Make Your Votes Count in February

Do you know that you have two opportunities to vote in February in Illinois?  You can participate in the Feb. 5th primaries…and you can cast a second vote on Feb. 20th.  On Feb. 5th, you can vote at one of thousands of polling places across the state.  On Feb. 20th, all “votes” will be delivered at one
location – The Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago.

On Feb. 20th, your presence at the 2008 iBIO Industry Expo & Marketplace (iBIO IndEx) will be a vote in favor of the continued growth of our regional biotechnology community.  You will express your desire to see a vibrant and collaborative biotech hub shine brightly in the Midwest. On Feb. 20th, I urge you not only to cast a personal vote, but also to encourage others in your professional networks to do the same.

Thanks to the hard work of the iBIO staff, attendees of the daylong event will hear from three outstanding keynote speakers: the president of the University of Illinois, the president and CEO of Astellas US, and the technology vice president for BP’s Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI). For those not familiar with the Institute, BP has entered into a partnership with the University of California Berkeley, the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to establish the EBI.  Thanks to BP’s $500 million dollar commitment to the Institute, UIUC will participate in cutting-edge research into the relationship between bioscience and the production of new and cleaner energy.   This is a great opportunity for our region. 

iBIO IndEx panel discussions will cover nanotechnology, food safety, hospital-acquired infections and renewable chemical replacements.  For our emerging entrepreneurs, the conference will offer workshops gleaned from the iBIO Institute’s PROPEL program, which I’m happy to report is off to a fantastic start in its first year of operation.  And the networking opportunities that exist at all of our meetings will be another highlight of this annual event.  There are many reasons to attend the 2008 iBIO IndEx.  I hope to see you and your colleagues on Feb. 20th at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

I’d also like to bring to your attention another exciting conference in February. As you may know, regenerative medicine is an area of research that I promote often, in part due to the collaborative efforts of several iBIO members.   On Feb. 22nd, Northwestern University will host the Chicagoland Stem Cell Science Education Symposium.  The symposium will address the underlying science of stem cells, potential applications, ethical concerns, public policies and resources available to educate students and the general population. While the symposium is free of charge, registration is required and there were only about 35 seats still available as of Jan. 28th.   Visit the event’s web site (http://www.regonline.com/stemcell) for more information and to register for what will certainly be an exciting day for anyone seeking to learn more about this area of medicine.

There are many ways for us to assess progress as we build a regional biotech community.  Attendance at our high-profile events is a valuable metric.  Please cast your “votes” in February, and throughout the year.