July 7-10
International Conference on Automation, Robotics and Control Systems         
The 2008 International Conference on Automation, Robotics and Control Systems (ARCS) provides a forum for discussion on topics such as, activity/behavioral recognition, adaptive control, aerospace control systems, and a multiple of other topics.  Another goal of this conference is to promote research and developmental activities in computer science, information systems, robotics, control engineering, and related fields.  ARCS-2008 will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Imperial Swan Hotel and Suites.  For more information contact, www.promoteresearch.org.

July 13-17
Conference on Innovative on Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI)
In July, the highly booming 20th conference on Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI) will spotlight on successful applications of artificial intelligence technology and its various applications and benefits.  Two sessions will take place, the first focusing on the emerging applications/methodologies, and the second will center on various case studies related to the developmental topics of artificial intelligence applications and technology.  The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.  For additional information please contact, info08@aaai.org.

July 14-17
International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ICAI’08)
The Monte Carlo Resort in Las Vegas will be hosting the 2008 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ICAI’08).  This years conference will provide an area for the exchange of ideas and help facilitate discussion among researchers in various fields of computer science, computer engineering and applied computing.  Many topics will be discussed so make sure to register because registration ends soon.  For more information concerning this years conference contact, Professor Hamid R. Arabnia at hra@cs.uga.edu.

Deadline: July 31
Whirlpool Corporation Mother of Invention Grant Contest
Whirlpool Corp. kicked off its Mother of Invention Grant contest in May. It runs through July 31. Entry forms are at www.whirlpool.com/moms.
Contest winners receive:
· Grand Prize: $20,000 grant, choice of a Whirlpool brand Duet® Steam washer and dryer pair or Whirlpool brand Cabrio® washer and Steam dryer, Whirlpool brand dishwasher and a stipend for a new home office.
· First Prize: $7,000 grant, Whirlpool brand dishwasher and Duet Sport pair.
· Green First Prize: $7,000 grant and Whirlpool brand refrigerator with water filtration.
· Second Prize: $5,000 grant, a Whirlpool brand dishwasher and Duet Sport pair.
· Green Second Prize: $5,000 grant and a Whirlpool brand refrigerator with water filtration.
Each mom can submit up to three ideas. Categories include a Green grouping focused on moms who create an environmentally-friendly product/service or use natural/recycled materials.
Submitted ideas remain the sole property of the contestant. Winners will be notified around September 8.

Aug. 30-Nov. 1
Connecticut BEST
BEST Robotics is a six week long program that starts with a kickoff event in the fall (early September) and ends with a competition in mid to late October.  Exact event dates are determined by each local competition site and there is no entry fee for each particular program.  Each site has its own capacity limit as well.  For more information about this BEST competition, visit www.ccsu.edu/technology/ctbest/ or contact Ravindra Thamma at thammarav@ccsu.edu.

Initial Round Contest #1 Starts Sept. 1(Ends Oct. 5)
The Yobiverse Innovator Contest
The Yobi Innovator Contest allows innovators and inventors aged 13 and older to showcase their business or project ideas.  Competitors will try an attract investors and compete for cash awards. For more contest details, visit www.yobi.tv/yobiverse.com   
-Initial Round Contest #2 Starts Oct. 6(Ends Nov. 9)
-Initial Round Contest #3 Starts Nov. 10(Ends Dec. 14)
-Initial Round Contest #4 Starts Dec. 15(Ends Jan. 18 ’09)
-Initial Round Contest #5 Starts Jan. 19 ‘09(Ends Feb. 22 ’09)
-Initial Round Contest #6 Starts Feb. 23 ‘09(Ends March. 29 ’09)
-Semi-Final Round Starts April 6 ‘09(Ends May 10 ’09)
-Finals: TBD

Sept. 4-7
IFA’s 9th Global Conference on Ageing and Expo Ageing and Design Montreal IFA’s 9th global conference on Ageing and Exp Ageing and Design Montreal will showcase over a 120 exhibitors and innovations that improve the lives of seniors.  Exhibits will be very informative and well help illustrate the positive impacts that can occur from the beneficial products on display.  Registration ends soon so to reserve your space or for more information on the conference, contact Michel Bibeau at mbibeau@deeglobal.ca.

Sept. 4-Nov. 1
Alabama BEST:
Contact George Blanks at blankgw@eng.auburn.edu or Mary Lou Ewald at ewaldml@auburn.edu.

