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OARDC recognized for tech leadership

Posted on | February 3, 2010 | 948 views |

By Mauricio Espinoza

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) has been selected as winner of the Wayne Economic Development Council’s (WEDC) 2009 Quality Growth Award-Wooster for its efforts to propel Wayne County into a “technology-led economy.”

The award — given to an organization that has demonstrated its commitment to enhancing the northeast Ohio county’s economic future and quality of life — was presented Jan. 21 during the Wooster Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner.

“We are extremely pleased to receive this award,” OARDC Director Steve Slack said. “It recognizes the hard work of many faculty and staff as well as the support of the Wayne County community. Wayne County and northeast Ohio provide a unique collaborative environment that makes it possible to achieve significant goals. This award recognizes both the relationship and the accomplishments.”

The research arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, OARDC is the largest university agbioscience research center in the nation. Its main campus is located in Wooster and also has operations in Columbus and at 10 outlying research stations throughout the state.

“Other communities would be thrilled to have even just a small portion of the resources you have made available for our economic development,” WEDC President Rodney Crider wrote in a letter to Slack. “We are grateful for all you have done to position Wooster and Wayne County for quality growth in the future.”

In selecting OARDC for the award, WEDC noted the center’s growth in infrastructure, technological resources, research programs and collaborative projects with industry over the past few years. One highlight is BioHio Research Park — a unique business and technology center aimed at moving ideas and products from the laboratory to the marketplace in areas such as food safety, renewable energy and materials and environmental remediation — which got off the ground in 2009 through several developments.

First, OARDC partnered with the city of Wooster to improve Secrest Road on the northern edge of campus, providing utilities and adequate access to the park’s 95-acre future site. This project was made possible by a $3.4 million grant from the Ohio Department of Development’s Job Ready Sites program and matching funds from the city of Wooster.

Additionally, work began last year on the renovation of Pounden Hall thanks to a $744,000 grant from the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. The first phase of the BioHio project, the Pounden Innovation Village will offer office, lab and prototype development space for private companies interested in partnering with Ohio State researchers.

Finally, in late 2009, quasar energy group — BioHio’s first tenant with an engineering office and a laboratory on the OARDC campus — began construction of a biogas facility on the park’s main site capable of producing 400 kilowatts of electricity, or about one-third of the campus’ energy needs. Based in Cleveland, quasar is working with OARDC researchers to optimize technologies to turn waste from agriculture and other sources into renewable energy.

Other accomplishments WEDC considered for its selection include:

• The Feedstock Processing Research Facility: Dedicated in August, this $5.5 million state-of-the-art building increases the quality, nutritional value and mixing precision of feeds for OARDC’s internationally recognized livestock and poultry research programs. This facility also can process oils and proteins from crops for bioproduct applications.
• The Biomass to Energy Center: Funded by a Third Frontier grant, this research endeavor is developing technology to turn agricultural and food-processing waste into biogas.
• The Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research Facility (PAAR): This $22.2 million biosafety level 3 facility, slated for groundbreaking in 2010, will be the only one in Ohio — and one of only five in the United States — with capacity for both plant and large-animal infectious disease research at high safety levels.

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