Polymers, IoT, and AI: Why Akron’s Next Act Is Being Written in Data
Connecting the Polymer Community in Akron with the IoT Community in Cleveland - a great match.
Akron, Ohio has reinvented itself before—and it’s doing it again.
Once known globally as the “Rubber Capital of the World,” Akron built its legacy on polymers: tires, elastomers, advanced plastics, and materials science that quietly shaped modern manufacturing. That heritage didn’t disappear. It adapted.
Today, polymers sit at the intersection of IoT and AI—and Akron is uniquely positioned to lead.
Agenda:
👉 From chemistry to connectivity with intelligence
In short: materials are becoming measurable, connected, and intelligent.
👉 Polymers as the IoT enabler
Polymers don’t just use IoT—they enable it.
👉 Akron’s unfair advantage
This is where Akron shines.
👉 Why this matters now
As IoT expands and AI accelerates product cycles, the winners won’t just build smarter software—they’ll build smarter materials.
Speakers:
IoT, Polymers, and AI SMEs from the Cleveland/Akron area.
Co-host: Ross Widenor, Consultant, Widenor Consulting LLC, formerly Lead Strategic Project Manager, Sustainability Office, Bridgestone Americas
Emcee: Christopher Cole, MBA, BSEE, President at Cole Design and Development, LLC
🧑🏫 Opening Talk: "So Much Opportunity & Very Little Used - IoT & Polymers" Dr. Sadhan C. Jana, PhD, BF Goodrich Professor, School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron
🧑🏫 Panelist: Rocco Panella, Lead Data Tools Developer, West Materials Digitization Team, Bridgestone Americas Technology Center
🧑🏫 Panelist: Dr. Yinmei Feng, Senior Scientist, Aropha
🧑🏫 Panelist: Nathan Hawk, CEO/CTO and Founder - Product Development and Manufacturing, Xadite Engineering
Moderator: John Kerg, Senior Field Application Engineer, Arrow Electronics
🧑🏫 Closing Talk: "SBIR & Tech Transfer" Dan Gisser, MBA, PhD, CEO/CTO and Founder - Product Development and Manufacturing, Tillerline Associates LLC
Agenda:
3pm: Doors Open, Ideation Studio, 2nd Floor
3:30: Panel
5pm: After-party @ Missing Falls Brewery
Bonus: Xadite IoT Design Lab Tour, 2:30–3:00 PM
Before the panel begins, join us for a quick “up close and personal” tour of the Xadite IoT Design Lab inside Bounce Innovation Hub. This casual walkthrough offers a glimpse into where connected devices come to life—from rapid prototyping benches with sensors, boards, and firmware, to ruggedization and enclosure testing setups used to prepare devices for real-world environments. You’ll also see a live edge → cloud → dashboard data pipeline demo and get a look at a featured tread-wear IoT project that shows how Polymer materials and connected intelligence come together. Meet in the Bounce lobby at 2:30 PM.
Thanks to the Akron Polymer Industry Cluster and Bounce Innovation Hub for supporting the event. Event Sponsors welcome.
Original LinkedIn post:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7415388579553587200/
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