WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The fourth annual George Washington Carver Award will recognize an individual who has demonstrated significant and innovative accomplishments that have employed industrial biotechnology to facilitate the advancement of a biobased economy and industrial sustainability. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today announced that it is accepting nominations for the 2011 George Washington Carver Award, which will be presented at the 2011 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. The world’s largest industrial biotechnology event for business leaders, investors and policy makers in biofuels, biobased products, renewable chemicals and biomass runs May 8-11 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
BIO is now accepting nominations for the George Washington Carver Award. More information about the nomination process is available at http://bio.org/worldcongress/program/carver.asp. The deadline for nominations is March 7, 2011. Nominees must be living individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of industrial biotechnology, including applications in biological engineering, environmental science, biorefining and biobased products.
Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section, said, “Our annual award honors George Washington Carver as one of the founding fathers of modern industrial biotechnology. His efforts inspire modern industrial biotechnology companies that are developing new methods to use renewable agricultural resources to manufacture biofuels, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food ingredients, just as Carver did during the first half of the 20th century. Science has developed in ways that Carver may never have imagined, but the work remains true to his goal – a sustainable bioeconomy that enables production of useful everyday products.”
In 2010, BIO presented the award to Gregory Stephanopoulos, the Willard Henry Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, recognizing his pioneering work in the field of industrial biotechnology and in particular metabolic engineering and its practical application to industrial processes. Stephanopoulos is a co-author of the seminal textbook that laid the educational and engineering foundations of this new field. He has actively transferred laboratory developed technologies to important industrial processes, co-founding start-up companies to produce antimicrobial peptides and biofuels.
In 2009, BIO presented the award to DuPont Chairman of the Board Charles O. Holliday, Jr., recognizing his commitment to industrial biotechnology as a tool for sustainable business growth. During Holliday’s tenure as CEO, DuPont invested in biology-based businesses and infused them with its chemistry know-how. For instance, DuPont partnered with sugar processor Tate & Lyle to manufacture 1,3 propanediol, a polyester ingredient made by fermenting sugar. That venture led the company to think about applying its fermentation expertise to making renewable fuels and chemicals in a biorefinery.
BIO presented the first annual George Washington Carver Award in 2008 to Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO, Gevo, Inc., recognizing his accomplishments in creating and commercializing a new plastic made from annually renewable resources. As vice president and chief technology officer of Cargill Dow LLC/NatureWorks from 1997 to 2005, Gruber spearheaded the market introduction of NatureWorks™ PLA and Ingeo™ fibers. He oversaw the construction and launch in 2000 of the first large-scale manufacturing facility for a material developed from 100 percent annually renewable resources. He led the company’s efforts of continual process and technology improvement, making NatureWorks™ PLA a major influence in the global plastic and fibers markets.
Online registration for the conference is now open. Please visit http://www.bio.org/worldcongress/ for additional information, or email worldcongress@bio.org.
All programs at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters with valid press credentials working full time for print, broadcast or web publications. Online registration for reporters is also open, at http://bio.org/worldcongress/media/media_registration.asp.
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtech NOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.” Subscribe to BIOtech NOW.
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Upcoming BIO Events
BIO-Europe
Spring 2011
March 14-16, 2011
Milan, Italy
BIO
Intellectual Property Counsels Committee Spring Conference and Committee
Meeting
April 13-15, 2011
Seattle, WA
World
Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
May
8-11, 2011
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
BIO
International Convention
June 27-30, 2011
Washington,
DC
2011
BIO Human Resources Conference
June 26-28, 2011
Washington,
DC