Call for Judges for Science Fair and BioGENEius Challenge

Each year, Virginia Bio recruits volunteer judges from the membership to attend the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair to select the top three winners in the field of biosciences. The time commitment is limited to a pre-event online review of the submissions to select the finalists. This years Fair is on April 9, 2022 and all judging will be done virtually.

Volunteer judges are also needed for the Virginia BioGENEius Challenge. Students submit their projects in either the categories of biotechnology, agriculture or industrial/ environmental science. The judging for the challenge is done virtually. Judges will be sent applicant information, abstracts and posters by April 22, and results will be due back to Virginia Bio on April 29. Winners from the state challenge will go on to compete in the U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge taking place during the BIO International Conference in San Diego, CA in June.

Please contact Caron Trumbo if interested in volunteering your time!

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Virginia finds itself at the center of an important health care debate, and Southwest Virginia’s own U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, is in the driver’s seat as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. Here’s the problem: Medicare beneficiaries can wait years — sometimes averaging half a decade — between when the …

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AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Merck commit $120M to Virginia pharma training

Pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly & Co. and Merck & Co. have committed a cumulative $120 million to develop a workforce training center for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing in Central Virginia. The companies, each of which is planning to build manufacturing facilities in Virginia; the state government, including Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp.; and multiple Virginia colleges …

10/27/2025

Virginia can lead biotech manufacturing renaissance – if policymakers help

Last week, pharmaceutical giant Merck broke ground on a new $3 billion facility in Virginia that will create 8,000 construction jobs and 500 permanent manufacturing jobs. The new 400,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art plant isn’t merely the latest addition to Virginia’s rapidly growing biotech industry footprint. It’s a sign that America is making quick progress towards President …

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