BCN News

I met with the Executive Director of BEST Robotics, Michael Steiner, and I was extremely impressed with the conversation we had.  

We spoke about the talent gap, and it aligned with the conversations I had been having over the past few weeks.  

My conversation sets the scene for a series of conversations with Michael where we talk about the current employment situation, the skills our students need to have, and the missing link that we need to address, or industry sectors and entire countries could be placed in a very bad position.

About BEST Robotics:

Take plywood and a box filled with items such as PVC pipe, screws and other hardware, an irrigation valve cover, piano wire, aluminum paint grid, a bicycle inner tube, a BRAIN (BEST Robotics Advanced Instruction Node programmable platform), and something called a micro-energy chain system and try, within six weeks, to design and build a functioning machine that can perform certain, specific tasks in three minutes. What do you get?

You get BEST, a middle and high school robotics competition whose mission is to engage and excite students about engineering, science, and technology as well as inspire them to pursue careers in these fields.

Through participation in our project-based STEM program, students learn to analyze
 and solve problems utilizing the Engineering Design Process, which
 helps them develop technological literacy skills. It is these skills that industry seeks
 in its workforce.

Each fall, over 850 middle and high schools and over 18,000 students participate in the competition.

For More Information Vist Their Website : https://www.bestrobotics.org/

About Michael Steiner 

Michael Steiner came from humble beginnings. He is the son of Polish Holocaust survivors who made it through World War II as orphans because of a great deal of help from others. Over the years, he has become an accomplished and entrepreneurial international executive. Michael has over thirty years of experience in leading companies, organizations, and projects across industries. His proven track record includes team management experience, negotiation skills, and the highest level of due diligence. Michael Steiner is the co-founder of Your Global Strategy (YGS). This innovative consulting agency works with thought leaders and governments across the globe to manage projects and drive creativity toward growth.

Throughout the years, Michael Steiner’s clients have included governments and government leaders, philanthropists, and global entrepreneurs—all committed to utilizing their diverse talents to impact humanity. Influenced by his passion for education and his family connection to the performing arts, Michael devotes significant time to organizations around the world that plant seeds of creativity in the hearts and minds of children and adults. His work has helped manage and promote such groups—bridging the gap between leadership, audience, investors, and artists of tremendous talent. When asked about his career and experience, Michael Steiner answers: “When you learn, learn from and together with others; there is no limit to what one can achieve. People are Good”

TASK FORCE: AI AND CYBER SECURITY TALENT GAP

Aimed at promoting the development of best practices to address the talent gap within cyber security and AI. The task force will look into particular models, training programs, and innovative ways to promote these job opportunities with diversity and inclusion at the top of mind. As international cyberattacks have grown in sophistication and frequency, companies have had trouble finding qualified applicants and recruiting skilled cybersecurity experts. Tortora Brayda Institute Think Tank sees this talent gap as an issue of national security importance and seeks to help to close the gap.  

Jill and Mary Ellen talked about an event they are hosting on the 5/26/2021 that is focusing on Cyber Attacks, you can find more information by clicking on the link below.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tortora-brayda-partnership-excellence/

TASK FORCE:
NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CYBERSECURITY ISAO (NAIC – ISAO)

AI technology is deficient in cybersecurity controls, regulations, and the policies to govern it. While AI benefits cybersecurity, it also presents new risks and threats. AI is vulnerable to exploitation and weaponization by bad actors & cybercriminals. AI systems require ethical and technical guardrails to ensure integrity. The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity requires the framework, policies, laws, and solutions to support it.

Our ISAO maintains a technological advantage while defending against threats, it adopts a whole-of-nation approach and operates with cohesion across all sectors.

The National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity ISAO (NAIC – ISAO) addresses these challenges and supports National Security, promotes innovation, and cultivates cyber diplomacy with our allies.

Dean Lindsay is an award winning author (Business Class News Editors' Choice Award) and is a successful entrepreneur, speaker and all round business leader.

Karl talks with Dean about his upcoming book, Progress Leadership - Say NO to Change Management.

Dean's insights in to this topic of how executives and leaders should re-think their strategy of the future of their organization, personal lives and ultimately the success track they need to put in place is refreshing.

This is an extension from his book Big Phat Goals, and Progress Leadership is an essential read to move you and your organization to the next level

As part of Business Class News' spotlight to corporations that support education, our Publisher, Karl Woolfenden spoke to Peter Balyta, at Texas Instruments (TI), who is the President of their Education Technology side of their business.

