Senator Pat Roberts Throws Out Ceremonial First Pitch at BIO Convention in Boston

Boston - U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) threw out the ceremonial first pitch this morning at the BIO Convention, officially kicking off the Kansas delegation’s activities at the three-day event.

Senator Roberts, who announced last week that he would lead the Kansas delegation, took the mound at 9:30 a.m. in front of the Kansas Pavilion. Following the ceremony, the delegation began its first Kansas Media Morning, which provides delegates a chance to interact with national and international media to promote Kansas as a great place for the biosciences.

“I’m glad I could still find the strike zone,” joked Senator Roberts, a second-term senator and one of the most high-profile policymakers at the Convention. “The ceremonial first pitch was a really fun way to begin a really big week for our state. I’m honored to be leading the Kansas delegation, and I’m confident we’ll do a wonderful job showing the world the strengths we have in the biosciences.”

The Senator headlines a Kansas team comprising more than 100 of the state’s top bioscience innovators, business leaders and policymakers. The group will represent Kansas this week during a Convention expected to draw 20,000 attendees.

“There is no bigger stage for the biosciences that the international BIO Convention,” said KansasBIO President Angela Kreps, whose organization helped organize and support the delegation. “We are thrilled to have Senator Roberts throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and leading our efforts here in Boston.”

Tonight at 6 p.m., the delegation will unveil its first series of Kansas bioscience “Big Thinkers” – a group of seven individuals selected for their outstanding contributions to the biosciences in Kansas – as well as recipients of the inaugural Kansas Bioscience Industry Growth (BIG) Awards, given to individuals and organizations for excellence in a variety of categories.

Tuesday’s schedule begins with a second Kansas Media Morning, which begins at 10 a.m. at the Kansas Pavilion and will focus on the following topics: the Animal Health Corridor; Developing a Bioscience Cluster in Rural Kansas; Human Life Science; Industrial Attraction; Cancer Center Designation and Collaboration; Agricultural Biosciences in Kansas; and the Strategic Direction of Kansas Bioscience Initiative. From 5-6:30 p.m., Kansas will host its Big League BIO Reception at the Pavilion, an event designed to honor the state’s public officials and bioscience initiative leadership.

The delegation is being organized by KansasBio and supported by the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation, the Kansas Bioscience Authority, the Kansas Department of Commerce and private sector companies, including ICM Inc., Bayer Healthcare LLC and Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. The group will highlight Kansas’ success in key bioscience areas, including research and development, commercialization, business recruitment and industrial expansion.