Sept. 6-Nov. 1
Bearcat BEST:
Visit www.robotevents.com.

Billiken BEST:
Contact Stephen Magoc at magocsg@slu.edu or Terrence Kelley at kellytk@slu.edu.

Blazer BEST:
Contact Paul George at pgeorge@uab.edu.

Brazos BEST:
Contact Paul Bilke (director) at paul@conspiracy.net.

Bulldog BEST:
Contact Emma Seiler (director) at eseiler@engr.msstate.edu.

Capitol BEST:
Contact Greg Young at greg.young@capitol-best.org.

Collin County BEST:
Contact Sheridan Hales at shales@tx.rr.com.

Cowtown BEST:
Contact Jody Snow at director@cowtownbest.org.

Crowley’s Ridge BEST:
Contact E.T. Hammerand (site director) at best.astate@gmail.com.

Dallas BEST:
Contact Corbett Zabierek at c-zabierekl@ti.com or Jon Spangler at j-spangler@raytheon.com.

Denton County BEST:
Contact Bill Stamm (site director) at w.stamm@verizon.net.

Emerald Coast BEST:
Contact Bill Weber (site director) at wweber@uwf.edu.

Five Star BEST:
Contact David Quarles (site director) at david.f.quarles@nhmccd.edu.

Georgia BEST:
Contact Jim Cooper (team recruiter) at jcooper@spsu.edu.

OK BEST:
Contact John Robertson at madrob100@yahoo.com or Bill Ryan at bill.ryan@oc.edu.

Music City BEST:
Contact Michael Colletti at Michael.colletti@lipscomb.edu.

New Mexico BEST:
Contact Sheila Horan at Sheila@nmsu.edu.

Philadelphia BEST:
Contact Velda Morris at vmorris@phila.k12.pa.us.

Space City BEST:
Contact Lucia Seycik at lsevcik810@aol.com.

Tennessee Valley BEST:
Contact Sue Mitchell at sue@calhoun.edu.
 
San Antonio BEST:
Contact Terry Grimley at tgrimely@swri.org.

North Texas BEST:
Contact Steve Marum at s-marum@ti.com.
 
Northark BEST:
Contact Roger Hall at rhall@northark.edu.

River Valley BEST:
Contact John Martini at jmartini@uafortsmith.edu.

West Texas BEST:
Contact TBA. Visit www.robotevents.com.

Sept. 13-Oct. 25
Heartland BEST:
Contact Tim Maharry (site director) at tjmaharry@nwosu.edu.

Sept. 20-Oct. 31
Bison BEST:
Contact Nancy Rossland at nancy.rossland@ndsu.edu or call (701)-231-7994.

Sept. 20-Nov. 1
Jubilee BEST:
Contact Robin Fenton (site director) at rrfenton@comcast.net.

Kansas BEST:
Contact Larry Frutiger at lfrutiger@aol.com or Bob Umscheid at kubu59@sbcglobal.net.

Mid-South BEST:
Contact Robert Gunter at rgunter@midsouthcc.edu or Dianne Langford at dlangford@midsouthcc.edu.

Sept. 25-26
The 2008 Brandon Hall Research Innovations in Learning Conference
The 2008 Brandon Hall Research Innovations in Learning Conference will take place this September in San Jose, California at the Fairmont San Jose Hotel.  For more information, please visit www.brandonhallconference.com/contact.htm.

Sept. 25-28
Digital Life VEX Robotics Event
This VEX Robotics event will take play during the Digital Life expo at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.  It will include thousands of tech enthusiasts, press covering the digital lifestyle, and various VIPs from across the country.  Teams are welcome from across the region to participate, show their designs, and network with attendants to strengthen teams and communities.  Entry fees for teams are $100 and registration opens June 1st.  Please contact David Greenbaum at david@robotvillage.com for more details. 

Deadline: Oct. 1
2008-09 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology
The 2008, 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology recognizes remarkable talent early on and helps with the growth of high school students who are willing to put their minds to the test and challenge themselves through science research.  This competition will provide students with opportunities to achieve national recognition for science research projects that they compete in high school.  For more about this event, please visit their website at www.siemens-foundation.org.
-Regional Competition #1,2: Nov. 7-8 (#1 at Norte Dame,#2 at MIT)
-Regional Competition #3,4: Nov.14-15 (#3 at UT(Austin,#4 at Carnegie Mel.)
-Regional Competition #5,6: Nov. 21-22 (#5 at Cal. Tech,#6 at GA Tech)
-Nationals: Dec. 4-8 (NYU)
-Announcement of Finalists: Oct. 24
2008-09 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology

Oct. 8-10
WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Expo 2008
The WaterSmart Innovations conference will be held this October at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.  It is the largest conference of its kind in the world, and the inaugural conference and exposition will be the premier venue for showcasing new water-efficiency technology to industry and business form around the globe.  For information contact, www.watersmartinnovations.com/contact.