TI is committed to providing students opportunities and Peter spoke about the importance of STEM as being part of the educational process:

You can listen to the full interview on how TI is impacting the educational space with their commitment here.  You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio and Google Podcasts, just search for Business Class News.

About Peter Balyta

Peter Balyta, is corporate vice president of academic engagement and president of the Education Technology business at Texas Instruments. He is responsible for leading global teams that focus on the mission of improving the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. This includes several groups and programs that span TI, all of which aim to help students develop a strong educational foundation, setting them up for future success in a workforce that increasingly demands STEM skills.

Balyta holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and technology education and a B.Ed in mathematics and physical education from McGill University; a master of science in mathematics education from Concordia University; and a master of business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. Before starting his career at TI in 2000, Balyta was a mathematics educator and district supervisor for mathematics, science, health, and physical education. In 1996, he was recognized as a Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3) national instructor in the U.S. and Canada. In his roles at TI, he has brought his enthusiasm and experience from the classroom to support and drive TI’s education vision of equipping and inspiring future generations of leaders and engineers.

Balyta is the recipient of the 2017 UT Dallas Green and Orange Award for his support and service to University of Texas at Dallas where he sits on the university’s Executive Board, a 2020 TI Founders Community Impact Award recipient for his volunteer efforts, a Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas 2020 Honor Pin recipient where he is a member of GSNETX's Executive Committee, serving as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Peter is the proud chair of McGill University’s Faculty of Education Advisory Board and a member of McGill’s Bicentennial Campaign Cabinet.

LUNAR LANDSCAPE EXPERIENCE:

EXPERIENCE THE MOON ON EARTH

Back to Space is lighting the spark all around the world with a captivating facility designed to fuel innovation and out-of-this-world experiences!

The Lunar Landscape Experience will have:

The world’s largest explorable map which can be experienced with virtual and augmented reality. This scale model of the moon is a 60,000 square feet, Guinness Book of World Records scale project.
Lunar gravity experience challenges at 1/6th gravity
Stage designed to be one of the most sophisticated in the world
Interactive game room which will be designed and coded by students
Open-air dome with the ability to view the beautiful skies and designed to host rocket launches from outside of the building – landing on the moon
The main building will be just under two acres with the map of the moon at its center and a high-tech facility surrounding the moon under the dome. Imagine this, you enter into the facility, and are engulfed in lights, sounds, and virtual reality simulating a rocket landing on the moon. Once you step on the moon, augmented reality enables you to see lunar features, landing sites, rovers, astronauts, and much more to truly understand the lunar topography and historic human touchpoints. Inside the facility, you can explore all the interactive games, gravity simulator, educational components, a one-of-a-kind restaurant, high tech stage, and high-tech adventure. This is just the beginning of the Lunar Landscape Experience. Not only will it be a Guinness record that will constantly have new exhibits and fresh new gaming components, but it will continuously implement updates that will maintain its status as an international destination and inspirational experience for all age groups and world travelers. The Back to Space universe is limitless.

Come be a part of the many Lunar Landscape Experience events hosted at our facility:

Major Concerts
International/National Corporate and Philanthropic Events
Model Rocket Competitions
Astronomy and Programming Camps
Harvest Moon, Blue Moon, and Eclipse Festivals
Weddings and Honeymoon
Lunar Landscape Experience is located in Jacksboro, Texas which is North-West of Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is the intersection of 6 major highways, within 1-2 hours of 8 million+ population, international airports, 3,000+ schools, and 1.7 million+ students. The skies are ideal for star-viewing and rocket launches due to the lack of light pollution and air traffic.

Located on the site, you will find:

Model rocket launchpad
Moon tree park
Trail the size of the circumference of the earth in relation to the moon
Lake-side lodging
Lake-view, best-in-class restaurant
The Lunar Landscape Experience will capture the minds and imagination of every guest who visits this extraordinary facility. Our objective is to inspire every student from the science and physics buffs to lighting a spark in students who had no prior interest in space before their visit. In addition, we are building a “go-to” facility that will launch awareness and focus from decision-makers, taxpayers, and educators. We will create a life-changing experience by engaging all the human senses, as well as re-creating the experience of the Apollo missions, the shuttle missions, and the deep-seated impact of the space program to America’s DNA. Each visitor will imagine themselves and their involvement in the future of science, engineering, virtual reality, and space exploration.  And for those with no inclination for the sciences and engineering, the Lunar Landscape Experience will become a #1 destination for music, arts, corporate and philanthropic events, as well as international and interplanetary festivals.

