A 2-day Emerging Technology Seminar consisting of individual training sessions for information assurance, geospatial technologies and bioinformatics/ grid computing.

The emergence of new technologies in the workplace has never been more dynamic or less predictable.  In this ever-changing environment, our faculty are faced with the challenge of training students for technical careers that simply did not exist when they were being trained.  As digital technology and high performance computing emerge as the driving forces in our state, national and global economy, the need for continuous faculty training and skills upgrades in emerging technologies has never been more important. 

Information assuranceis a comprehensive term that encompasses several areas of Information Technology (IT), including cyber security, network security, wireless security, database security and cyber crime.  In the past five years, Information Assurance has evolved from staying a step ahead of the hackers to preventing attacks by cyber-terrorists.  It is estimated that less than 1% of the computer crime committed in the nation is ever detected, and the Federal Government has long recognized that one of the country’s greatest vulnerabilities lies in its technological infrastructure.  The protection of United States governmental, military and business entities that rely on networked communication and functionality can only be assured if our college-level instruction is current and comprehensive. 

Geospatial technologiesinvolve the processing, manipulating and storage of spatial data derived from aerial and satellite imagery, and is an integral part of homeland security.  Geospatial Technology is multidisciplinary by nature and has found a wide range of practical applications from surveying and agriculture to resource management and transportation.  As this complex technology become indispensable in the workplace, the many disciplines instructors across technical and vocational disciplines must be trained in its use.

Bioinformatics and grid computingis the application of high performance computing to complex genetic research.  Grid computing is a primary tool for bioinformatics, but it is also applicable for large scale business and finance problems.  The capacity for the State’s community colleges to train workers in this high performance computing field will be vital to North Carolina’s effort to recruit biotechnology business and industry.  Professional development in the area of bioinformatics and grid computing is also necessary to support business applications that are beginning to emerge in banking, finance and resource allocation.  Grid computing allows technicians to solve complex problems in a fraction of the time that high-powered mainframe computers could.  The single biggest challenge facing the community college system is the continual training of faculty to ensure their ability to deliver training in these new technical applications.