University of Hawaii President M.R.C. Greenwood will be speaking from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday as part of an ongoing innovation series sponsored by the Maui Economic Development Board.
The event, part of MEDB's yearlong 30th anniversary celebration, is an effort to encourage, empower and engage the island community in developing a sustainable, diversified economy for Maui County, a news release said.
Greenwood, the first woman to serve as UH's chief executive officer, will speak about the university's strategy to build a $1 billion research enterprise in partnership with business and community groups. This initiative, known as the University of Hawaii Innovation Initiative (HI2), is expected to act as an economic fuel cell, generating new discoveries, creating thousands of jobs and putting more money into Hawaii's economy, the news release said. UH plans to drive the growth of Hawaii's research industry by hiring 50 top scientists during the next four to eight years.
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Greenwood
"HI2 is going to create jobs, it's going to create a future for our children, and it will place us as leaders in areas where we need research for the future, like energy, sustainability and certain health areas," Greenwood said.
A national leader on science and technology policy and an expert on higher education issues, Greenwood has served as associate director and consultant to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and chaired the National Academies Policy and Global Affairs Division. She has tackled issues including writing in America's schools, biomedical careers for women, national security and ethics of the information society.
She became the 14th president of the University of Hawaii in August 2009 and oversees the 10 campuses in the university's system, including the University of Hawaii Maui College.
Her presentation will be held in the Baldwin High School Multipurpose Room. The event is free and open to the public.
To reserve a seat, call Cari Taylor at 875-2336 or send email to info@medb.org.
Other speakers at future innovation series lectures include Dr. Hank Wuh, surgeon, inventor and Hawaii entrepreneur; Karin Frost, a Maui resident and multimillionaire and inventor of the Ergo Baby Carrier, which produces a line of baby products; and Henk Rogers, video-game designer, entrepreneur and environmental philanthropist.
MEDB is a nonprofit corporation established in 1982 with a focus on diversifying Maui's economy. The corporation is governed by a 36-member board of directors drawn from business, government, academia and nonprofit organizations.