LUNAR LANDSCAPE EXPERIENCE:

EXPERIENCE THE MOON ON EARTH

Back to Space is lighting the spark all around the world with a captivating facility designed to fuel innovation and out-of-this-world experiences!

The Lunar Landscape Experience will have:

The world’s largest explorable map which can be experienced with virtual and augmented reality. This scale model of the moon is a 60,000 square feet, Guinness Book of World Records scale project.
Lunar gravity experience challenges at 1/6th gravity
Stage designed to be one of the most sophisticated in the world
Interactive game room which will be designed and coded by students
Open-air dome with the ability to view the beautiful skies and designed to host rocket launches from outside of the building – landing on the moon
The main building will be just under two acres with the map of the moon at its center and a high-tech facility surrounding the moon under the dome. Imagine this, you enter into the facility, and are engulfed in lights, sounds, and virtual reality simulating a rocket landing on the moon. Once you step on the moon, augmented reality enables you to see lunar features, landing sites, rovers, astronauts, and much more to truly understand the lunar topography and historic human touchpoints. Inside the facility, you can explore all the interactive games, gravity simulator, educational components, a one-of-a-kind restaurant, high tech stage, and high-tech adventure. This is just the beginning of the Lunar Landscape Experience. Not only will it be a Guinness record that will constantly have new exhibits and fresh new gaming components, but it will continuously implement updates that will maintain its status as an international destination and inspirational experience for all age groups and world travelers. The Back to Space universe is limitless.

Come be a part of the many Lunar Landscape Experience events hosted at our facility:

Major Concerts
International/National Corporate and Philanthropic Events
Model Rocket Competitions
Astronomy and Programming Camps
Harvest Moon, Blue Moon, and Eclipse Festivals
Weddings and Honeymoon
Lunar Landscape Experience is located in Jacksboro, Texas which is North-West of Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is the intersection of 6 major highways, within 1-2 hours of 8 million+ population, international airports, 3,000+ schools, and 1.7 million+ students. The skies are ideal for star-viewing and rocket launches due to the lack of light pollution and air traffic.

Located on the site, you will find:

Model rocket launchpad
Moon tree park
Trail the size of the circumference of the earth in relation to the moon
Lake-side lodging
Lake-view, best-in-class restaurant
The Lunar Landscape Experience will capture the minds and imagination of every guest who visits this extraordinary facility. Our objective is to inspire every student from the science and physics buffs to lighting a spark in students who had no prior interest in space before their visit. In addition, we are building a “go-to” facility that will launch awareness and focus from decision-makers, taxpayers, and educators. We will create a life-changing experience by engaging all the human senses, as well as re-creating the experience of the Apollo missions, the shuttle missions, and the deep-seated impact of the space program to America’s DNA. Each visitor will imagine themselves and their involvement in the future of science, engineering, virtual reality, and space exploration.  And for those with no inclination for the sciences and engineering, the Lunar Landscape Experience will become a #1 destination for music, arts, corporate and philanthropic events, as well as international and interplanetary festivals.

LUNAR LANDSCAPE EXPERIENCE:

EXPERIENCE THE MOON ON EARTH

Back to Space is lighting the spark all around the world with a captivating facility designed to fuel innovation and out-of-this-world experiences!

The Lunar Landscape Experience will have:

The world’s largest explorable map which can be experienced with virtual and augmented reality. This scale model of the moon is a 60,000 square feet, Guinness Book of World Records scale project.

• Lunar gravity experience challenges at 1/6th gravity
• Stage designed to be one of the most sophisticated in the world
• Interactive game room which will be designed and coded by students
• Open-air dome with the ability to view the beautiful skies and designed to host rocket launches from outside of the building – landing on the moon

The main building will be just under two acres with the map of the moon at its center and a high-tech facility surrounding the moon under the dome. Imagine this, you enter into the facility, and are engulfed in lights, sounds, and virtual reality simulating a rocket landing on the moon. Once you step on the moon, augmented reality enables you to see lunar features, landing sites, rovers, astronauts, and much more to truly understand the lunar topography and historic human touchpoints. Inside the facility, you can explore all the interactive games, gravity simulator, educational components, a one-of-a-kind restaurant, high tech stage, and high-tech adventure. This is just the beginning of the Lunar Landscape Experience. Not only will it be a Guinness record that will constantly have new exhibits and fresh new gaming components, but it will continuously implement updates that will maintain its status as an international destination and inspirational experience for all age groups and world travelers. The Back to Space universe is limitless.

