Message from Pres & CEO Holli Baumunk + Page 2: BioWest Conference & Expo - 2010 Highlights; Page 3: CBSA Externship Program at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Page 4: Colorado Ballot Initiatives - An Overview for Voters.
October Newsletter - Colorado BioScience Association
1. Last month, CBSA held it’s 7th
Annual BioWest Conference
and it was a great success.
Over 50 exhibitors and 750 at-
tendees enjoyed an impressive
list of international, national and
local speakers sharing their in-
sights and trends in the indus-
try.
We had a very memorable Awards Dinner
featuring Temple Grandin as our keynote
speaker. Temple is an amazing person and
the audience was truly inspired by her accom-
plishments and views into the way an autistic
person experiences the world. At the Awards
dinner, Temple commented to me that after
visiting the exhibitors and the research institu-
tion’s poster displays, how impressed she was
with Colorado’s Bioscience and research
community.
Listening to Temple, I reflected that yes, she
was indeed right. We have a lot to be proud
of in Colorado. Our state recently moved up
in its national rankings, considering most in-
dustry sectors in Colorado experienced a de-
cline. Bioscience was one of the few indus-
tries that showed growth last year of 4.9%, as
compared to a decline of .5% nationally. Here
are just a few of our rankings:
• Colorado now ranks 6th in medical device
employment concentration
• Colorado has over 1,088 bioscience es-
tablishments, ranking us 11th nationally
• State employment has reached over
21,268, ranking Colorado 20th nationally.
• In 2009, Fierce Biotech ranked Colorado
as a top 5 region targeting bio-technology
• Colorado’s biotech industry ranks 8th for
venture capital funding
While Colorado has a lot to brag about, we
are still experiencing a jobless economic re-
covery with an 18% decline in VC invest-
ments. Despite the economy and less funding
to go around, CBSA will continue to take ad-
vantage of opportunities to grow the industry
and push forward to provide quality program-
ming, advocacy and membership services.
We value your feedback on how we can con-
tinue to provide a strong voice and relevant
content to you and your company. Please
look for survey’s in the coming months where
you can provide to us your thoughts and ideas
on how we can better serve our community.
Have a great October!
Holli Baumunk
President and CEO
Colorado BioScience Association
FOCUS
O C T O B E R
2 0 1 0
Inside this issue:
From the President 1
BioWest Review 2
Externship Reflection 3
Ballot Initiatives 4
www.CoBioScience.com
Colorado BioScience Association | 216 16th Street, Suite 850 | Denver, CO 80202 |cbsainfo@CoBioScience.com | 303.592.4073
Letter from the President
2. BioWest 2010 Review
The Rocky Mountain Region's Premier Annual BioScience Conference and Expo
September 29-30, 2010
Speaker presentations available at www.biowestconference.com
Annual Awards
Colorado’s Large Company Showcase: Continuing Down the
Path to Success
Ross Lundman, Director of Technical Development and Proc-
ess Support, Roche Colorado; David Perez, President and
CEO, CaridianBCT; Mark Gouin, Manager of Business Devel-
opment, Wells Fargo; Dave Bengston, VP of Colorado Opera-
tions, Amgen; Jim Cloar, General Manager, Medtronic Naviga-
tion
In the expo hall PharmaJet demoed their product, providing
needle free flu shots to conference attendees.
Over 50 exhibitors participated in the expo, including innova-
tive companies from biotech, pharma, medical device, agricul-
tural-bio, and diagnostic, as well as educational institutions,
research facilities, service providers and economic develop-
ment offices.
Dr. Temple Grandin receiving the Chairman’s Award from Rich Jory
Panelists
Exhibitors
Dorsey & Whitney Venture Showcase Award - Sharklet
Technologies
Life Time Achievement Award - Robert Collins and Robert
Anderson
Company of the Year Award - Amgen
Rising Star Award - Sharklet Technologies
Volunteer of the Year Award - Larry Blankenship, ValveX-
change
Educator of the Year Award - Deanna Scott, CSU
Partner of the Year Award - University of Colorado Technol-
ogy Transfer Office and Colorado State University Technology
Transfer Office
Chairman’s Award - Dr. Temple Grandin
P A G E 2
3. CBSA’s annual golf tournament sup-
ports the externship program to link
high school science teachers with
premier bioscience companies and
organizations to ultimately increase
students’ interest in science and
math.
