In the early 1990s, the Stony Brook Center for Biotechnology launched an internship program for science PhDs. Young researchers would work with local law firms to learn about patent law and figure out if this...
Historians of science writing about the commercialization of biology over the past forty or fifty years have debated what exactly we mean by the term “biotechnology.” Is it better to use it to refer only...
If you want to keep biotech talent on Long Island over the long term, you have to think about how new companies might attract talented staff. You also have to think about where these people...
Proximity to New York City has been both a help and a hindrance for the creation of a biotechnology industry on Long Island. The city can be a source of investors and talent, but Long...
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.