Named a "Legislator of the Year" by the Biotechnology Industry Organization
Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12), a resident of Hopewell Township, was named a "Legislator of the Year" by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) recently for his work in promoting high-technology research and development in 2005-2006.
Before joining Congress, Rep. Holt, a Ph.D. in physics, held positions as a professor, Congressional Science Fellow, and arms control expert. From 1989 until he launched his 1998 congressional campaign, Holt was Assistant Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, the largest alternative energy research center in New Jersey. He has conducted extensive research on alternative energy and has his own patent for a solar energy device.
Rep. Holt is the founder of the Congressional Research and Development Caucus and co-chairman of the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus. He has led the fight in Congress to authorize a Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment (CSTA), which would provide nonpartisan scientific advice for Members of Congress. As a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Rep. Holt has increased funding for science and mathematics education. Rep. Holt is working with Central New Jersey business, labor, and higher education to make the region a hub of high-technology R&D through an economic development initiative known as "Einstein’s Alley."
Rep. Holt also received an award from the Biological Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) and the Coalition on Funding Agricultural Research Missions (CoFARM) for his work supporting science education and bridging the gap between science and policy.

