By Javier Chagoya

NPS Space Systems Academic Group Professor Dr. James Newman, left, and Provost Dr. Steven Lerman, right, join university researchers and students in representing NPS at this year's Monterey County Higher Education and Research Leadership Summit at the Marriott Hotel, Oct. 27. They, along with regional academic leaders, county officials and representatives from the Monterey Business Council, listened to updates from the region's many higher education and research organizations.

Newman was on hand to underscore recent technological advances in space robotics, which NPS Research Associate Giovanni Minelli and Space Systems student Lt. Andrew Bradstreet demonstrated in each of their slide presentations.

"Our space assets are critically important to the Navy. NPS' students and their research in space robotics and ground station infrastructure helps them to learn valuable lessons that ultimately improve the Department of the Navy's human and technical capital to enhance the warfighter's capabilities," said Newman.

With a fresh set of eyes to the region's educational institutions, Lerman offered his own perspective to developing a stronger intellectual capital for Monterey County, and for bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and the local region.

"I believe that educational institutions are vital to regional economic development. There are good reasons why places such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Massachusetts and Austin, Texas are doing so well economically, and those reasons are closely tied to the great universities in their respective areas," said Lerman.

"I know from my time at MIT that a huge number of companies were 'spun off' from the research of the faculty, and many of these companies were located in the area surrounding these great universities. Companies such as Bose and a myriad of technology, and more recently biotechnology, companies were created," continued Lerman. "I think Monterey's education and research is a major asset to the area, and what it could use more of is entrepreneurial activity driven from that research and education."