Mark your calendars! On Thursday, March 25 at 10 a.m. EDT, LiveWorx 2021 gets underway.
Episode One, titled Work Methods Changing the Workplace, will shine a light on how the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and new ways of working at all kinds of companies around the world.
From better remote collaboration and improved knowledge sharing to more agile product development, continuous innovation and supply chain resiliency, technology came through just when we needed it most and how we work will never be the same.
Episode One will feature programming including some of the smartest thinkers in tech and cutting-edge tools that make effective remote work possible. We’ll also have a Changing the World segment that focuses on how technology is driving new solutions across different industries to meet unexpected demands.
Our featured guest for Changing the World in Episode One will be Michael Ekbundit, Director of Engineering Development at GE Appliances, a Haier Company.
Before joining GE, Mike worked on the International Space Station Program at Marshall Space Flight Center, designed new lens manufacturing equipment for the optical industry and helped create a new off-road suspension concept for armored ground vehicles.
That sounds like plenty to keep a guy busy, but in addition to raising a family and everything his day job requires, Mike has also been involved in local programs at the intersection of technology and education for much of his career.
In his own words:
How do you connect industry, education, and community in an impactful way? There are lots of success stories where two of those three groups connected, but what could happen if all three groups genuinely collaborated? After ten years of leading STEM activities in local schools, I realized that a win-win-win scenario was needed to make it possible.
From my realization emerged a partnership that allowed high school students to experience a product development cycle and create new features at a local forest that enhance the visitor experience for the mobility-challenged. Along the way, we challenged students to truly innovate, taught them practical skills that could be applied broadly, showed inclusion and diversity in action, supported sustainability efforts, and gave them helpful direction from professionals the entire time. Onshape was the tool that provided the most seamless collaboration with local and remote team members, enhanced the prototyping experience, and enabled construction of the full-scale designs.
To hear more about Mike’s career, volunteer work and perspective on how technology can change the world for the better, tune in to Work Methods Changing the Workplace. You can also register for the entire LiveWorx 2021 series here.
In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing more details about Episode One, so keep an eye out!
