ACS Webinar features tips on how to use business failures to create successful ventures

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2010 — The next webinar in the American Chemical Society (ACS) Executive View Series will focus on the art of calculating risks and using the experience of business failures to produce successes in the future.

News media and others interested in the chemical sciences are invited to participate in the free series that addresses a variety of pertinent business topics impacting science and engineering professionals.

Scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18, 2 – 3 p.m. Eastern Time, the webinar will feature Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Chief of R&D at Inspire Pharmaceuticals, speaking on “Failure is an Option: Learn How to Turn Failure into an Advantage.”

The ACS Webinar Series connects you with subject experts and global thought leaders in chemical sciences, management, and business to addresses current topics of interest to scientific and engineering professionals. Each webinar includes a short presentation followed by a Q & A session.

News media and scientists can tune into the conference without charge, but must register in advance.

Yerxa’s topics will include:

• Why it is important to take risks in science, management and career.
• Taking calculated risks - The science and language of decision making.
• Why the “Fail Fast” doctrine makes sense.
• How to learn from failures - Best practices

Yerxa joined Inspire Pharmaceuticals as a medicinal chemist during start up in 1995. He created a unique opportunity for the company to apply its core technology in the field of ophthalmology and is an inventor on more than 50 US patents. He serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and Sharefish, and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

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