HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – The Lantern: Hanscom Collaboration and Innovation Center will hold a symposium in Lincoln, Massachusetts, May 16, to help familiarize Hanscom Air Force Base personnel with innovation and collaboration resources.
Officials will hold the in-person event from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lincoln North facility located at 55 Old Bedford Road, Lincoln. The symposium will feature presentations from several organizations, including the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Northeastern University’s Kostas Research Institute, The University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Applied Research Corporation, and the National Security Innovation Network, as well as a Small Business Innovation Research panel.
“This is an education and networking event,” said Eric Brimhall, Lantern program manager and symposium project lead. “It’s all about how to take advantage of the resources that are already there, but probably not very well known.”
The goal of the symposium is to help Hanscom AFB personnel establish new connections and pathways they can use to better innovate and collaborate in their day-to-day work.
“The Lantern is chartered to coordinate with organizations across the materiel enterprise to enhance and extend leading-edge advances in areas of defense applications,” said Col. Bai Lan Zhu, Lantern executive director. “In the era of strategic competition, collaborative partnerships are more important than ever. I want our organizations across Hanscom to be connected with the groups, tools, and resources that can help them innovate and accelerate change.”
While Hanscom personnel are the primary audience, Brimhall said other regional partners can also participate.
“Everyone is welcome at the event,” he said. “We just ask that attendees pre-register for planning purposes. The symposium is free, and an optional pay-as-you-go lunch will be available on site.”
In addition to the formal presentations, the event will give participants an opportunity to network with innovation experts.
“Each of our presenters have committed to staying at the symposium for the entire day and will be available to answer questions,” said Brimhall. “These organizations are ready and willing to support Team Hanscom and the Lantern wants to help increase awareness of these great resources, so that more acquisition professionals and [66th] Air Base Group personnel can leverage them.”
Brimhall said he hopes all participants will get something out of the event and the symposium will “spark new ideas” across the installation.
An agenda for the May 16 Lantern Innovation Symposium can be viewed here. For more information or to register, visit https://einvitations.afit.edu/inv/anim.cfm?i=750367&k=0564420A7D50.