The record-breaking heat of this past summer—a burden for everyone from city dwelling commuter to heartland farmer—was a boon to Lansing, Mich.-based Neogen Corp., an agricultural biotechnology firm. The scorching temperatures caused mold that produced a marked increase in aflatoxin, a carcinogen, in Midwest grain crops. Enter Neogen. The tiny company, which will see its first profit this year and has a full-time staff of 11 scientists, invented just two years ago an enzyme immunoassay test for the detection of the naturally occurring poison. Demand for the test quadrupled this year, making Michigan State University especially proud. A major shareholder in the firm, the university helped form Neogen in 1982 to satisfy the entrepreneurial yearnings of its faculty and to encourage technology transfer.
We’ve all heard of entrepreneurship courses for MBAs; now the University of Rochester is offering a class that seeks to teach optical scientists what it takes to ...
