the articles or notices or events included.
 

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