Michigan Tech Researcher Invited to Share Biotech Expertise with National Policymakers
Michigan Technological University was among a select group of universities invited by members of the U.S. House of Representatives to present at a joint bipartisan hearing called “Pursuing the Golden Age of Innovation: Strategic Priorities in Biotechnology.”
Held June 5 on Capitol Hill, the hearing included the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee and the Subcommittee on Energy. Invited to testify on the strengths and threats to American biotechnological research and the biotech sector of the economy were MTU's Associate Professor Stephen Techtmann (BioSci/GLRC), Drew Endy of Stanford University, Deb Gracio of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Kelvin Lee of the University of Delaware.
The hearing allowed congressional members to make statements and ask questions about innovations in biotechnology, a field poised to revolutionize industries including health care, agriculture and manufacturing. The "Golden Age of Innovation" in biotechnology is a near-future reality fueled by the convergence of biology, computing and data science. At Michigan Tech, examples include the work of Techtmann and other researchers in the Great Lakes Research Center, who are pioneering solutions that transform plastic waste into valuable materials and recover critical minerals from mine waste materials.
Read more about Techtmann's testimony at Michigan Tech News.