In early February, I attended the Emerging Issues Forum in downtown Raleigh to hear government officials, academics and businesspeople talk about a resurgence in the manufacturing industry in North Carolina. Our state, the fourth largest manufacturing hub in the nation, hosts industries that will transform our future.

I enjoyed the spirit of the Emerging Issues Forum, but the biggest flaw with the event was the lack of student participation. Looking around the Raleigh Convention Center, the event’s venue, a sea of old, white men in suits drowned out the few students who were required to attend the event ― freshmen Park Scholars.

If the resurgence of manufacturing is an “emerging issue,” then why was there no representation of the generation that will inherit the high-tech manufacturing industrial landscape of the future? 

As the result of an abrasive Technician editorial that critiqued the event, the leaders of the Institute for Emerging Issues, a North Carolina-focused think tank housed in the Hunt Library, courteously reached out to me to address the grievances the editorial board expressed. I appreciate the graciousness of the Institute, and I believe we are all striving to achieve the same goal: to educate and inform.  

And that’s why Technician and the IEI are partnering in a follow up to present an auxiliary, student-oriented Emerging Issues Forum: ManufacturingWorks@NCState.  

This event, like original forum that inspired it, will focus on the future of manufacturing in North Carolina. This is important stuff: manufacturing is the largest driver of economic growth in the state coming out of the recession. Research Triangle Park down the road houses some of the most innovative and crucial companies in the world. For every manufacturing job created, five others are created in its wake. We’re not just building products we need, but also a new economy. 

High-tech and advanced manufacturing is a cornerstone in our state’s economy and has changed its history. Because of innovation and research, North Carolina was able to survive after the textile industry failed. Due to the creative work of our citizens and the companies they’ve founded, Durham was able to grow into the city of medicine, not the city tobacco left.  

And yes, medicine is involved in the new age of manufacturing. Pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and even lab-harvested human organs are the products North Carolina is producing. More likely than not, these companies are putting N.C. State students to work.  

This upcoming event is not a special interest meeting for business leaders to drone on about their industrial accolades. We’re bringing in forward-thinking, socially aware and young alumni to talk about their experience in the industry and the products ― and impact ― they’ve helped create. 

Come learn, network and discover what manufacturing has to offer North Carolina. Though the word “manufacturing” doesn’t evoke the sexiest of connotations, the potential impact the industry has on our state’s economy and education system are worth exploring. 

ManufacturingWorks@NCState will take place:

• When: Monday, March 25, 1-5 p.m.
• Where: Hunt Library Institute for Emerging Issues Multi-Purpose Room (Second Floor)

Who will be there?

• Business experts and leaders
• Alumni in the manufacturing field from companies like IBM, Fujifilm Biotechnologies, GoPro and the North Carolina Technology Association

Why is it important?

• North Carolina’s leading economic machine is the manufacturing industry.
• Students will have the opportunity to interact with panelists and network with industry representatives.

Get Registered:

• http://manufacturingworksncstate.eventbrite.com/