Virginia Bio Foundation
Virginia Bioscience Foundation
The Virginia Bioscience Foundation (the “Foundation”) is committed to strengthening our nation’s economic future and improving human health by inspiring interest in bioSTEM careers among our students at all levels, empowering bioSTEM educators, and bringing life science employers and educators together to align education and training with the industry’s current and future needs for talent.
The Foundation is Virginia Bio’s affiliated IRS 501(c)(3) charitable not-for-profit organization, which helps raise funds and implement programs in bioSTEM and workforce. The Foundation’s programs include engaging industry scientists, teachers and students in real-world science; sponsoring summer bioscience camp attendance for underserved students; offering meaningful student internships at our companies; travel to bioscience businesses and bioSTEM forums; enriching educational resources for the classroom; supporting local, state and national science fairs; and sponsoring conferences that bring together teachers, curriculum developers, students and businesses to further our goals.
The Foundation supports a number of programs to serve our workforce needs outlined in the subsequent SPONSORED PROGRAMS section.
We seek to enable young Virginians to explore studies and enjoy careers in the life sciences
We seek to engage bioscience businesses with teachers and students to expose them to the business of bioscience: how business and science come together to create products and services that promote human health.
In the long term, we are striving to build a pipeline of qualified talent to fill jobs created by Virginia’s fast-growing bioscience businesses and to develop the next generations of scientists and entrepreneurs to lead Virginia’s life science companies.
The Virginia Bioscience Foundation collaborates with life science businesses, schools and universities, and other community partners. We implement programs where unique resources – access to skilled, engaged, enthused individuals and companies who work daily at the cutting edge of bioscience commercialization – can make a meaningful contribution to realizing:
- Well-equipped and resourced bioSTEM school teachers
- Robust student opportunities for science fair/competition/awards
- BioScience camp scholarship programs for underprivileged students
- Students and teachers directly engaged with live science businesses
- Students knowledgeable about the broad and expanding range of careers which can be built on life science education and training
- Strong and accessible internships and experiential learning
- Higher Ed and life science employers directly engaged
- Higher Ed curriculum and training aligned with evolving employer needs
The Virginia Life Science Workforce Initiative
The Foundation has launched the Life Science Virginia workforce initiative to build a talent pipeline for Virginia’s expanding life science industry. We need talent for our new and growing businesses; yet, our students are unlikely to choose a life science career path without meaningful exposure earlier in their education.
The Life Science Virginia program is intended to stimulate interest in life science studies and careers among middle and high school students by engaging with industry scientists in real-world projects, business tours and career talks.
Life Science Virginia Pilot Program
The Foundation recently completed a pilot Life Science Virginia program, which was funded in part by GO Virginia. LifeNet Health and Landstown High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools) participated in Hampton Roads Region 5, and the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) and Varina High School (Henrico County Public Schools) participated in Richmond-Petersburg Region 4.
Young scientists from LifeNet Health and DCLS collaborated with high school teachers to design hands-on science experiments. They spoke about life science subjects relevant to the students’ course material, conducted tours of their facilities, and discussed their career journeys. All participants, including students, teachers, and scientists, found the experience rewarding and relevant. Based on their pilot program experiences, LifeNet Health and DCLS plan to continue their Collaborations with the high schools.
Life Science Virginia Phase 2 (expansion)
The Foundation is seeking other life science businesses and high school teachers throughout Virginia who might be interested in the next stage of expansion of the program statewide.
If you are interested or would like to learn more, please contact Eric Rhoades, Virginia Bioscience Foundation Board member, at rhoadesem@gmail.com or Jim Powers, Chair, Virginia Bioscience Foundation, at powersjc51@aol.com.
Sponsored Programs
BioScience Camp Scholarships
Through the Jeffrey Gallagher Scholarship fund, the Foundation has funded scholarships to attend summer bioscience camps for students whose families do not have the financial resources to pay for their children’s attendance.
Mark Licata Biotechnology Special Awards
The Virginia Bioscience Foundation provides judges and sponsors the Mark Licata Biotechnology Special Awards each year at the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair. The Award provides cash prizes to the high school students with the top three (3) rated projects in bioscience fields at the Fair.
BioGENEius Challenge
The Virginia BioGENEius Challenge, co-hosted by the Virginia Bioscience Foundation, is a competition for Virginia high school students doing research in biotechnology.
Students have the opportunity to apply and compete for top honors in the Global Healthcare Challenge (Medical Biotechnology), the Global Sustainability Challenge (Agricultural Biotechnology) or the Global Environment Challenge (Industrial/Environmental Biotechnology).
One finalist from the Virginia BioGENEius Challenge will be selected to attend and compete in the International BioGENEius Challenge held each year during the BIO International Convention. Several Virginia students have reached the finals and one has taken first place at the International competition over the last decade.
For complete rules, and participation criteria, or to apply online, please visit the BioGENEius website.
USA Biolympiad
The USA Biolympiad (USABO) stimulates young scholars’ intellectual curiosity and develops their critical thinking in laboratory skills and biological reasoning to propel them to excellence and leadership in science and technology.
Over 10,000 students register annually to participate in this prestigious opportunity.
USABO is a four-tier competition that demands the very best of students in biology theoretical and laboratory knowledge. The top four students represent the USA at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) as Team USA.
Learn more here.