Academics Chip in at LIVE! 2008

One challenge we have with RFID Journal LIVE! is keeping everything running on time. With 10 concurrent preconference seminars and eight simultaneous tracks, it's very important to start and end on time. I've spoken at smaller conferences where confusion reigns, with people missing content because their session ended late and another started on time or early.

This year, we recruited students to help us introduce speakers, make announcements and keep things running on time. In exchange for their hosting a preconference seminar or a track for a day, we provided them with free admission to the entire event. They got the opportunity to learn about RFID, and we got a well-run event. It worked out great for everyone involved.

I'm grateful to all the students who participated, whom you'll find listed below. And I'm particularly indebted to Tali Freed, an associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, and the director of the PolyGAIT-RFID Research and Development Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Tali brought the largest contingent of students (I'm pictured with them below).



In addition, I especially need to thank the academics who shared their research with our audience:

• Punkaj Sood, founder and manager, McMaster RFID Applications Lab
• Harold Boeck, professor, Universite de Sherbrooke
• Dieter Uckleman, manager, RFID-Application and Demonstration Center, BIBA-IPS, Log Dynamics Lab
• Bill Hardgrave, Ph.D., director, RFID Research Center, University of Arkansas
• Justin Patton, RFID lab director, University of Arkansas
• Jean-Pierre Emond, co-director, IFAS Center for Food Distribution and Retailing, University of Florida
• Majid Ghadiri, chair and professor of electronic and computer technologies, Oakton Community College
• Mikko Lehtonen, researcher, Auto-ID Lab, University of St. Galen and ETH Zurich
• Dr. Sanjay Sarma, associate professor of mechanical engineering; former chairman of research and co-founder, Auto-ID Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

I also want to thank Daphne Allen, editor of Pharmaceutical Packaging News. Daphne hosted the pharmaceutical track for two days and helped to promote the event to her publication's audience.

Finally, my special thanks to the following students and academics who helped make RFID Journal LIVE! 2008 a great event for speakers and attendees alike:

• Heather Batt
• Chao-Hsien Chu
• Joshua Crawford
• Kyle Dodson
• Tara Frailey
• Brian Hockenmaier
• Todd Hunter
• Sean Ipakchi
• Anand Jeyaraj
• Matt Justus
• Michael Krist
• Amanda Lucero
• Adam Mach
• Jordan Moir
• Brian Newman
• James Andrew Paolino
• Tyler Peabody
• Brad Reiser
• Antonio Rizzi
• Bryce Taylor

If you are an academic interested in helping us out and having your students attend one of our events, please send an e-mail to editor@rfidjournal.com. We'll be holding large events this fall in Chicago, Prague and Toronto, and RFID Journal LIVE! 2009 will take place next year in Orlando, Fla., April 27-29.