<p>Information on the UW Institute for Discovery and other bio initiatives.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.news.wisc.edu/10446.html[/url]”>http://www.news.wisc.edu/10446.html</a></p>
<p>Since that overview was done they have funded and will soon start construction of the Discovery complex and started new plans.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.news.wisc.edu/13374.html[/url]”>http://www.news.wisc.edu/13374.html</a></p>
<p>The discussion is not about college experience in terms of social scene. Wisconsin, in terms of the amount of biotech firms pales compared to those in the San Diego, Boston, and Bay Area. </p>
<p>You don’t necessarily need to go to schools in these areas but they give you a huge advantage in terms of working in this industry because of their proximity, therefore, if that is your goal then it would certainly give you a wide varierty of work experience. </p>
<p>Academic research experience is NOT the same as Industry job experience.</p>
<p>You still have not answered what makes you an authority in this field as I have asked you multiple times. Second, do you have any first hand knowledge or experience besides some articles that primarily came from the Universities website? So far you haven’t.</p>
<p>As for future grad programs, going to a name school helps get you into other name school grad programs. Getting into a top program a decent GPA, GRE and solid letters of recommendation is what gets you in. But, a Ph.D in essence is an academic not a professor degree. If your goal is industry, what gets you the job is still skills. And as I’ve said before, if your skills don’t match what the company is looking for then it doesn’t matter. They don’ just hire you because you went to MIT. </p>
<p>As for the master’s biotechnology, their program is still pales in comparison to KGI. It still is missing many big concepts as I’ve discussed above.</p>
<p>What makes me an authority is that I can read. I know about the UW and the private biotech field in Madison that now employs about 16,000 people. You keep brushing off the fact the there are PLENTY of real live companies in Madison to get some of that all important real world experience. Many of them are close to the UW and others maybe not so much. I don’t know how many jobs you need to have to get experience but with over 100 biotech firms in the area there is a good chance you can fine something.<br>
Why are you being so obtuse–because it does not fit your preconceived notion that the only good stuff comes out of California or Boston?? UW has the basic patents on stem cells–something that Stanford or any school in the US would kill for. They discovered one drug that probably has saved as many lives as any invented–Warfarin the anti-coagulent. They did the research that cured the once common disease of Rickets–that Vitamin D in every glass of milk came from the UW. GE worked with UW to perfect UW’s invention of magnetic resonance and has a large facility in the state because of that. They are turning the academic work directly into companies which you seem not to comprehend. Academics and business are working hand in hand and UW profs are actually ENCOURAGED to turn research into business. The WARF, local VCs and even the state will kick in cash to get them off the ground.
So UW has the academic underpinnings of offering majors in every significant area of biotech from genetics to nanotech at the undergrad level. There are more than adequate levels of biotech business activity to get any level of experience you could want. You can have the college life many would die for. Profs at UW are well connected with the area firms as they helped found some of them and do research for them. </p>
<p>So what exactly is your beef? Can you actually say now that you have been informed that the UW would not be a good place to begin working toward a biotech career at any level? And if you think it’s hard to make the jump from Madison to California–it is not. I did it back in the 70’s. There are around 25,000 UW alums in California. Even your Governor claims a UW degree. You probably did not know that either.</p>
<p>“This world-famous athlete and actor was born in Austria in 1947, and at 20 became the youngest person ever to win the Mr. Universe title. He came to America shortly after, winning an unprecedented 12 more world bodybuilding titles. Challenging both his body and mind, he earned a college degree from the University of Wisconsin and became a U.S. citizen in 1983. Three years later he married broadcast journalist Maria Shriver.” From his official state bio.</p>
<p>Well if reading makes you an authority, then many Americans can be authorities in many fields which they never experienced. I guess if I read enough business management books maybe I should be a CEO.</p>
<p>I don’t dispute hat UW-M is a great school, but, you seem to be quite a homer that it is the best school or going to such a school is necessary for a career in biotech. </p>
<p>Many schools have turned academic research into products but to say that if you do not go to certain schools you cannot get a job in this industry is a blatent misnomer. There are many in the industry who came from random no name schools that I never heard of and I’ve seen Cornell grads who lacked basic common sense and were out performed by ASU grads. </p>