Come be a part of the many Lunar Landscape Experience events hosted at our facility:

• Major Concerts
• International/National Corporate and Philanthropic Events
• Model Rocket Competitions
• Astronomy and Programming Camps
• Harvest Moon, Blue Moon, and Eclipse Festivals
• Weddings and Honeymoon
• Lunar Landscape Experience is located in Jacksboro, Texas which is North-West of Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is the intersection of 6 major highways, within 1-2 hours of 8 million+ population, international airports, 3,000+ schools, and 1.7 million+ students. The skies are ideal for star-viewing and rocket launches due to the lack of light pollution and air traffic.

Located on the site, you will find:

• Model rocket launchpad
• Moon tree park
• Trail the size of the circumference of the earth in relation to the moon
• Lake-side lodging
• Lake-view, best-in-class restaurant

The Lunar Landscape Experience will capture the minds and imagination of every guest who visits this extraordinary facility. Our objective is to inspire every student from the science and physics buffs to lighting a spark in students who had no prior interest in space before their visit. In addition, we are building a “go-to” facility that will launch awareness and focus from decision-makers, taxpayers, and educators. We will create a life-changing experience by engaging all the human senses, as well as re-creating the experience of the Apollo missions, the shuttle missions, and the deep-seated impact of the space program to America’s DNA. Each visitor will imagine themselves and their involvement in the future of science, engineering, virtual reality, and space exploration.  And for those with no inclination for the sciences and engineering, the Lunar Landscape Experience will become a #1 destination for music, arts, corporate and philanthropic events, as well as international and interplanetary festivals.

Karl had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Robin Gaster's, the author of his book that is an insight into this interesting organization, Amazon.

The phases that Dr. Gaster takes us through can be used to help businesses plan their own growth strategies.
 
Amazon is the most extraordinary business story of our time. In 25 years, it's become a $280 billion multi-sector giant, and within 5 years, Amazon may be the biggest company in America. Behemoth, Amazon Rising explains how Amazon built five interlocking rings logistics, Amazon Prime, the Amazon Marketplace, everyday low pricing, and constant innovation. The rings work together to create a moat too deep to scale around Amazon's retail empire.

But Amazon is not just any company. It's brilliant, agile, cold, efficient, amoral, incredibly innovative, secretive, scary, seductive. It's entirely customer-obsessed - which is great for customers, but not necessarily for producers. And there is no end to Amazon's ambitions, as it marches into logistics, cloud services, publishing, groceries and much more.

That relentless growth will test us profoundly. Behemoth describes those challenges and shows how to handle them - if we are smart, committed, and prepared to match Amazon's long-term perspective with an equally bold vision of our own.

Get A Copy Of The Book:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/behemoth-amazon-rising-robin-gaster/1138367493?ean=9781736001202

Karl spoke to Gerald Hendrik, principle of Rockwall Wealth Advisors and they spoke about the importance of understanding your net worth and planning.

Here is some information about Rockwall Wealth Advisors, and message from their President:

"Hi, My name is Gerald Hendrik CDFA®, Founder and President of Rockwall Wealth Advisors. 
I am a Financial Advisor that loves our amazing God, my family, helping others, and this great country.   

I  have experience and expertise as a financial planner helping families manage their wealth and individuals get through trying times. 

I specialize in many different areas including divorce, working with motivated married couples, retirement planning,  other life transitions (death, job loss, etc.), risk management, traditional investments, and sophisticated investment options.

I attended the University of North Texas and hold my industry licenses and certifications.  I am a Texas boy born and raised and currently spend my time outside of work and community events raising my daughter, twin boys, and mini schnauzer Emmitt, with my beautiful wife Melanie.  Melanie and I both work in the community and love getting involved with local events and our church (cLife). Along with being an Ambassador for the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce and being on the leadership committee, I sit on the Board for the American Lung Association.

It would be an honor if Rockwall Wealth Advisors could help in anyway you see fit. 

Website: https://www.rockwallwealthadvisors.com/​

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