GOV. MCDONNELL GIVES KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT VMASC CONFERENCE
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was at Old Dominion University's Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) on Wednesday, Sept. 26, for a national symposium on modeling and simulation.
McDonnell gave the keynote address at the National Modeling and Simulation Coalition business meeting, one of a series of events that were hosted at VMASC to spotlight ODU's emergence as an M&S research hub.
"Hampton Roads has really become a national hub of modeling and simulation, with multidisciplinary investments in research, training and economic growth," said VMASC executive director John Sokolowski. "Gov. McDonnell's appearance at VMASC is proof of that, and demonstrates the state's commitment to this growing technology."
The meeting was held as part of the Modeling and Simulation Multi-Con, a three-day series of events Sept. 25-27 at VMASC encompassing the current significance and future promise that modeling, simulation and virtual reality hold for the nation and its citizens.
The event on Sept. 25, called MODSIM WORLD, was an in-depth examination of the scope of the modeling and simulation industry, notably non-defense industries such as transportation and logistics, health care and medical training, and education and workforce development, fields now beginning to deploy modeling and simulation applications to provide a range of solutions.
Among the speakers at MODSIM included David Way from the NASA Langley Research Center, who discussed the integral role played by modeling and simulation in designing and carrying out the entry, descent and landing of the Mars Science Lab spacecraft.
A panel discussion about M&S in transportation and logistics featured ODU's Asad Khattak, Batten Endowed Chair of transportation engineering, and Mecit Cetin, associate professor of civil engineering, both from the Batten College of Engineering and Technology.
The Sept. 26 annual meeting of the National Modeling and Simulation Coalition - formed in 2010 to bring together stakeholders using modeling and simulation in a range of different fields, to drive the growth of M&S in many areas - featured industry and academic experts from across the United States.
The final day of Multi-Con, Sept. 27, consisted of a technology review and open house sponsored by VMASC.