<p>No one just hands you a job because of the school you went to, even if its MIT or Stanford. </p>
<p>What does 25,000 alums in CA have to anything? Many people want to move to CA in general if you had cold winters like Wisconsin does. Wisconsin also has a large undergrad population and over time it would seem natural that they would leave the state for areas that would be better for job oppertunities.</p>
<p><a href=“http://madison.craigslist.org/sci/[/url]”>http://madison.craigslist.org/sci/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://boston.craigslist.org/sci/[/url]”>http://boston.craigslist.org/sci/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sci/[/url]”>http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sci/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://sandiego.craigslist.org/sci/[/url]”>http://sandiego.craigslist.org/sci/</a></p>
<p>Are you sure Wisconsin has as many job openings as you think?</p>
<p>I NEVER said UW was the single BEST school going. It is one of the best in this area as are UCSD, Stanford, JHU and some others. You were the one putting it down when you obviously knew nothing about it or the town.</p>
<p>You were the one implying if you don’t go to school in SD, SF or Boston you won’t get the kind of opportunity to get some real world experience you need. I say that is total BS and have provided tons of info to back that up. The info on the 25,000 alums living in Cali was just in case your next argument would be that a UW degree will not travel to the west coast.</p>
<p>Here’s the current hiring list from one local firm–maybe they don’t like craigslist. Firms that recruit on campus don’t post jobs on craigslist</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tomotherapy.com/careers/career_info.html[/url]”>http://www.tomotherapy.com/careers/career_info.html</a></p>
<p>And GE has over 300 openings in and near Madison</p>
<p><a href=“Jobs at GE | GE Building a World That Works”>Jobs at GE | GE Building a World That Works;
<p>I always known UW-M was a great school, in fact, my favorite chemistry professor went there.</p>
<p>But, areas wih large biotechs give a student the most oppertunity to get a job in the field. I wouldn’t say SDSU is a top science school let alone a top University but I have many colleagues who went there as well as UCSD, Cal, MIT, random schools in Colorado, etc that have all done well. The point to be made is that many of the SDSU grads were student workers there during their undergrad and were promoted once they graduated. The main thing about going to schools in a biotech hub is that it makes it easier to get your foot into the door. </p>
<p>The funny thing is although UCSD is considered a premier school in this arena, with the bioengineering program being ranked #2 in the nation but have talked about the their research experience being relevant to actual jobs. Why, because that level of cutting edge research has a small niche. Most of that interesting level of research is done academically.</p>
<p>By your logic people would only go to school in NY to work on Wall Street, Chicago to go into trading, etc etc. That is absurd. Going to a good school in what you like to study means you can go anywhere when you are done. Half the people change majors before they even graduate so what if you decide biotech is not for you, you want advertising. Do you change schools immediately? I have proven beyond doubt that Madison has a LARGE ENOUGH cluster of biotech activity to get some experience either at an exciting startup, in an established firm like GE or doing academc research and staying on for a PhD. That was the question, not where can I go to spend my working career with the most jobs within 10 miles.</p>
<p>And reading is the key to education. They don’t sit you down and pump it into your brain. Every class I ever took had reading at the core. It’s a matter of knowing where to look.</p>
<p>That is still only one firm. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.the-scientist.com/2005/6/20/46/1/[/url]”>http://www.the-scientist.com/2005/6/20/46/1/</a></p>
<p>WANTED: BIG PHARMA AND BIG BIO
But all this university activity doesn’t solve a different, long-standing need in Madison. For unlike most other life science locales, Madison doesn’t have a major pharmaceutical or large biotech company to help anchor the research enterprise by creating a critical mass of jobs and attracting outside attention and investment. “It sure would be nice to have a Big Pharma or a big, fat biotech success story here,” says Deven McGlenn, CEO of NeoClone Biotechnology, a WARF spinoff that produces monoclonal antibodies.</p>
<p>ALSO WANTED: BIG BUCKS
While Dane County ranks in the top 100 counties nationwide for venture capital funding, Madison has only a handful of VC firms willing to invest in local startups. It may be that the major VCs, located on either coast, don’t like the hassle of changing planes in Chicago to get to Madison. The truth is that Madison’s venture capital shortage is endemic to the entire Midwest region, which received $198 million, or less than 4% of total US venture investments in the fourth quarter of 2004.[1]</p>
