3M CEO to keynote Jan. 24 event on science, technology, engineering and math education
George Buckley, chairman, president and chief executive officer of 3M, will give an address focusing on industry as a catalyst for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the University of St. Thomas.
Buckley will speak at 1 p.m. in the university’s O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium. The talk is the centerpiece of a daylong event hosted by St. Thomas’ School of Engineering, “Engineering Minnesota’s Future: A Critical Partnership Opportunity,” from 11 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center.
Buckley, 59, was born in Sheffield, England. Prior to joining 3M in December 2005 he was chairman and chief executive officer of Brunswick Corp., the Lake Forest, Ill.-based manufacturer and marketer of pleasure boats, marine engines and other recreational products. He also is a former executive of St. Louis-based Emerson Electric Co., a global technology company that provides products and services for industry, commercial markets and consumers. Prior to joining Emerson he was managing director of the Central Services Division of the British Railways Board. He also serves on the boards of Black and Decker, the Towson, Md.-based manufacturer and marketer of tools, hardware and home-improvement products, and Thule AB, the Swedish manufacturer of automobile rooftop boxes, roof rails and bike carriers.
Buckley studied at the Universities of Southampton and Huddersfield in England, where he earned a Ph.D. in engineering. He also had a B.Sc. degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Huddersfield, from which he also received an honorary D.Sc. degree in engineering.
Technology exhibits will precede Buckley’s keynote address, and breakout sessions will follow from 2:30 to 4:20 p.m.:
- “The World is Flat: Minnesota Responds,” moderated by Minnesota education commissioner Alice Seagren and Kate Rubin, president of the Minnesota High Tech Association
- “K-12 School Issues and Innovations,” moderated by Jan Hansen of the St. Thomas School of Education
- “BioBusiness and Its Implications to K-12 Education,” moderated by Dale Wahlstrom, chair of the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, and Gail O’Kane, education-industry partnership manager in the strategic partnerships unit of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
- “STEM Encouragement Programs,” moderated by David Rhees, executive director of The Bakken Library and Museum in Minneapolis.
The event is free and open to the public. Obtain more information and register online at www.stthomas.edu/engineering/events or call (651) 962-5750.
