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Library – Archives – Humanities  / Education / Center for Humanities & History of Modern Biology / Exhibits, Projects and Initiatives / Plant Science, Biotechnology, & Agriculture

The Early Days of Biotech on Long Island

About

Flask

This history of science project arose from two separate sources.

The first is the Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation’s support for “the study of Long Island history and its role in the American experience.” (Visit the Gardiner Foundation’s website here.) The history of science and technology is an important aspect of Long Island’s history. Scientific research forms a significant part of the region’s economy and this field will only continue to grow in the future. The director and research staff at CSHL Library and Archives were thrilled to receive support from the Gardiner Foundation to explore the history of STEM on Long Island.

The second source of inspiration for this project is a question that concerns all of us. The skills and tools to manipulate genes and genomes are growing more and more sophisticated. They have already begun to change our lives dramatically. What can this technology do, and what are its limits?

Biotechnology has always provoked both excitement and concern. This was true in 1980 and remains true today. But if you examine how scientists and investors have tried to commercialize scientific discoveries over the past four decades — what worked, what didn’t, and why — you get a sense of what biotech can do, and what it can’t. Detailed, concrete stories of successes, failures and mixed results are an antidote to both hype and fearmongering. They also reveal how weird and strange and exciting life science research can be.

Understanding the history of biotech is important for anyone concerned about the future of science and medicine. But why biotech on Long Island?

The development of the first generation of biotech enterprises on Long Island showcases the power of local history to illuminate much bigger questions. And a deep dive into the history of this industry highlights aspects of the region’s history that are not always obvious, such as the double-sided role that proximity to New York City has played in Long Island’s economic history.

We hope you enjoy this exhibition as much as we enjoyed talking to the scientists, entrepreneurs and other experts who helped to make it!

Anyone interested in learning more about this project should contact our historian, Dr. Antoinette Sutto. Those wishing to consult the CSHL Archives sources that we used, or learn more about our oral history collection, should contact the Archives. You can contact us here.

Plants need nitrogen to grow, but a significant portion of the nitrogen in fertilizers is not absorbed by the soil or used by the growing plants. Rather, it washes away into waterways, rivers, and the ocean. This in turn has had devastating effects on marine life. In some areas, excessive nitrogen in the oceans has caused algae blooms that kill wildlife, make it dangerous for people to consume fish or shellfish or in some cases even swim in affected waters. This problem isn’t limited to poorer countries. Nitrogen pollution is a serious problem here on Long Island. In our case, the nitrogen comes primarily from septic tanks and cesspools, although nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers also plays a role. Nitrogen pollution in the waters around Long Island has hampered fishing, made it dangerous to eat seafood from some areas, and caused environmental changes that make coastal areas more prone to flooding.