WELCOME ADDRESS


have a portable computer with 640K memory, and now we have portable
calculators and computers to help developments in biotechnology.
 It took education, government, and business working together to
achieve the developments in electronic technology, and it will take the
same cooperation for advancements in biotechnology. John Atanasoff may
have been the academician who invented the digital computer, but it took
federal funding. And it still took IBM, Texas Instruments, Apple, and
many others to make that technology available to individuals like you and
me.
 Nationally and internationally, we have a public interest that can be
channeled to support biotechnology. One of our very real tasks will be to
direct that interest, capitalize it, and use it for generations to come.
 In Florida, the challenges of biotechnology have special meaning be-
cause our environment is different than in other parts of the country. The
soybean that grows well in Virginia, Ohio, or Idaho is not successful in
Florida. However, the varieties of soybeans and peanuts developed by our
faculty in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are very success-
ful here and in many parts of Africa and Latin America.
 Florida's soil and climate have forced us to be concerned about pesti-
cides, plant nutrition, and plant tolerance to heat, drought, salinity, and
other factors. Our efforts to solve our own problems have led to interna-
tional studies in agriculture that have benefited other countries, as well as
our local farmers.
 Because of our experiences and needs, because of the comprehensive
nature of our University, and because of the special dedication of our fac-
ulty, the University of Florida has a special commitment to biotechnology.
 I am pleased that you are here for this symposium and to explore re-
search and scientific developments, their implications, and the related
concerns about university and industry relations, ethics, and economics.
 The State of Florida is also very committed to biotechnology. I have
already mentioned some of the reasons, including our soil and climate.
Another reason, perhaps rather obvious, is money. Agriculture has always
been an important part of the state's economy, but economic growth in
Florida has continued to outpace the national economy, primarily because
of Florida's growth in high-technology manufacturing. Over the past dec-
ade, Florida has ranked seventh in the nation in terms of growth of manu-
facturing employment. Of Florida's top ten manufacturing firms, eight
are in high-tech.
 Since 1975, two-thirds of all new manufacturing jobs in Florida have
 been in high-tech manufacturing. Since 1975, high-tech employment has
 more than doubled. The number of high-tech and high-tech service firms