Press Release
Contact: Rosalyn Gell |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.107 |
Veteran NPR Science Reporter Ira Flatow to Keynote Biotech 2006
Flatow Will Join Previously Announced Keynote Stelios Papadopoulos
January 24, 2006, Research Triangle Park, NC – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced that Ira Flatow, NPR science correspondent and award-winning TV journalist, will deliver featured remarks at Biotech 2006. Flatow joins previously announced keynote Stelios Papadopoulos of SG Cowen. The 15th annual conference presented by CED in partnership with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the North Carolina Biosciences Organization (NCBIO) is scheduled for May 22-23, 2006, at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem, NC.
Flatow, who will speak on the second day of Biotech 2006, is the host of NPR’s Talk of The Nation: Science Friday®. Anchoring the show each Friday, he brings radio and Internet listeners worldwide a lively discussion on science, technology, health, space and the environment and has shared his enthusiasm with public radio listeners for more than 30 years. Before joining NPR, Flatow was News Director at WBFO-FM/Buffalo, New York. His numerous network TV credits include six years as host and writer for the Emmy-award-winning Newton's Apple on PBS; science reporter for CBS This Morning, Westinghouse and CNBC.
Flatow has also worked for a variety of cable networks and recently wrote, produced and hosted the award-winning PBS documentary “Transistorized!”. He has talked science on many TV talk shows and has authored articles for various magazines. His most recent book is entitled They All Laughed ... From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind the Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives. He has been the recipient of many honors and awards and currently serves as a board member of the National Association of Science Writers.
“Ira Flatow is able to transform complicated life science discussions into a lively, accessible format for listeners worldwide,” said Targacept's CEO Don deBethizy, co-chair of Biotech 2006. “We are pleased to have him featured among an already strong line-up of leading industry experts at Biotech 2006.”
In addition to comments from Flatow and Papadopoulos, Biotech 2006 will also feature concurrent panel sessions led by industry visionaries and leaders. Panel session topics will include fundraising, anti-infective drug development, emerging technologies, talent recruitment and technology commercialization. Visit www.cednc.org/biotech for additional details on the conference, including registration, confirmed panelists and sponsorship information.
About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to identify, enable and promote high growth, high impact entrepreneurial companies and to accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the Research Triangle and North Carolina. CED is the largest and oldest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 4,000 members representing over 1,100 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. In July 2005, Wilmington’s Coastal Entrepreneurial Council merged with CED to create CED-Coastal, a divisional office focused on entrepreneurial development in Wilmington and throughout North Carolina’s entire coastal region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. www.cednc.org.
About the North Carolina Biotechnology Center: The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation funded primarily by the state's General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide. www.ncbiotech.org
About the North Carolina Biosciences Organization: NCBIO is a trade organization promoting the development of the biosciences industry in North Carolina. NCBIO provides cost-effective, organized legislative and advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry at the state and federal levels. www.ncbioscience.org/
###