Top research and technology innovators converge at ORION Summit

"Canada's Rocket Man" headlines speakers

TORONTO, March 29 /CNW/ - Ontario's research, education and technology innovators are converging at the MaRS Centre in Toronto April 12 and 13, joining ORION and its partners at the ORION Summit, Ontario's premier research and education conference.

"Canada's Rocket Man" astronaut Dave Williams headlines the conference, where up to 200 research and education leaders are expected to meet and network with a unique line-up of innovators in science, business and advanced education, as well as champions of new and interactive collaboration technologies.

"From Here to the Future - at an Innovation Crossroad" is the theme of the Summit, presented by ORION, Ontario's advanced research and education network.

A true Canadian hero, Williams is one NASA's most accomplished astronauts, setting records in spacewalking. A veteran of two space shuttle missions, he has logged more than 687 hours in space. A celebrated doctor and researcher, Williams now leads the new McMaster Centre for Medical Robotics.

Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of Open Text Corporation, one of Canada's greatest global technology and business success stories, kicks off the conference.

His opening keynote sets the stage for discussions on topics ranging from Ontario's growing role as a global digital media hub, to next-generation collaboration technologies, to exciting developments in high performance computing, to expanding Canadian access to high capacity broadband.

Delegates will also be able to play the 3D interactive game by Sheridan College's Visualization Design Institute (VDI) in collaboration with Spatial View, recently showcased at the Vancouver Winter Olympics Ontario Pavilion.

Summit host MaRS and Platinum Sponsor CANARIE, Canada's advanced research and innovation network, lead the parade of partners coming together to help ORION stage the Summit, including Gold Sponsors Cisco Canada, Ciena, Compute/Calcul Canada and SHARCNET. Other major sponsors include Colleges Ontario, Cogent Communications, Juniper Networks, Open Text, Telemerge and Bell.

The full Summit program is available at www.orion.on.ca/summit2010.

About ORION

The Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) is Ontario's ultra high-speed research and education network. It connects all of Ontario's universities, most colleges, several medical and other public research facilities and a growing number of school boards to one another, as well as to CANARIE, Canada's advanced research and innovation network, and to the global grid of research and education networks. ORION now connects over 1.7 million Ontario researchers, scientists, students and teachers to critical infrastructure for research, education and innovation. Learn more at www.orion.on.ca.

For further information: Media Contact: Tamara Stoll, ORION Communications Officer, [phone] ext. 224, [email protected]