<p>“We have all the ingredients needed to succeed in the 'new economy,”’ says Jim Leonhart, executive vice president of the Wisconsin Biotechnology and Medical Device Association. “We have technology, an abundance of talent, and diversity reflecting the world. We only lack more attention from the moneyed people, and we are working hard to attract them now.”</p>
<p>To do so, the state is trying to foster VC growth by providing additional public venture funds, and industry groups are helping entrepreneurs network with individual “angel” investors. But some believe the answer lies in the private sector. “If we had a critical mass of good companies, a lot of us believe the VCs would come here,” says Joe Kremer, director of the Wisconsin Angel Network.</p>
<p>No, if you know anything about top finance jobs it’s about going to the top school. Biotech is NOT pedigree orientied like investment banking and top tier consulting. </p>
<p>Biotech is experience oriented and gaining experience is the most important thing. The best ways to gain it is to be in area where there is the most oppertunity. Wisconsin has oppertunities, no doubt, but industry wise it is not as big as the top 3 regions. That cannot be disputed.</p>
<p>Nice selective editing–let the folks see the rest</p>
<p>In the middle of dairy country, nestled by four glacial lakes, Madison, Wisconsin is quietly emerging as a biotechnology and life science powerhouse. The state’s capital, Madison is a study in contrasts. Here the Midwest conservative work ethic coexists with the city’s liberal-progressive politics, and scientists at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison enjoy world-class research facilities and an affordable cost of living that colleagues in many other biotech “hotspots” can only dream of.</p>
<p>Indeed, Madison is consistently ranked among the best places to live in the United States by Money magazine and other publications. Last year, Forbes magazine named Madison the number-one city for business and careers based on its strength in education and economy, low rate of unemployment, and affordable living. “It’s a wonderful place to live,” says James Keck, professor of biomolecular chemistry at UW-Madison’s medical school. “It’s a smaller city surrounded by beautiful countryside, yet it has great science and research strengths.”</p>
<p>Wisconsin is home to about 250 biotech and life science companies, employing 20,000 people and posting $5 billion in annual sales. Roughly half the companies are in medical devices and instrumentation, led by GE Healthcare, which has a large medical-imaging manufacturing facility in Waukesha, about an hour’s drive east of Madison. Of the remaining 125 or so biotechs, 80% are located in Dane County, Madison’s major metropolitan area. Fully half of these can trace their roots to discoveries made by researchers at the university.</p>
<p>Return to top </p>
<p>HOOKED ON MADISON
Four years ago, Keck’s postdoc in molecular and cell biology at the University of California-Berkeley was winding down, and he began looking for a faculty position at a major research university. Keck ended up choosing UW-Madison based on the strength of its science and the quality of its community. “We were looking for a nice-sized city where it would be great to raise kids,” Keck says.</p>
<p>Now he’s hooked on Madison. “I’m getting great students, and scientifically I’m not limited by anything but myself,” Keck says. “The public schools are among the best in the country and compared to California, the housing prices are a dream-come-true.” Still, Madison isn’t paradise. “It’s nice having seasons, unlike Berkeley,” Keck says, “but there are times when I wish it were warmer.”</p>
<p>Wisconsin Welcomes New Biotechs</p>
<p>Tom Primiano, president of Clonex Development, a small Chicago-based biotech company that develops therapeutic proteins, knew he wanted to move his lab to Madison. “Our future will be tied to stem cells, and this is the place to be for stem cells,” he says.</p>
<p>Wisconsin was more than happy to help. In February the state gave Primiano $135,000 in venture funds and technology-assistance grants to purchase new equipment and hire technical support staff. Clonex moved into new lab space in Madison’s University Research Park last month.</p>
<p>Wisconsin offers a range of assistance to life science startup companies. Programs include 25% tax credits to angel and venture capital investors who finance qualified new technology companies, especially biotechs. Other assistance includes bridge grants, matching grants, and development loans. The Madison City Council has also passed an ordinance streamlining construction of facilities for biotech research.</p>
<p>“Wisconsin seems to have an interest in fostering biotechs,” Primiano says. “Illinois was behind in helping small companies get what we need.”</p>
<p>In November 2004, Gov. Jim Doyle announced a $750 million, 10-year biotechnology development plan for Wisconsin. Central to this is the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, a 450,000 sq ft, $375 million interdisciplinary facility that will occupy two full city blocks on the UW campus. The facility will replace older, dilapidated buildings and will have shared research space for biology, bioinformatics, computer science, engineering, nanotechnology, and stem cells. The state legislature is scheduled to vote on Doyle’s budget plan this month.
