The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is holding its 5th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing this week in Chicago, Illinois and I am pleased to say I'm attending. So far I've made it through the first exciting day, completely overwhelmed with information from the excellent presentations and exhibits.

The meeting is focused on industrial biotechnology as opposed to biomedical/pharmaceutical technology and it's interesting to see the vast variety of work being done in these other areas (agricultural and environmental biology, bioproducts and biofuels). Many of the plenary sessions deal with political, ethical and economics issues pertaining to the biotech industry, with presentations by venture investors, and CEOs of successful companies, who have "been there - done that" in terms of funding startups and making successful business plans. Huge emphasis is being placed on sustainability and global health. The first George Washington Carver award was presented Monday to Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo, Inc. who said that while the popular press would lead the public to believe there is no hope, the mission of the biotech industry IS to make the world a better place and that's why he loves his industry. I agree.

That's why I love biotech also, and I'm glad to be here to renew my enthusiasm for this field of science. There's so much for me to learn about and cover on the About.com site so keep checking back regularly over the next few weeks as I process it all and publish my interviews, reviews and update you on groundbreaking news!