Oct. 18-19
Maker Faire
The Maker Faire will be held in Austin, Texas at the Travis County Expo Center.  The faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the “Do-It-Yourself (DIY)” mindset.  Creative people encouraged and wanted.  For more information visit their website www.makerfaire.com. 

Oct. 20-22
Convergence-2008 (Detroit)
The Convergence Conference and Exhibition has been going on for the past 30 years.  It has served the automotive and transportation electronics community by delivering relevant technology solutions an astounding array of invited speakers and presenters addressing innovative and hot topics.  The conference is hosted by Chrysler and will be at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan.  For more general information, please contact Patti Kreh (2008 Conference Director) at pkreh@sae.org. 

Oct. 24-25
2008 Lunar Lander Challenge
The Lunar Lander Chanllenge is a two-level, $2 million competition requiring a vehicle to simulate trips between the Moon’s surface and lunar orbit.  The XPRIZE Foundation announced this competition will take place at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, October 24th through the 25th. This years competition will be webcast online at www.xprize.org.  For any more information about the XPRIZE or its foundation, visit XPRIZE’s website listed above. 

Oct. 24-25
Tempest ‘N Tampa-FRC, VEX Robotics and FLL Tournament
Tempest’ N Tampa is an off-season FIRST and VEX Robotics competition event, featuring the 2008 FRC game challenge: Overdrive.  The competition will be a qualifier for the VEX Robotics North American Championship and World Championship events.  Tempest’ N Tampa’s goal is to increase awareness of these great educational opportunities to students and teachers from all across Florida and the Southeast, as well as provide existing teams with another opportunity to sharpen their skills and compete with their robotic creations.  TNT will be held in Tampa at the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome.  For any questions or for additional information about this event contact J. Paul Wahnish of ELHS Robotics Boosters Inc. at (407)491-0903 or by email at barefo6529@aol.com. 

Nov. 1-22
SIA Tech Bridge Battle VEX Robotics Competition
The School for Academics and Technology (SIA Tech) will be hosting a VEX Bridge Battle competition at the San Jose Job Corps Center in California.  Winners of the competition will gain a spot at both the VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas and the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship, so all VEX teams that are interested are invited to participate.  For more event information check SIA Tech TEAM 1834’s website http://robotics.siatech.org.

Nov. 4-7
ProcureCon-President Wilson Hotel, Geneva
www.procurecon.com
ProcureCon is the leading pan-European procurement event and provides you with a unique opportunity to hear from procurement leaders how they have approached and resolved key challenges, benchmark with your peers and others from cutting edge sectors, get practical, hands on details on specific operational issues, and benefit from numerous networking opportunities. Network with over 250 CPO's!

Nov. 7
Boston VEX Robotics Competition Scrimmage
This event will be held at Boston Public Schools, and will be open to any VEX team registered in the area.  Registration will only be available online and the entry fee is $50.  Contact Gary Garber at gary_garber@buacademy.org for additional information or questions about this event.  

Nov. 8
North Miami VEX Scrimmage
This VEX event will be held at North Miami Beach Senior HS in Florida and its purpose is to prepare competitors for the VEX Robotics Competition Regional Event.  Registration opens June 1st and there is a $50 entry fee.  Email Kelsey Frazier at frazier@dadeschools.net for additional information. 

Nov. 11-12
Consumer Technology Innovations 2008
The 2008 Consumer Technology Innovations Conference is an event designed to bring the most promising companies and their innovative technologies together so that peoples ideas can be brought to life.  The event will take place at the Sofitel in Redwood City, California this November.  For additional details concerning this prestigious showcase, visit their website at www.showcase.dowjones.com.

Nov. 16-17
Conference on Innovations in Trauma Research Methods (CITRM
The Conference on Innovations in Trauma Research Methods (CITRM 2008) will take place this November at the Hotel Orrington in Chicago, Illinois.  This event is devoted to research methods in the field of psychological trauma and is held annually at the same location of the meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).  For information, please contact Lauren McSweeney at Lauren.McSweeney@va.gov.

