One common question we get asked is how do you keep up with the science in the biotech and life science community? The truth is, no one anywhere could possibly know everything about all the different technologies, techniques, breakthrough science and new studies that happen throughout the industry.
But there are some easy ways you can keep up to speed on science. and the BioSmart Briefare two free daily email blast (with several sister publications in the life science field) that have summaries and links to the major stories in the global life science industry. When it comes to local life science news, the usual suspects of voiceofsandiego.org, the print publications like the Union-Tribune, San Diego Business Journal and the San Diego Daily Transcript cover the community along electronic upstarts like Xconomy.com, which just launched a San Diego site that covers the business of biotech.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our own newsletter, the Biocommunique. Every issue has a section called Deals and Data, which summarizes recent activities in the Southern California life science community in plain language that we hope everyone can understand. And if you are the type who wants to know exactly what Burkholderia pseudomallei is well, we try to give you the links.
Like pretty much every publication and media outlet out there right now, the elections and the economy are on center stage. This issue’s cover story explains BIOCOM’s decision to endorse several candidates in our city’s election.
BIOCOM takes candidate endorsement very seriously — in fact our board will only consider endorsement in cases where a candidate or issue is deemed to be of direct importance and impact to the life science industry, which is the biggest tech cluster in town, with more than 40,000 employees. An endorsement is only made with a two-thirds vote of the BIOCOM board of directors, a high bar indeed. This is why a BIOCOM endorsement is rare and should be seen as being meaningful to our members as well as the general public. In this year’s primary, only Mayor Jerry Sanders was endorsed; for the fall general election, BIOCOM’s board has chosen to endorse two candidates, Judge Jan Goldsmith for City Attorney and April Boling for City Council, 7th District. More is explained about our decisions here.