Small NY cos improve products thru NYSTAR JumpStart program

12 Sep '07

3 min read

Two upstate New York businesses have developed and improved new products with the help of Cornell scientists through JumpStart projects in the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) during the spring 2007 semester. Three more businesses have been accepted for new projects this fall.

JumpStart projects, supported by small grants from the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation allow a business to work with a faculty researcher for a short time on a specific problem. The projects often lead to a longer-term collaboration.

Canandaigua-based Select Fabricators worked with Juan Hinestroza, Cornell assistant professor of fiber science and apparel design, in exploring new technologies and product improvements for electromagnetically shielding fabrics that can be used to create a low-cost portable enclosure to keep out or contain electromagnetic fields.

The company manufactures a range of products, including protective packaging, bags, covers, tarps and shrouds, metallized fabrics and anti-microbial medical components.

Select Fabricators plans to continue working with Cornell on other product-development projects, according to David Jung, CCMR industrial programs manager.

Harrick Scientific Products of Pleasantville entered into a partnership with Itai Cohen, assistant professor of physics, to develop new analytical instruments for the optical microscopy market, using methods pioneered by Cohen to observe the effects of shearing stress on such tissues as cartilage, with possible applications in the treatment of osteoarthritis and similar diseases.

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