Wednesday, October 4, 2006

CONTACT: Barry E. Piatt
or  Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced Wednesday that NASA astronaut Dr. Donald Pettit will deliver a keynote speech at the Upper Great Plains Technology Conference next week at the Fargodome.

Pettit will speak at the eighth annual Technology Conference at 8:30 AM Tuesday. His first assignment as a NASA mission specialist brought him to the International Space Station for a 5 ½-month stay. Pettit and the space station crew worked with U.S. and Russian science experiments and completed two spacewalks.

Dorgan – who co-hosts the Technology Conference with the Chamber of Commerce of Fargo Moorhead and the Information Technology Council of North Dakota – said Pettit’s address will add a new dimension to a list of keynote speakers that includes a “father of the Internet,” a satellite television company president, and an Emmy Award-winning producer and cable television executive.

“Dr. Pettit is a great addition to our lineup of speakers that will draw on their personal experiences to bring a new perspective to our exploration of cutting-edge technology,” Dorgan said. “I think this will expand our discussion of emerging technology and the way it is changing our lives.”

Other keynote speakers at the conference will include Vint Cerf, Vice President of Google and one of the “fathers of the Internet”; Leo Hindery, an Emmy Award-winning producer and cable TV executive; and Carl Vogel, President of Echostar.

The Technology Conference and Trade Show also will feature exhibitors from regional and national technology-related companies and workshops on the latest cutting-edge technologies. Registration can be accessed online at www.uppergreatplainstechnology.com. There is no cost to attend the keynote speeches, trade show or workshops, though pre-registration is required.

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