Okay, so what if the temperature drops to 5</p>
<p>UNABASHEDLY ENTREPRENEURIAL
UW-Madison may be the only major US research university that allows its researchers, faculty, as well as students, to retain ownership of discoveries (unless federal funds are involved). “It’s important in faculty recruitment,” says Gulbrandsen. “It gives the faculty more control and makes them happier.”</p>
<p>If the university is the research engine, then WARF is the transmission that translates discoveries into products. The nation’s first university tech transfer office, WARF was established in 1925 at the prompting of UW-Madison biochemistry professor Harry Steenbock to commercialize his vitamin D irradiation technology. Rather than accepting $1 million from the Quaker Oats Company for exclusive rights to his technology, Steenbock allowed WARF to license his patent widely, generating even more funds for university research.</p>
<p>Over the past 80 years, WARF has amassed more than $1 billion in licensing revenues and returned $750 million to university research, including $46.6 million last year alone. Today, WARF has thousands of patents in its portfolio and more than 3,600 technologies ready for licensing. Recognized as a model tech transfer office, WARF last year was awarded the Presidential National Medal of Technology for innovation.</p>
<p>But licensing is only the beginning. UW-Madison actively encourages faculty to start up companies from their discoveries. The university’s Office of Corporate Relations sponsors an entrepreneur’s center that offers CEO mentoring programs, assistance in writing business plans, and finding capital. WARF even has a small $10 million venture capital fund for occasional investments in promising companies. WARF currently has equity positions in 34 university-related startups and evaluates proposals for 12 to 15 more each year, Gulbrandsen says.</p>
<p>Return to top </p>
<p>SPINNING OFF DISCOVERIES
Many of these companies, such as Third Wave Technologies, Deltanoid Pharmaceuticals, Neoclone Biotechnology International, NimbleGen Systems, and Quintessence Biosciences, are emerging as leaders in Madison’s biotech community. Mike Sussman, head of UW-Madison’s Biotechnology Center, was one of three scientific cofounders behind NimbleGen Systems, a company that manufactures customized, high-density microarrays for genotyping and toxicity screening based on technologies developed at UW-Madison. “We just made a better light bulb,” Sussman says.</p>
<p>They say that about all biotech hotbeds being entreprenurial. What’s your point? </p>
<p>The top tier biotech hotbeds are still:</p>
<p>Boston
SF
SD</p>
<p>2nd Tier</p>
<p>Seattle
RTP
Madison</p>
<p>My point is besides the fact you knew virtually nothing about the UW’s advantages in this area, the article YOU provided and then tried to cherry pick out two paragraphs out of 30 that supported your notions clearly supports every fact I have presented here while you continue to try to make an issue where there is none. Are SD and SF and Boston larger biotech centers–Yes. Is the Madison market inadequate to support an undergraduate or even a PhD looking to have start a career in biotech with some work experience while in school–certainly. Does the close relationship between your professors and local firms provide some advantage in getting some work experience–very possibly. Is UW one of the top tier schools for studying biological sciences-certainly. And it will prepare the student for any direction they decide to take after undergrad be it industry, academe, or private research.</p>
<p>And the future promises more growth which means opportunity to join firms at the ground floor level.</p>
<p>From your article in the Scientist.</p>
<p>"Politics aside, when it comes to academia and industry, Madison is all business. The city is destined for a significantly larger place at the biotech and life science table, Linton believes. “It’s not a question of if Madison can become a major player,” he says. “The question is, just how big will Madison become?”</p>
<p>Hey barrons,</p>
<p>I may move back to Chicago. I’d love Madison to be bigger and less boring than they are right now because if I live in Chicago now, there’s no good alternative in close proximity for weekend getaway. ;)</p>
<p>It has grown tons in the last 10 years. Lots more upscale restaurants and the Overture Center is awesome. No longer just a college town. And they still have the Farmers market.</p>
<p>Well the perspective of one person who believes the area will be larger which I do believe i will. But will it ever overtake SD, SF and Boson. Probably not.</p>
<p>Of course I don’t know much about Wisconsin but no matter what, it still isn’t as established to the degree of SD, Bos, and SF as you may think.Wisconsin is growing but is not an equal to those areas. And for a student to pay out of state tuition to go there versus other establish areas with more oppertunities is ludacris. It would be like getting into USC Marshall School of Business which is very good and also UPenn’s Wharton and turning Wharton down for USC. The main thing you fail to recognize is that the audience here is an undergraduate crowd. And if they want a career in biotech then the school they go to doesn’t actually matter. As for getting jobs, its still based on experience not where you went to school. Cutting edge is research is nice but start ups often have a limited staff who are often paid lower wages and work longer hours. They often don’t have many entry level positions due to the lack of resources to train new workers. They typically hire experience professionals with a least 3-5 years of experience. Most entry level positions are within larger companies and only require basic skills and don’t care where you went to school. Experience with certain skills and techniques are the most important things and then after that its about how well you interview. No one gives you a job based on where you went to school or if you have research experience unless the skills you gained are relevant yo the specific position.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>Lets you did undergraduate research on a medical device that can monitor blood glucose levels. It could be great grounding breaking research but now tha you’ve graduated you are looking for job. You can’t get a job in molecular biology group at a biotech because you have no cloning, PCR and vector construction analysis. You can’ get a job doing assay development, protein purification because your research didn’t need those skills. Where does that leave you, looking for jobs in an industry that has little need for those skills that were used in your research.</p>