The impact of rising energy costs on manufacturing will be the focus of the eighth annual Industries of the Future-West Virginia symposium Oct. 27-28 at the Radisson Hotel.

Symposium participants will also tackle the future role of nanotechnologythe research and development of microscopic building blocksand other emerging technologies in industrial production.

This years event comes at a challenging time for industry as manufacturers cope with soaring energy prices and explore new technology that will change the way they make things,said Carl Irwin, director.

Several panel discussions the second day of the symposium will focus on these critical areas, said Irwin, who is also an administrator at West Virginia University’s National Research Center for Coal and Energy.

One such discussion will be on research into the future use of nanotechnology and bio/plant-based raw material in West Virginia manufacturing. John Weete, vice president for research and economic development at WVU and president of the WVU Research Corp., will be the moderator for the 9 a.m. session. Panelists will include Tom Myers, physics professor and interim director of the WVU Nano Initiative, and Brian Keen, senior technical leader at Dow Chemical.

There will be two sessions on industrial energy issues. The first sessionIs There a Crisis?will be at 9:45 a.m.; the second discussionOutlook and Potential Solutionswill be at 10:35 a.m.

David Satterfield, executive director of the West Virginia Development Office, will moderate an 11:30 a.m. discussion on incentives for industrial research investment and new business development. Panelists will be Rick Slater, a partner at Simpson and Osborne; Russ Lorince, director of economic development at WVU ; and Bill Pollock, director of WVU s Office of Technology Transfer.

The symposium is being held in Morgantown for the first time since 1998, and there will be a lot of emphasis on what WVU researchers are doing to improve industrial efficiency, Irwin said.

WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. will be honored for his support of IOF -WV at the opening days dinner at 7 p.m., and there will be a grand prize drawing the second day for two tickets to the Nov. 13 WVU -Boston College football game, Irwin added.

Industries of the Future-West Virginia is a state version of a national program developed through the U.S. Department of Energy. Its role is to promote projects, partnerships and programs that increase energy efficiency, reduce and use waste materials, and improve productivity in energy-intensive industries.

The state program is a partnership involving WVU , the DOE ’s Office of Industrial Technologies, the West Virginia Development Office and state industry groups. Eight state industries participate in the program: aluminum, steel, metal casting, glass, forest/wood products, chemicals/polymers, mining and cross-cut industries.

On the Net:http://iofwv.nrcce.wvu.edu/