The Biotechnology Innovation Organization today announced the opening of nominations for two awards to honor significant leaders driving cutting-edge, sustainable breakthroughs in the fields of agriculture and the environment. BIO will accept nominations until 5:00 p.m., Friday, June 24, 2022. The George Washington Carver Award recognizes individuals who have advanced biotech innovation to make supply chains greener and have worked successfully toward that goal in the private sector, government or academia. Those submitting nominations should single out individuals who have demonstrated significant and innovative accomplishments within the industry to advance a biobased economy and industrial sustainability. Named for celebrated agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, whose discoveries improved the lives of farmers and the health of American soils, the award pays tribute to those who are building on Carver’s legacy. “Just as George Washington Carver’s vision and achievements transformed agriculture and addressed the soil conservation challenges of his day, today’s scientists are applying the tools of biotechnology to help farmers and manufacturers of biobased products be the problem solvers our world needs now, to ensure we can meet our food and resource demands sustainably,” said BIO President Michelle McMurry-Heath. The Rosalind Franklin Award is presented to a pioneering woman in the agricultural and environmental biotechnology sectors. The award recognizes women who are leading today’s innovations in agriculture, food systems, sustainable energy and biobased manufacturing. Rosalind Franklin is renowned for her work to map the molecular structure of DNA in the 1950s, a time when women did not have as many opportunities as men to enter science and research or to be credited for their contributions to the field. “We still have work to do to improve gender equality in science careers and research,” said McMurry-Heath. “That’s why we at BIO are proud…

NASA Astronaut Kjell Lindgren, MD, will connect live from the International Space Station to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s BIO International Convention on June 14. While the world’s largest biotechnology meeting will take place in person in San Diego, Dr. Lindgren will explain from space how research and development in microgravity helps companies accelerate product development pipelines back on Earth. Dr. Lindgren will be joined by panelists who have experience connecting science from 250 miles above earth and will discuss practical steps to move the biotechnology industry into the future: Jessica Jensen, Vice President, Customer Operations & Integration, SpaceX; Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space’s Chief Astronaut; Paul Reichert, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Merck; and Ken Savin, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Redwire.  The panel will be moderated by Jennifer Strong, Editorial Director, Audio and Live, for MIT Technology Review. The International Space Station has hosted more than 3,000 experiments since crew operations began more than 20 years ago. NASA, international partners, and the ISS National Lab have sponsored in total well over 1,200 biological and biotechnology experiments during that time span.  Crew-4 Mission Commander Lindgren has logged more than 141 days in space, participated in two spacewalks, and performed more than a hundred different scientific experiments. “The first all-private astronaut mission in April sparked a renewed interest in space and helped the world see the commercial potential of research and development in microgravity,” said BIO’s President and CEO Michelle McMurry-Heath. “Public-private partnerships are growing the capacity, complexity, and availability of orbital research and development to make it easier for biotechnology companies to participate. These are practical steps forward that will improve medicines and people’s lives.” The BIO International Convention returns in person for the first…