To assess contemporary concerns and evaluate the shape of the communications industry of tomorrow the Global Communications Strategy Forum is being organized by the School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas. It will be held on the campus of The University of Texas at Dallas on May 5-7, 2004.

This forum is designed to assist senior executives in getting engaged in debates that provide strategy shaping and policy making skills with an opportunity to learn how the sector is reacting to current policies. If you are an entrepreneur or investor and are still wondering where to place bets this forum will shed light on where the industry is headed. If you are an academic the forum will help you understand the contemporary phenomena that impact industry evolution and the contours of corporate and business level strategies. If you are a network operator or service provider you will get to know what technologies to invest in and where the markets are heading or what services or products might look promising.

Scheduled speakers include Professor C.K. Prahalad of the University of Michigan and Professor Gerry Faulhaber of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

Find more information about the forum see http://som.utdallas.edu/gcsf. To download a PDF version of the program please go to the weblink: http://som.utdallas.edu/gcsf/program.

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Consultants' Network (CN) is hosting a presentation by Reed Rogers of Reed Rogers Seminars on Hypnotic Selling at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, May 10 at the Holiday Inn Select located at 1655 N. Central in Richardson. There is a $5 cost for IEEE members and a $10 cost for non-IEEE members and guests. The charge includes a buffet. For more information: www.ieee.org/dallascn

Tax related topics - ranging from new post-September 11 rules that re-define money laundering to the latest Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiatives to stop tax refund fraud - will be the focus of a two-and-a-half day Tax Alliance Conference May 10-12, being held for the first time in affiliation with The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) School of Management.

The decision to hold the 11 th annual conference at the School of Management building on UTD's campus in Richardson is the result of a new alliance between the conference's sponsors and the school. Sponsoring organizations are the Texas Association of Financial and Tax Specialists, the Texas Society of Enrolled Agents and H&R Block Enterprises, Inc. Endorsed by the IRS, the conference is open to all tax practitioners, certified public accountants, enrolled agents and attorneys. Continuing education credit is available for certified public accountants and enrolled agents.

Pat Sykes, conference chairperson, explained that the purpose of the event is to facilitate the exchange of timely tax information from various taxing authorities and professional tax practitioners in North Texas.

John Fowler, director of new initiatives in the school's professional development programs, stressed that the conference also is open to interested accounting and finance students at UTD.

In addition to the eight different sessions that will be offered each day, May 11 and 12, representatives from the Taxpayer Advocate Service will be present for appointments during the conference to discuss specific tax account problems that have not been resolved through normal IRS channels. They also will be available to look at specific cases where IRS policies have created significant hardships.

Participants who attend the optional sessions on Monday night, May 10, will earn four additional certified professional education credits. The registration fee to attend the May 11 and 12 events are $190, and the fee for the May 10 session is an additional $75.

For more information, please contact Fowler at 972-883-4697 or jfowler@utdallas.edu or visit http://som.utdallas.edu/taxalliance.

More than ever, automation is being seen as the gateway to efficient and competitive manufacturing. Integrating robotics, machine vision, and sensors into complete systems holds the most promise for manufacturers looking to develop new products that deliver the best value. The Automation & Assembly Summit is an all-new showcase for cutting-edge automation and assembly equipment. With a conference addressing six specific technologies, displays of the latest automation systems, tours of two leading manufacturers, plus industry and government perspective keynotes, this event is an unequalled opportunity to make new industry contacts, exchange ideas, and expand your knowledge. This event will be held from May 10-12 in the American Airlines Training Facility in Fort Worth. For more information, or to register, see
http://www.sme.org/

The North Texas Technology Council (NTTC), the Greater Dallas Chamber (GDC), and the North Texas Small Business Development Center (NTSBDC) are hosting the 2004 SBIR Conference.
The event will be from 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11 at the The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development located on 1402 Corinth Street in Dallas.

The event is targeted to entrepreneurs, scientists, researchers, and engineers interested in receiving grant dollars from the federal government for the innovation and commercialization of new technologies.

$1.5 billion is awarded in SBIR/STTR funding by the federal government each year; however, Texas receives only a small piece of this pie. This conference will show you how to apply for this federal grant money and provide an opportunity to meet with Program Managers who administer the grants and recipients of past awards in North Texas. Receiving SBIR funding also serves to stimulate the economy and bring visibility to the region.

