Oswego State has become the first SUNY school to create a business on the agricultural industry.

The agricultural testing project, created by Oswego State faculty and students, is a project to accurately test food such as grains, mainly for their quality. They have created two main locations for their business. The action takes place in the laboratory testing lab, in the Shineman Center.

The other testing lab is located in the Oswego Port. The main purpose for this project was to provide New York with safe products. The plan is still expanding and there are hopes of creating more beyond New York.

The project started with Pamela Caraccioli, president of economic development at Oswego State and 17 students and has expanded to 26 students. The students learn to test the products taken from the port for their quality. They test the items to see how much protein or starch is in them and they have been successful in their endeavors so far.

The port testing lab is day-to-day; therefore, the test is done more quickly. The test in the campus lab takes longer, but it provides the students to a high quality and accurate results.

Anthony Contento, a faculty member at Oswego State, does the training. According to Contento, the training consists of a five-week course which ends in the spring semester. A summer program is also provided to students.

The five-week course is a test trial for the students, to see if they have an interest in the project and to see if they will be able to commit. The students involved are provided with compensation, as it is considered a job. The majority of students involved are biology and chemistry majors, but the program has been offered to business and accounting majors.

Noah Oliver, a graduate student at Oswego State, is a business major who was involved with the project. Oliver was responsible for creating the business plan for the agricultural project as well as the students’ payroll.

The project is self-funded, though it did receive a grant from the Cornwall Office for $250,000 and a $50,000 grant from Oswego State. They hope to become the first laboratory to be USDA certified.

“This project has allowed negotiation to happen within farmers and industries since they now are able to know what materials are in these food products,” Oliver said.

Ian Thompson, a senior majoring in biochemistry, was another student involved in this project. He worked closely with faculty members and students. He spoke about the series of experiments the students conducted. The students used equipment such as a Fossnir, which allowed them to identify how much of a certain material was in a project; an example would be starch.

“The statistic for the food industry was that it needed to grow 70 percent by 2050,” Thompson said. “The food industry has to grow fast, which these members of this project understand, but they also understand that the safety of the people come first; which is a direct correlation to what the people are consuming.”

The national award won by this project was one piece of the success the project has gained. The award was based on economic growth. During the ceremony, Oswego State was the only institution to have student presenters. The project proved to be important and prosperous.