Nov. 22
Lab Rats Tournament, VEX Robotics Competition
This early season VEX Regional event will be held at Dunbar and Patterson HS in Baltimore, Maryland.  Teams from all over are invited to compete and this will be an amazing opportunity for teams looking for early season high caliber competition.  Entry fee is $125 and registration opens June 1st.  For more information concerning event details, contact Joshua Gabrielse at 1748.FIRST@gmail.com.

Nov. 22
State Farm Middle School Robotics Fall Competition
This event will be held at CSUDH Ballroom in Carson, California.  Teams register for this will compete in two primary events and the top two teams at the conclusion of the competitions will qualify for the VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas Championship as well as the VEX Robotics World Championship.  Capacity is limited so teams are urged to register and apply soon.  For additional information contact Ted Harder at THarder@lbusd.k12.ca.us. 

Nov. 24
MATE Hawaii Underwater Robot Challenge
The Marine Advanced Technology Education Center (MATE) focuses on community college education and the creation of strong links between community colleges and high schools, technical schools, four year institutions, research institutions, and industry, government, military, and labor organizations.  MATE’s mission is help prepare America’s future workforce for ocean-related occupations and the center hosts various events and competitions to help improve individuals skills as well as provide information to employers.  For additional information about this particular event, contact either Mark Rognstad at mrognsta@hawaii.edu or Bill Speed at hurc.team.emailbox@gmail.com.

Dec. 4-6
Pan Pacific VEX Robotics Championship
The inaugural Pan Pacific VEX Robotics Championship will be in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Honolulu Convention Center.  Teams do not need to qualify to participate in the event but there are a limited number of spots.  Registration opens on June 1st and closes on November 1st.  For more details check the events calendar at www.robotevents.com.

Dec. 6
Connecticut VEX Scrimmage Event
This VEX scrimmage is open to any registered VEX Robotics Competition Team.  The event will be held in South Windsor, Connecticut and there are a limited number of spots.  There is a $50 entry fee and registration opens on June 1st.  The competition is also looking for teams that have competed at least once prior to this championship event.  For any questions or additional information about this scrimmage, contact Mike Betts at betts@isp.org.

Dec. 6
New Jersey State VEX Scrimmage
The VEX community in New Jersey is welcoming teams to register for the VEX Robotics Competition this December.  The venue has not been announced yet but there is no entry fee.  Registration opens June 10th and for any additional information, please contact Ben Mitchell at bmitchell@bsu.edu.

Dec. 12-13
Los Angeles VEX Robotics Competition Championship
This VEX Robotics event is hosted by Cal State Northridge and will be held in the Matadome.  Top Teams from this competition will qualify for both the VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas and the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship events, both in April 2009.  For more information about the VEX Robotics Competition, visit http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-competitions.shtml.

Dec. 13
QCC VEX Robotics Competition Scrimmage
This VEX Robotics scrimmage will be hosted by Quinsigmond Community College (QCC) is Worcester, Massachusetts in QCC’s Herbert Auditorium.  There is a limited capacity for this competition and registration opens on June 1st ($50 entry fee).  For more information about this competition, contact Betty Lauer at blauer@qcc.mass.edu.

Dec. 13
North Miami Sr. High VEX Robotics Regional
The North Miami Beach Senior HS in North Miami Beach, Florida is pleased to host the 2009 Florida VEX Regional Competition.  This is a one day event, which involves teams from around the country, will have teams competing for a bid at the World Championship.  Registration for teams opens on June 1st and there is a limited capacity so make sure to apply soon.  For questions or other additional information about this event, contact Kelsey Frazier at frazier@dadeschools.net.

Dec. 13
Orlando VEX Robotics Event
This event will be held in Orlando, Florida and registration opens on June 10th.  For information about this VEX Robotics event, please contact Michael Walker for Central Florida VEX Community news at mwalker@ist.ucf.edu.

Deadline: Dec. 31
VISION 2020 Imaging Innovation Awards Program
I3A launched this essential new awards program after they announced it at the 2008 Imaging Innovation Conference.  VISION 2020 Imaging Innovation Awards is a new proposal to energize, recognize and celebrate innovators whose ideas drive the industry toward the future of intelligent imaging.  The event’s goal is to identify and present the innovation in technology and product advancements to the industry, which may create or help future opportunities.  For more details about the VISION 2020 Initiative and Awards, visit www.i3a.org/about-i3a/awards/vision2020/.