Ames, Iowa
January 5, 2009
Iowa State University's
Office of Biotechnology
will celebrate its 25th anniversary throughout 2009. The Office
of Biotechnology was established in 1984 to develop a
biotechnology initiative with five Iowa State University
colleges: Agriculture, Engineering, Home Economics, Science and
Humanities, and Veterinary Medicine. Biotechnology was defined
as the application of molecular biology to the development of
useful products and processes.
"During this anniversary year, we want to celebrate the many
accomplishments of the university in biotechnology and to thank
those who made them possible," said Walter Fehr, Director of the
Office of Biotechnology for the past 25 years.
Thanks to financial support from the Iowa Legislature, the
university, Iowa industries and private donors, the future of
biotechnology research, education and outreach at Iowa State
took shape quickly. In 1984, a Biotechnology Council of leading
faculty from the five colleges was established by Vice President
for Research Daniel Zaffarano to make funding and program
recommendations to his office. The Office of Biotechnology and
its director were charged with the day-to-day operation of the
programs. The role of the Biotechnology Council and the Office
of Biotechnology continue today.
One of the major accomplishments of the university has been the
hiring of 128 new molecular biologists by departments in the
five colleges. The role of the Office of Biotechnology has been
to provide $13.8 million in startup funds to the new faculty to
help them initiate their research at Iowa State. It also has
served new and existing faculty by operating state-of-the-art
instrumentation facilities for biotechnology research.
Another significant accomplishment has been the recruitment of
outstanding graduate students by departments and
interdepartmental programs. The Office of Biotechnology has
awarded more than 200 fellowships to these outstanding graduate
students. To support the education of all graduate students, the
staff of the instrumentation facilities provides instruction on
the latest techniques in molecular biology and related
disciplines.
Since its first year of funding, the office has dedicated a
portion of its budget to the university's bioethics program. The
program has an international reputation for providing an
unbiased assessment of the risks and benefits of biotechnology.
It also has a major role in teaching students and others how to
critically evaluate the ethical issues associated with
biotechnology research.
The education of K-12 teachers and students has been a major
activity of the Office of Biotechnology. Since it began, more
than 1,600 Iowa teachers have attended training courses to learn
how to provide hands-on experiences to their classes. To support
their classroom activities, the Office of Biotechnology has
developed innovative new curricula and provided free laboratory
supplies and equipment to support the education of more than
187,000 Iowa students.
To facilitate interactions between the university and industry,
the office has funded a biotechnology industrial liaison who
works with faculty and industry to promote research, economic
development and technology transfer.
The 25-year milestone will be celebrated during 2009 through
special publications and events. For more information, please
phone the office at (515) 294-9818, e-mail
biotech@iastate.edu or
visit the 25th anniversary Web site at
http://www.biotech.iastate.edu. |
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