Larry Bock, the biotech entrepreneur who founded the USA Science and Engineering Festival, a celebration of STEM learning held annually in Washington, died of pancreatic cancer earlier this month. He was 56 years old.
Through Science Spark, a nonprofit he founded, Bock launched the San Diego Science Festival in 2009. That event became a model for the larger USA Science and Engineering Festival, which drew more than 350,000 attendees this year.
Bock, who began his career studying infectious diseases at Genentech, Inc., was a serial entrepreneur, founding, co-founding, and financing the growth of 40 companies, according to a memorial statement from Marc Schulman, the executive director of the Festival.
“Larry will be remembered as a brilliant entrepreneur, passionate philanthropist, and dedicated family man,” wrote Schulman. “The festival legacy will continue in honor of the work Larry inspired.”