I applied for the externship Denver
Museum of Nature and Science with
the hope of expanding my science
content knowledge, acquiring new lab
skills, networking to identify additional
resources for my students, and find-
ing novel, real-world applications to
engage students and address the
content standards.
One of the most valuable aspects of
my externship was that, besides be-
ing exposed to and learning about an
area of life science research that was
unknown to me, I was able to do so
as an active, contributing member of
a research lab. My externship was
based in the community research lab
housed within Exhibition Health.
While I had visited this exhibit on sev-
eral previous occasions and had a
general awareness of the role that
research had played in identifying
genetic factors related to human
health, I hadn’t considered how, ex-
actly, our genetic make-up affected
our dietary choices and, conse-
quently, our health.
In fact, one of my major responsibili-
ties was to enroll museum visitors in
the lab’s research project, The Genet-
ics of Taste. This provided me an
opportunity to gain knowledge about
the latest scientific research con-
ducted in this lab through active litera-
ture and bench research, using re-
search tools that aren’t typically avail-
able in public high schools, engaging
in professional interactions and con-
versations with the Exhibition Health
curator, Dr. Nicole Garneau, and par-
ticipating in an online training that
increased my awareness of the bio-
ethical issues and responsibilities of
conducting research using human
subjects.
My experience as an intern also chal-
lenged my assumptions about who is
able to conduct genetics research.
The community-based lab in Expedi-
tion Health is primarily maintained
and operated by teams of dedicated
volunteers, most of whom do not
have backgrounds or formal training
in scientific research. Yet, the volun-
teers were impressively adept at util-
izing lab equipment and following so-
phisticated lab protocols to conduct
genetics research. Not only was it
inspiring to see the genuine interest
of volunteers in this area of research,
but also the ability of nonprofessional
scientists to conduct scientific investi-
gations with such high quality.
While I am still in the process of plan-
ning and designing activities for a unit
exploring the genetics of taste, I am
excited about the potential student
interest that this topic could generate
and the potential to frame science
content standards in a fresh context
that will empower students conduct
scientific inquiry with real-world rele-
vancy and applications.
I gained a greater appreciation for the
roles of curators as both active re-
searchers and intermediaries that
translate research within the scientific
community to the general public. I
also gained an awareness of the vari-
ety of research occurring at the mu-
seum and the worked accomplished
by the many “unseen” staff members
who are critical in keeping the mu-
seum functioning and providing out-
reach to the community. I also be-
came aware of the many educational
resources offered by the museum,
including on- and offsite educational
outreach programs to students, cur-
ricular support in terms of videos,
video conferencing, and lesson plans,
and professional development work-
shops.
The experience of working as an in-
tern at the Denver Museum of Nature
and Science has broadened my
knowledge about current, active re-
search within the life sciences as well
as career options within the field of
science and museum studies. Fur-
thermore, this experience gave me
the knowledge to reframe some of my
course content in a context that is
both concrete and relevant to the
lives of my students and an opportu-
nity to establish professional collabo-
rations that will support and enhance
the education of my students. I am
appreciative for the opportunity to
have worked as an intern at the mu-
seum and hope that funding will re-
main available to continue offering
these opportunities, as I have encour-
aged all of my colleagues to apply for
any future CBSA externships.
Matthew Kern
Science Teacher
Thornton High School
The experience of work-
ing as an intern has
broadened my knowledge
about current, active
research within the life
sciences as well as career
options within the field of
science and museum
studies.
P A G E 3
Reflection on My Museum Externship
4. P A G E 4
Title of Measure Origin Amends What?
