ESTERO, Fla. (February 2, 2010) – In an effort to grow southwest Florida’s ability to attract new companies in the bioscience industries, the Southwest Chapter of BioFlorida will host a special event on February 9th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Embassy Suites, Estero. The evening’s program will focus on education workforce development programs that support the growth of life sciences in the area. 

“Development of our workforce to meet the demands of the companies in this sector is key to establishing a vibrant bioscience cluster here in our six-county region,” said Bill Knab, BioFlorida’s Southwest Chapter Chair. “This event will bring educators, scientific leaders, corporate executives and students together with the goal of facilitating the future growth of this promising new industry.”

Participants include Victoria Stephan, President of Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida; Bob Gasparini, President and Chief Scientific Officer for NeoGenomics; Tamara Mandell, Assistant Director, Education and Training, University of Florida, Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology; and a panel discussion by Florida Gulf Coast University, Hodges University, Edison State College, Ave Maria University, New College of Florida and the SWF Workforce Development Board. The presenters will highlight their available programs designed to support the bioscience industry and students will showcase their work.

Highlighting the education and workforce needs of the bioscience industry, BioFlorida will also announce the launch of a 501(c)(3) foundation to build on the state’s existing infrastructure and services to the bioscience industry. The Florida Bioscience Resource & Education Center will offer programs such as workshops in conjunction with local school districts; continuing education programs; teacher and student internships; CEO roundtables; an industry library and resource center; and business planning workshops.