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60 W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s 2022 & Beyond J ust two years ago, a global pandemic wasn't in anyone's sights. But a few years previous, virtual medicine and virtual college classes weren't high on the radar either. Neither were video technologies such as Zoom and Google Meet, now a part of daily business life. e first 300 years of Worcester's existence brought the transition from an agrarian economy, to a merchant-based one, following by industry, and now an emerging life sciences sector. Looking over the next 100 years, life sciences will certainly plan a key role, as it remains the buzzy industry everyone wants to attract. e biosciences sector is spreading out from metro Boston to Worcester as technol- What's next for Worcester? Technology, life sciences, transportation, and higher ed will help drive the economy ogy makes it easier to hold meetings without the need for attendees to travel. But if they need to travel out of region, Worcester Regional Airport may become more attractive than it is today. With in- creased investment from Massport in the airport infrastructure and airlines possibly paying more attention to smaller airport like ORH, the facility could play an even bigger role in the region's economy. A look back to Worcester's bicentennial gives a look at what progress was a century ago. e Worcester Telegram's June 11,1922 headline proclaimed, '75 Phones in 1879; Now there are 30,000'. Today, a smartphone that fits into your pocket is almost a thousand times faster than mid-80s Cray-2 Supercomputer and several multiples faster than the computer onboard NASA's Mars Rover. However, the problems we still need to solve are accessibility to health care for the average person, particularly the average person of color. Across the board, a continuing concern is that many people are living longer but not necessarily better, straining both family caregivers and the systems that provide long-term care for those who can no longer live safely in a home setting. Higher education – no, the entire post-secondary education system – will need to expand its scope for a more work- force-aligned curriculum. By now it's been two – maybe three – gener- ations, at least, that the call has gone out that higher ed has to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow. If that were as easy to do as it is to say, we'd have been there by now. — Christina P. O'Neill PHOTOS | WBJ FILE A biomedical lab in Central Mass. Dr. Larry Garber from Reliant Medical Group conducts a telehealth appointment.