Columbia’s Science and Technology Take Center Stage at BIO’99 Staffing Columbia University’s booth at BIO’99 are, from left, Jack Granowitz, Sally McLain, and Melissa Murray. Dr. William Polf and Annie Shane were also involved in managing Columbia’s exhibit. For the second year, Columbia University participated in the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) annual meeting and exhibition, held this May in Seattle. The annual world conference of the biotechnology industry brings together biotechnology companies, resource organizations, and academic research centers to discuss current issues in the industry and to exchange innovative ideas. Columbia Innovation Enterprise (CIE), the Center for Advanced Technology (CAT), and the Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology Park, along with the Health Sciences Office of External Relations, collaborated in sponsoring an exhibit booth, where visitors could learn about Columbia’s research and technology programs. “It was important for CIE to be at BIO’99 to meet with people from the biotech industry,” says Jack Granowitz, executive director of CIE. Using a laptop computer, Mr. Granowitz was able to show visitors the more than 400 technologies that Columbia has available for licensing. “There was much interest from companies and from venture capital groups,” says Mr. Granowitz. “It was also of interest for me to see what the other academic centers were presenting to industry.” More than 5,700 people attended BIO’99, 1,650 of whom were from outside the United States. New York and New Jersey had more than 400 representatives. “The academic research institutions have a big stake in the biotechnology industry. That’s why we are active in BIO,” says Dr. William A. Polf, deputy vice president for external relations and strategic programs. Columbia was represented by Dr. Polf; Mr. Granowitz; Annie Shane, assistant director of CAT; Sally McLain, director of marketing and promotions; and Melissa Murray, marketing consultant. BIO’00 will be held next March in Boston. More information on that conference and the Biotechnology Industry Organization is available at www.bio.org. |R