AFWERX Fusion 2020 Base of the Future Announces Dynamic Line-Up of Keynote Speakers

Registration Open for the Three-Day Interactive Virtual Experience and Showcase Featuring Keynote Speakers, Panels, Fireside Chats, and More July 28 - 30, 2020

News provided by

AFWERX Fusion

Jul 14, 2020, 21:13 ET

LAS VEGAS, July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AFWERX Fusion 2020 Base of the Future announces the line-up of keynote speakers, panels and fireside chats with executives from Google, Duke University, MGM Resorts International, Friday Pulse, U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense and much more. The event also features highly engaging networking, happy hours, and a host of special guest cameo appearances.

AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force's innovation arm and catalyst for fostering innovation within the Air Force, presents the AFWERX Fusion 2020 Base of the Future virtual event taking place July 28 – 30, 2020. The annual Fusion event goes online this year as a highly engaging and interactive online event packed with unique experiences. Register today at afwerxfusion.com.

The event also features a showcase of more than 350 teams from the public and private sector participating in the AFWERX Fusion Base of the Future Challenges to display their innovative solutions to Air Force leadership and key military decision-makers and operators. Concurrently, there will be keynote speaker sessions, panel discussions, fireside chats, and networking with industry leaders, individual innovators, academia, investors, as well as military and government leaders.

Featured Keynote Speakers:

Hear from top Air Force leadership, entrepreneurs, innovators, and internationally renowned speakers from global brands as they highlight the exciting opportunities that lie in innovation, technology, and building the Base of the Future.

Joshua Marcuse of Google
Kevin Hines of The Kevin & Margaret Hines Foundation
Brigadier General Patrice A. Melançon of the U.S. Air Force
Colonel DeDe Halfhill of the Department of Defense
Dr. Mary "Missy" Cummings of Duke University
Captain Michael Kanaan of the U.S. Air Force
Nic Marks of Friday Pulse
Deirdre Fike of MGM Resorts International

Panel Discussions:

Day 1 Theme: Base Security and Defense
Panel: Defending Installations from Next Generation Threats
Panel: Robust and Ready: Designing Resilient Installations and Communities
Fireside Chat: COVID, Data and the Next Venture

Day 2 Theme: Leveraging Technology & Reverse Engineering
Panel: Keeping Our Technological Edge: How to Innovate Effectively
Panel: Construction Scale 3D Printing for Expeditionary Bases

Day 3 Theme: Culture of Innovation and Wellbeing
Panel: Spark Cells: Igniting Innovation within the Air Force
Panel: Accelerating Serendipity: The Value of Investing in Culture, Ecosystems and Innovation
Panel: Holistic Wellbeing: It's Time to Look at the Whole Person
Fireside Chat: Seats at the Table: A Business and Moral Imperative

Networking & Happy Hour:

Relax and socialize with us as we wrap each day with a happy hour. Grab your drink of choice and enjoy some live music, trivia, and other entertainment during our happy hour events.

The Showcase:

Base of the Future is the theme of this year's virtual event, inspired by Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, which was decimated by Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, in 2018. For decades, Tyndall had been home to generations of Airmen and their families. In the storm's aftermath, nearly 500 buildings were damaged beyond repair. Thousands of Airmen and their families were displaced and forced to leave a part of their lives behind. Fortunately, Congress approved a $3 billion military construction rebuild program, sparking hope that Tyndall would re-emerge stronger than ever before.

AFWERX FUSION 2020 will feature speaker programming and a virtual trade show centered around solutions and topics related to building the Base of the Future. Reaching far beyond Tyndall AFB, the event will showcase the best technologies and solutions to design the Base of the Future. The aspirational initiative seeks to create a robust installation that will become a universal symbol of innovation and excellence that can scale across the United States Air Force and the Department of Defense.

To accelerate this work, AFWERX, in association with Tyndall Air Force Base and other Department of Defense entities, launched six open challenges to attract solutions to help bring the Base of the Future to life by innovating in the following critical areas:

Base Security
Installation Resilience
Leveraging Technology for Operational Effectiveness
Enabling Technologies for Reverse Engineering and Additive / Agile Manufacturing
Culture of Innovation
Empowering Airman and Family Wellbeing

Teams have been selected to present their innovative solutions as part of a digital interactive showcase to attendees and private pitches to U.S. Government evaluators. The goal is to select the best solutions and guide them through future contracting, funding and prototyping to further develop their concept into real-word implementation to benefit the Air Force, our warfighters, the Department of Defense and allied partners worldwide. To learn more about the Base of the Future Challenges, click here.

About AFWERX

Established in 2017, AFWERX is a product of the U.S. Air Force, directly envisioned by former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Her vision of AFWERX — to solve some of the toughest challenges that the Air Force faces through innovation and collaboration amongst our nation's top subject matter experts. AFWERX serves as a catalyst to unleash new approaches for the warfighter through a growing ecosystem of innovators. AFWERX and the U.S. Air Force are committed to exploring viable solutions and partnerships to further strengthen the Air Force, which could lead to additional prototyping, R&D, and follow-on production contracts.

Media Contacts:

Tracy Skenandore

[email protected]

Direct: 702-217-0414

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SOURCE AFWERX Fusion