News ItemNMBio Selects New Mexico BioGENEius Winners

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Andrew Salazar, NMBio President and Board Members Charlotte Mobarak and Michael Vickers at BioGENEius Challenge

April 11, 2012 – 

The New Mexico Biotechnology and Biomedical Association (NMBio) awarded the top two biotech-related projects at the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair with an all expense paid trip to the U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge in Boston, MA June 16-19, 2012. LynnMarie Jarratt of Los Lunas, NM and Serina Pack of Silver City, NM were selected to advance to the U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge as the students that presented the best Senior Division biotech-related projects.

This is the first year that New Mexico has held a local BioGENEius challenge and sent participants to the U.S. national event. A collaboration between the Biotechnolgy Institute and NMBio lead to the creation of the inaugural New Mexico BioGENEius Challenge for students in grades 9-12 that qualified to participate in the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair.

The top ten finalists in the U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge will advance to the International BioGENEius Challenge held in conjunction with the BIO Annual International Convention in Boston and present their projects to a panel of expert biotech judges and to the convention¹s approximately 20,000 attendees. A $7,500 prize is awarded to the first place winner in the International BioGENEius Challenge with a $5,000 award for second place, $2,500 for third place, and $1,000 for fourth place. In 2010 and 2011 the top performers at the International BioGENEius Challenge were invited to an informal science fair at the White House with an opportunity to meet the President.

“NMBio has greatly expanded its educational initiatives over the past year with the creation of our Scholarship Program and the New Mexico BioGENEius Challenge”, said NMBio President Andrew Salazar. “We are thrilled to be able to send two New Mexico high school students to the U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge in Boston to represent our state and to present their innovative ideas in the biotechnology field to a national audience. The New Mexico BioGENEius Challenge will grant our students exposure to the BIO Annual International Convention, the premiere event of its kind in the country, and afford them opportunities that were previously unavailable to students in our state.”