“Amendment” followed by a Letter Placed on the ballot by the state
legislature
Colorado Constitution
“Proposition” followed by a Double Letter Placed on the ballot by the state
legislature
State Statute
“Amendment” followed by a Number Placed on the ballot through signa-
ture collection
Colorado Constitution
“Proposition” followed by a number Placed on the ballot through signa-
ture collection
State Statute
Yard signs strewn about lawns and
roadsides, TV commercials targeting
past statements and decisions made,
radio ads debating certain measures
and policies, bumper stickers touting
flashy slogans; these are all the warn-
ing signs that election time is under-
way.
After being bombarded with this infor-
mation for over two months, November
2nd
finally arrives and it’s our responsi-
bility as citizens to take a look at all the
details and decide how as Colorado
residents, entrepreneurs, and business
leaders we want our government to run
and who would best represents us.
This year, as voters stand in line at
their respective election centers and
mail in their ballots, there are a number
of issues to decide upon in Colorado.
For the members of the Colorado Bio-
Science Association we want to pro-
vide you with a quick reference from
the Colorado Blue Book on the ballot
measures you should expect to see
this election year.
Ballot Initiatives: A Look at what Election Day Brings
First a quick guide on how to know where each ballot measure designates from:
Here is a look at each ballot measure
that you will find before you on Election
Day:
Amendment P: Regulation of Games
of Chance:
Amendment P proposes to amend the
Colorado Constitution by transferring
the licensing of games of chance, such
as bingo and raffles, from the Depart-
ment of State to the Department of
Revenue. It will also allow the state
legislature to change the department
oversight and the requirement that an
organization exist for five years with a
dues-paying membership to qualify for
a license.
Amendment Q: Temporary Location
for the State Seat of Government
Amendment Q proposes to amend the
Colorado Constitution by establishing a
process for moving the state seat of
government to a temporary location
during a declared disaster emergency.
Amendment R: Exempt Possessory
Interests in Real Property
Amendment R proposes amending the
Colorado Constitution by eliminating
property taxes for individuals or busi-
nesses that use government owned
property for a private benefit worth
$6,000 or less in market value.
Amendment 60*: Property Taxes
Amendment 60 proposes amending
the Colorado Constitution by repealing
the current voter-approved authority of
local governments to keep property
taxes above their constitutional limits,
establishing expiration dates for future
voter-approved property tax increases,
cut local property tax rates for public
schools operating expenses in half
over ten years and replace this money
with state funding each year, requires
publicly owned enterprises to pay
property taxes and reduce local prop-
erty tax rates to offset the new reve-
nue, and provide new voting rights to
certain property owners in Colorado
and permit citizens to petition all local
governments to reduce property taxes.
The Colorado Bioscience Association
and our Board of Directors are in oppo-
sition to Amendment 60.
Amendment 61*: Limits on State
and Local Government Borrowing
Amendment 61 proposes amending
the Colorado Constitution to prohibit all
new state government borrowing after
2010, prohibit new local government
borrowing after 2010 unless approved
by voters, limit the amount and length
of time of local government borrowing,
and require that tax rates be reduced
after borrowing is fully repaid.
The Colorado Bioscience Association
and our Board of Directors are in oppo-
sition to Amendment 61.
Amendment 62: Application of the
Term Person
Amendment 62 proposes amending
the Colorado Constitution to apply the
term “person,” as used in the sections
of the Colorado bill of rights concerning
inalienable rights, equality of justice,
and due process of law, to every hu-
man being from the beginning of the
biological development of that human
being.
5. Amendment 63: Health Care Choice
Amendment 63 proposes amending
the Colorado Constitution by adding
health care choice as a constitutional
right, prohibiting the state from requir-
ing or enforcing any requirement that a
person participate in a public or private
health coverage plan, and restricts the
state from limiting a person’s ability to
make or receive direct payments for
lawful health care services.
