Rhode Island Bioscience Award Winners Announced!

In state’s first industry-specific awards program, five awards honor six Bioscience Champions in research, quality, and education.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tech Collective, Rhode Island’s Bioscience and IT industry association, is proud to announce the recipients of its inaugural Rhode Island Bioscience Awards program.

“We are so proud to introduce the Rhode Island Bioscience Awards and its inaugural award honorees!”

The first of its kind in Rhode Island, the industry-specific Rhode Island Bioscience Awards are designed to honor individuals working within the state’s bioscience sectors, including medical device, research and development, pharmaceuticals, laboratories, production, design, and related areas.

This year, five awards will honor six Bioscience Champions in the areas of research, quality, and education.

The 2013 Rhode Island Bioscience Award Winners are: (no specific order)

Edward Bozzi, PhD – Associate Clinical Professor and Coordinator of the Biomanufacturing Program, University of Rhode Island

Michelle Wu – Director of Quality Services, Ximedica

Anne De Groot, MD and Denice Spero, PhD – Director & Co-Director (respectively), Institute for Immunology and Informatics (iCubed) at the University of Rhode Island

Andrew P. Mallon, PhD – CEO/Director of Research, Calista Therapeutics, Inc.

Leslie Cousens, PhD – Scientific Director of Protein Therapeutics, EpiVax, Inc.

Award recipients will be honored at the Rhode Island Bioscience Awards celebration event on Thursday, May 2^nd, 2013 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. Science Comedian, Brian Malow, will open the night with his acclaimed mix of wit, science, and humor. The night will continue with dinner, remarks on the state of the Bioscience industry, recognition of the Rhode Island recipient of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence, and recognition of the 2013 Rhode Island Bioscience Award winners.

“We are so proud to introduce the Rhode Island Bioscience Awards and its inaugural award honorees!” said Kathie Shields, executive director for Tech Collective. “As the bioscience industry has grown here in Rhode Island, so has the need to recognize not only the influence that the industry has on innovation and economic growth in our state, but also to recognize the individuals who so diligently and passionately make that happen on a daily basis. These are the stories we are excited to tell and will do so at our awards celebration event on May 2^nd.”

Nominations and applications for the awards program were accepted through February 1^st, 2013. A Judging Committee of industry and business representatives evaluated the entries based on content, relevancy, and vision as well as the applicant’s passion for their career and contributions to the industry as a whole. The judges for this year’s Rhode Island Bioscience Awards were: (no specific order)

Stephen Evangelista – Chief Executive Officer, Arthritis Foundation, New England Region

Sharon Lee – Director of Multiple Pathways, Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

John Cronin – COO, Global Transformation Strategies; Board Member, Smaller Business Association of New England, Inc. (SBANE)

George Goodno – Director, State Policy Communications, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)

The biosciences comprise one of the fastest growing industries nationally and in Rhode Island. The recently released Battelle/BIO: State Bioscience Industry Development 2012 report shows 96,000 bioscience jobs were created across the nation between 2001 and 2010. In Rhode Island for the same period, the industry grew 44.3 percent.

For more information about the Rhode Island Bioscience Awards or the state’s Bioscience industry, visit www.tech-collective.org.

About Tech Collective:

Tech Collective is Rhode Island’s Bioscience and Information Technology Industry Association. Uniting industry, government and academic stakeholders, our mission is to inspire, engage, educate and employ a high-skill, high-wage Knowledge Economy in Rhode Island. Since its transition from the Rhode Island Technology Council (RITEC) in 2004, Tech Collective has received more than $8M in federal, state and private grant funding to foster industry and workforce awareness, collaboration, and development through forums and initiatives including: Tech10, GRRL Tech, Women in Technology, Bio-Ed, and STEM-based education and training programs for K-16 students as well as incumbent and transitioning workers. Get connected to Tech Collective at www.tech-collective.org, on Facebook (TechCollectiveRI), Twitter (@Tech_Collective), and on Linkedin (Tech Collective).