Economic development and industry will be key topics of discussion Monday, Oct. 12 during a biotechnology showcase of the Shenandoah Valley at James Madison University.
Biotechnology professionals from around Virginia also will hear about higher education and workforce development during the daylong event that begins at 10 a.m. in the Highlands Room on the bottom floor of the Festival Conference and Student Center on the JMU campus east of Interstate 81.
Co-hosted by the Virginia Biotechnology Association and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership, the biotech showcase will bring together business, academic and government leaders to highlight biotech developments in the Shenandoah Valley region.
The showcase will feature two sessions, one focused on economic development and industry, including agricultural and biomedical bioscience, and the other on higher education and workforce development. The speakers represent a range of organizations, from the research and development leaders SRI International and Cargill, to university faculty and administrators, to economic development professionals and public policy makers.
Delegate Steve Landes (R-Weyers Cave) will deliver remarks over the lunch hour. A key sponsor in the creation of the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID), and a recent keynote speaker at the Governor’s Agricultural & Biotechnology Conference held Sept. 9, 2015, at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Virginia, Delegate Landes is a champion for fostering the growth of Virginia’s biotech and agricultural industries.
The showcase will conclude with tours of JMU’s bioscience labs and presentations on current student-faculty research projects.
Share
Chris Graham
