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The Shenandoah Valley Connection top 
March 23,  2018
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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)
STEM Takes Flight Professional Development | For STEM Comm. College Faculty (deadline 4/3)
X-STEM Symposium | For Middle and High School Students (4/5)
USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo | FREE (4/7 - 4/8)
Tom Tom Founders Festival | Charlottesville (4/9 - 4/15)
Code and Coffee Study Group |Harrisonburg (4/10)
Blacksburg Blockchain Symposium (4/20)
Google Analytics & Dashboards (4/21)
GO Virignia Region 8 Council Meeting (4/27)
Job Opening | Director of Information Technology, Lexington City Schools
Job Opening | Electronics Technician, ComSonics in Harrisonburg
Job Opening | Application Developer, Shen Valley Electric Coop
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

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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

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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. *


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May 21-23, 2018 (deadline to apply on April 3rd)
@ Wallops Island (Virginia's Eastern Shore)

Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) in conjunction with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility is pleased to announce a professional development workshop for Community College STEM Faculty.

Twenty STEM faculty from across the Commonwealth's Community College System will participate in a residential workshop focusing on the integration of STEM in the NASA workplace. The purpose of this professional development is to assist faculty in better educating students on the importance of teamwork, technical skills and problem solving in the context of STEM. Lodging, breakfast and lunch, and workshop materials are provided FREE of charge. Participants will receive a $800 stipend upon full participation of the program, including completion of workshop evaluation and workshop deliverable.

The workshop consists of briefings and tours to highlight the suborbital and orbital missions and launches conducted at NASA Wallops and around the world. The participants will work collaboratively on a NASA case study which demonstrates authentic team work, trouble shooting, and real-time decision making. Additional activities will focus on the collaborative work of engineers, scientists, technicians, safety and range control personnel at NASA. 

The deadline to apply is April 3rd . Workshop participants will be notified by the third week of April. 

For additional information please contact Kirsten Manning at (757)766-5210 or [email protected],

Register for May 21-23, 2018 workshop

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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

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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. 


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This April, Charlottesville will celebrate innovators, visionaries and artists who are shaping small cities. It is both a community focused celebration with dozens of free events and a national platform that inspires some of the leading entrepreneurs and civic innovators in the country. With over 70 bands, 400 speakers and 400 community organizations, and 44,925 program attendees, the Festival spills across outdoor spaces, theaters, galleries, and concert halls, transforming the entire city.

Events include several  summitscompetitionstalks and workshops, as well as a  tech mixer!

For more information, please visit  https://tomtomfest.com .

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April 10, 2018 | 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm | Shenandoah Joe, Harrisonburg

Join us for Code & Coffee Study Group! Whether you're looking to keep practicing what you learned in your last class or are in the midst of a project, your community is here to help!

This will be an informal event where members can meet each other and collaborate. TAs will be there to help troubleshoot and brainstorm ideas with you!

Have a project idea and some skills, but haven't attended a GDI event yet? Want to focus on helping others with their projects? You're welcome too!

This is also a great event for first time attendees who just want to socialize and learn more about GDI. 

As a group, we'll hold each other accountable for completing our projects, and provide on-going support and feedback.

Bring a laptop and something to work on. It's okay if you don't have a project! Feel free to come by for the whole thing or drop in when you have time.

All attendees are expected to abide by the Girl Develop It Code of Conduct ( https://www.girldevelopit.com/code-of-conduct ).

Register for April 10, 2018 study group session 

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April 20, 2018 | 8:30 am - 4:00 pm |  Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg

About the Blacksburg Blockchain Symposium
"Like no other innovation in a generation, blockchain technology has become synonymous with digital disruption. Blockchain technology promises to revolutionize traditional understandings of money, authority, trust, and governance - almost instantaneously and comprehensively challenging age-old institutions."

The first-ever Blacksburg Blockchain Symposium, hosted by GFURR, will draw from Blacksburg's rich and diverse array of perspectives to examine the political, economic, and social impacts of blockchain technology. Bringing together academics, practitioners and the public, the Blacksburg Blockchain Symposium will examine the promise, potential, and pitfalls of blockchain in a variety of contexts, with a central focus on exploring the many regulatory challenges that are emerging around the blockchain and how we conceptualize resilience within our financial and political systems.

Attendance is free, but registration is required. For attendees wanting to stay overnight, a special symposium rate is available at the Main Street Inn.  To reserve a room, please contact the  Main Street Inn  (540-552-6246) and ask for the "Blockchain Symposium" rate. This rate is only applicable for reservations made by March 30.

For additional information on the event
Visit the Symposium website, http://bburg-blockchain.io/ 
or email GFURR at [email protected]

Register for April 20, 2018 symposium

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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: 

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April 27, 2018 | Virginia Horse Center, Lexington

The next GO Virginia Region 8 Council meeting will be held Friday, April 27 th , from 10:00 am until noon.  The meeting will take place at the Virginia Horse Center, 487 Maury River Road, Lexington, Virginia 24450, in the Appomattox Mezzanine. 

About GO Virginia
The Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board and Fund was approved by the 2016 Virginia General Assembly, and is a business-led, bipartisan initiative that is incentivized and encouraged by the state, however participation is not required of localities. An organizing workgroup made up of staff from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and interested economic development, workforce training, community planning and development, education, and business leaders from around the state met in 2016 to recommend geographic partitioning and Fund guidelines and procedures to the Board. Nine regions were established and each region formed councils that were certified by the Board in March 2017. The Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board is comprised of 24 members with representation from the House and Senate, Gubernatorial appointments, and private sector leadership. In addition to approving GO Virginia regions and certifying regional councils, the Board is responsible for determining project funding.
 
For additional information about the Virginia Initiative for Growth & Opportunity, please visit  http://govirginia.org.

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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.

 
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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.


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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. 


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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

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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

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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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