Proposition 101*: Income, Vehicle,
and Telecommunication Taxes and
Fees
Proposition 101 proposes amending
the Colorado statutes by reducing the
state income tax rate from 4.63 per-
cent to 4.5 percent in 2011 and to 3.5
percent gradually over time. It would
reduce or eliminate taxes and fees on
vehicle purchases, registrations,
leases and rentals over the next four
years. Proposition 101 would also
eliminate all state and local taxes and
fees on telecommunication services
except 911 fees and require voter ap-
proval to create or increase fees on
vehicles and telecommunication ser-
vices.
The Colorado Bioscience Association
and our Board of Directors are in oppo-
sition to Proposition 101.
Proposition 102: Criteria for Release
to Pretrial Services Programs
Proposition 102 proposes amending
the Colorado statutes to prohibit the
release of a defendant on an unse-
cured bond to supervision by a pretrial
services program unless the defendant
is arrested for his or her first offense
that is also a nonviolent misdemeanor.
Colorado’s Legislative Council has pro-
duced the 2010 Blue Book, which is a
booklet discussing information on the
nine statewide measures on this year’s
ballot and on the judges that are on the
ballot for retention. You can find this
online at www.coloradobluebook.com
which includes a full summary analysis
of each measure, the titles and text of
each measure and recommendations
on retaining judges.
*The Colorado BioScience Association
has taken an opposed position on
three measures, Amendment 60,
Amendment 61 and Proposition 101
this year. The Association is con-
cerned that these measures will have a
substantial negative impact on the fu-
ture of the bioscience industry in the
state and industry in general in Colo-
rado.
Useful Election Resources:
www.ColoradoBlueBook.com
Full Analysis
www.SOS.State.CO.US
Colorado Secretary of State Election
Division
www.Don’tHurtColorado.com
Opposition to Amendments 60, 61 and
Proposition 101
CBSA Staff
Holli Baumunk
President and CEO
hbaumunk@cobioscience.com
April Giles
Executive Vice President
agiles@cobioscience.com
Leah Kientz
Director Public Policy & Programs
lkientz@cobioscience.com
Mae Desaire
Director of Marketing
mdesaire@cobioscience.com
Steve Ambriz
Operations Manager
sambriz@cobioscience.com
P A G E 5
www.facebook.com/ColoradoBioScienceAssociation
www.twitter.com/cobioscience
www.linkedin.com/groups
www.facebook.com/ColoradoBioScienceAssociation
www.twitter.com/cobioscience
www.linkedin.com/groups
http://coloradobio.blogspot.com/
www.youtube.com/cobioscience
6. P A G E 6
› BioBreakfast: Selling a VC Backed Company, October 27, 7:30 - 9:30a.m.
Anschutz Medical Campus, Education 2 Building Bridge, second floor connecting the north and south
› Fairfield and Woods Seminar, November 11, 7:30 – 10:00a.m.
Fairfield and Woods, 1700 Lincoln St. Ste 2400, Denver
› BioBreakfast: The Children’s Hospital, November 17, 7:30 – 9:30a.m.
Anschutz Medical Campus, The Children’s Hospital, Second Floor Conference Facility
› Reimbursement and Regulatory Affairs Seminar, November 18, 7:30 – 12:00 a.m.
Westin Westminster
› BioBreakfast: Annual Awards Recipients, December 1, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Anschutz Medical Campus
To register please log into our database system at https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/StartPage.aspx?Site=CBSA.
Schedule of Events
We will be starting our annual mem-
bership renewal process in November,
working with our new database system
to process the payments. Please look
for your membership packet in the mail
for your specific renewal information.
If you have not accessed our online
membership system yet please use
this link.
https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/
StartPage.aspx?Site=CBSA
If you are having trouble with your
password please try using the Forgot
your Password link on the log in
screen.
Once you are logged in as a member
you may review your contact and list of
employees receiving association bene-
fits, as well as your company profile.
Please note only the primary contact
identified in the system may renew
membership or make changes to con-
tact information.
We will continue to enhance our online
membership system and keep you
posted as we progress. Do not hesi-
tate to contact us for assistance as we
are fully implementing this system.
Membership Renewal