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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

In its early days, the Stony Brook biotech incubator was housed in the basement of the life sciences building. It did not yet have its own separate facility. Jim Hayward, then and now affiliated with Stony Brook, explains the strategy for impressing potential customers:

Jim Hayward, interviewed via Zoom on June 28, 2023
Interviewer: Antoinette Sutto

Antoinette: It was in the basement of the Life Sciences building, right?

Jim: That’s it, that’s it. We were in an academic building, and when we had to impress potential customers, we just put lab coats on any student who walked by at that time.

Antoinette: It’s amazing the power of the lab coat as a cultural symbol about, okay, this person is wearing a white jacket, they know what they’re talking about.

Jim: Yes, [laughs] and it had a corporate name on it.”

Never underestimate the power of the lab coat.

 

Jim Hayward / Applied DNA Systems

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.