Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending the Fourth Annual Digital Transformation Summit. My mentor invited me to attend this conference for free, and it was an opportunity I knew I couldn’t refuse. The conference was held in The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover, MD. It went on from 8am until 6pm, but I did have to leave earlier as I had class and a midterm exam. Nevertheless, I was still able to do a lot of networking and attend a few panels. It was super refreshing to hear about the technological advancements happening here in Maryland, especially because I want to stay in Maryland after graduation.

The summit was hosted by the Maryland Tech Council (MTC), a technology trade association that wants to build strong technology and life science industries by supporting its members. It’s actually the largest technology trade association in the state of Maryland. MTC isn’t solely focused on technology, though. It’s also able to serve the biotech community with assets like the Maryland Health Care Product Development Corporation (MHCPDC), which aims to stimulate growth of the biomedical industry in Maryland. 

The panels I attended included industry experts that went into great depth talking about important new technologies. One of those panels was about the good and bad of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. It was moderated by Todd Marks, the founder and CEO of Mindgrub Technologies. Mindgrub is a company that creates custom mobile, web, and digital marketing solutions. Something I found really interesting and impressive was that Mindgrub designed and developed USG’s website, which I’ve always loved. There was also an exhibit hall, which I got to visit a few times. One exhibit I liked in particular had a demo of a robotic stuffed teddy bear that could give hugs. 

A definite highlight for me was hearing the Opening Remarks from Maryland’s new Secretary of Commerce, Kevin Anderson. He was named by our Governor, Wes Moore, in January of this year. I also got to talk to him for a bit, which was a cool experience.

Overall, I had a great time and I would highly recommend that anyone who’s interested look into the MTC and their future events!