FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Theresa Laranang-Mutlu
301-816-8167; trl@usp.org
USP Helps Bring Science Center Closer to Goals
Rockville, Md., January 15, 2016 — On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) will host a celebratory reception acknowledging its support of the Rockville Science Center (RSC). The reception will be followed by a special Science Café event featuring Dr. Michael Ackerman, the National Library of Medicine bioengineer responsible for leading the development of The Visible Human Project.
“USP has been part of the Rockville community for more than four decades, and we’re proud to play a role in helping make the goals of the Rockville Science Center a reality,” said Ron Piervincenzi, Ph.D., chief executive officer of USP. “We are a scientific organization dedicated to protecting public health through quality standards for medicines, food ingredients and dietary supplements, and USP is deeply committed to increasing public awareness of the important role science plays in our everyday lives.”
Support from USP will help advance several key RSC goals, including the realization of a physical building to house the center’s operations and many outreach activities. These include scientific demonstrations at local area schools, robotics team competitions and events like Science Cafes which are open to the public and feature scientists who engage non-scientific audiences in conversation, debate and interaction. In addition, USP will provide in-kind support to RSC by making its headquarters Meetings Center periodically available for RSC activities until a permanent location is established.
USP’s headquarters have been based in Rockville since 1970, and today, the organization employs nearly 700 local-area professionals, most of whom are chemists, biologists, pharmacists and others from the life science disciplines. In addition, USP’s standards are developed by scientific experts from industry, academe and the regulatory community who volunteer their knowledge and leadership. According to Dr. Piervincenzi, “Because of our volunteer base, USP is invested in the future generation of scientists that will shape the public health landscape, and our engagement with the RSC is strongly aligned with that important goal.”
Members of the media interested in attending this event may register by contacting Theresa Laranang-Mutlu at trl@usp.org.
Event: USP-RSC Science Café
When: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, Reception – 6:00 p.m., Presentation by Dr. Michael Ackerman – 7:10 p.m.
Where: The USP Meetings Center is located at 12601 Twinbrook Parkway in Rockville, Md. (accessible via the Metro Red Line)