There is a $125 charge per person for the conference, except for Greater Dallas Chamber members who receive a $95 price for the conference. To register, see www.dallaschamber.org under the calendar section. General questions can be directed to William Adjei at 214-712-1937.

The MIT Enterprise Forum will be hosting a panel discussion called "Can Dallas Fort-Worth be a Major Biotech Business Megaplex?" on Wednesday, May 12 at 5:00 p.m. at The University of Texas at Dallas Conference Center on the UTD campus. The panelists include Larry Calton of the North Texas Entrepreneurship Center (NTEC), Stan Hall of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Warren Huff of REATA Discovery Inc. and Bob Robb, a venture capitalist.

The North Texas area has long been world famous for medical breakthroughs and accomplishments spawned from UTSW, and for technological innovations and entrepreneurship of many kinds and is the home of many world-class high-tech corporations. Now, technology, medicine and business are coming together in a way that could make the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex the next major biotech business center in the U.S. Key issues will be discussed by the panel including raising capital, attracting talent, training specialized employees, getting company traction, nurturing some successes and keeping them here, getting one or two big companies to move to the Metroplex, getting major players in the Metroplex to expand beyond research and philanthropy, and more.

There is a $35 cost to attend and $25 charge for MIT alumni/alumnae which includes a reception. For reservations call Mary Langford at 972-377-4554, or email to mitforum@juno.com.

The University Venture Forum will present Chuck Abraham, CEO of OraMetrix. Mr. Abraham will focus on the company's all-digital approach to orthodontics that applies advanced 3-D imaging technologies with robotic design of space age materials to dramatically reduce the amount of time patients are required to spend in braces. This presentation will give an overview of the technologies being applied, the process and how it works, and examples of recent clinical results.

The meeting begins at 7:30 a.m. with coffee and networking; the presentation kicks off at 7:50 a.m. Location: the UTD Conference Center in Richardson, Texas. Cost: $15.00 non-members, students with a university ID, $5.00. For more information or a map, visit www.universityventureforum.org. To RSVP, email rsvp@universityventureforum.org.

The Center for Intelligent Supply Networks in The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management is offering a Certificate in Supply Chain Management. This three-month program begins on May 14 and ends July 24. The program highlights include:
-Focuses on end to end supply chain
- Fast track certificate on completion of six modules of two days each in about three months
- Convenient schedule for working professionals with Friday and Saturday classes that meet two weekends each month
- Industry site visit

The program costs $3600 if registration is complete by March 31 and $4200 starting April 1. Individual classes are $950 each.

To learn more and register http://som.utdallas.edu/c4isn

The Dallas Section Society of Women Engineers is hosting a presentation by Mary Ann Clark, the president of LCA Environmental, Inc. called "The Journey from Idea to Patent - PerTect®" at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18 at Nedley's Restaurant located at 1801 North Plano Road.

In recent years, Clark has been a Certified Environmental Inspector (Environmental Assessment Association), TDH-licensed Asbestos Inspector and Management Planner, and a trained (EPA approved) lead-based paint inspector. She also serves as the Chief Financial officer for PerTect®, Inc.

For more information, call LeEarl Bryant at 972-699-1649.

Dr. Russell Hulse, Nobel Laureate in Physics has been added to the roster of eminent speakers who will present their perspectives at the 5th Annual PLANO FORUM, a day-long multifaceted event billed as a "Thrill Ride for Your Mind" bringing nationally acclaimed speakers and entertainers to Plano. The Forum will be Thursday, May27 at the Marriott Hotel at Legacy Town Center

Dr. Hulse is a visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas and a Principal Research Physicist at Princeton University's Plasma Physics Laboratory. In 1993, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the first binary pulsar.

For more information on PLANO FORUM 2004, see www.planoforum.org.

The ACM SIGGRAPH International Conference on Virtual-Reality Continuum and its Applications in the Industry (VRCAI 2004) will be a forum for researchers, educators, developers and users to share the latest development of the state-of the-art technology in Virtual Reality Continuum. Special emphasis will be placed on growing application areas in Defense and Military Science, Life Science, Design and Engineering, Education and Entertainment. The conference will be held at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore from June 16-18. For more information, see www.seagraph.org/vrcai2004.