University, Port Partner on New Grain Lab Facilities to Feed Opportunities

A ribbon-cutting ceremony last spring marked the official opening of a new $15 million Grain Export Center, a milestone in a partnership between the Port ofnOswego Authority and SUNY Oswego that preserves the health of consumers and a key supply chain while providing valuable experience to students.

“This lab is the only one of its kind among our sister Great Lakes ports,” said William Scriber ’80, executive director of the Port of Oswego Authority. “There are 15 major international ports and some 50 smaller, regional ports on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.”

Cleane Medeiros of the university’s biological sciences faculty directs the Agricultural Testing and Analysis Laboratories program that includes paid internships for students with majors that include biochemistry, biology, chemistry and zoology.

A $250,000 New York State Department of Agriculture grant purchased equipment for both the lab at the port and a student training lab on campus.

Students who participate can take part in SUNY Oswego’s new microcredentialing program for grain testing and analysis, which makes students more marketable and competitive when seeking top jobs in their field. In addition to the hands-on experience that complements their lessons, students also can earn employment opportunities through this arrangement.

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