Contact: Phil Hearn
Farmers who worry about the zealous eating habits of their livestock may want to add a yummy new item to the barnyard menu: edible baling twine.
The idea for biodegradable twine made from hay won a first-place award and $500 for Mississippi State student Paula Jean Runge during the university's annual Business Plan Competition.
The detailed proposal by Runge, a mechanical engineering major from Perkinston, was among seven student-presented plans and/or product ideas recently considered by a panel of successful business persons as part of MSU's Engineering Entrepreneurship Program. The competition is a part of the semi-annual meeting of the Dean's Development Council for MSU's James Worth Bagley College of Engineering.
Designed for engineering majors with a desire to combine technical and business skills in their future careers, the program allows students to build relationships with mentors who already are successful in entrepreneurial endeavors. Students interested in corporate management also benefit from the experiences.
Also surfacing during the 2003 competition were proposals for a device that locates misplaced keys and a remote-controlled duck decoy for hunters, among others.
"It is very exciting to see these senior engineering students compete in front of engineering alumni who are successful entrepreneurs and present plans that have 'real-world' potential," said Gerald Nelson, Entrepreneurship Certificate Program director.
Playing the role of potential investors, competition judges included council members and MSU management professor James Chrisman. They awarded prizes on the basis of oral presentations, written plans, financial plans, marketing plans, and viability of proposals.
"The experience will yield a lifetime benefit," added Nelson, who also holds the college's Jack Hatcher Chair (endowed professorship) in Engineering Entrepreneurship.
Runge's winning research idea, titled "Biodegradable and Edible Baling Twine," addresses the problem of farm animals that inadvertently gobble up baling twine in their zest to consume hay. Her proposal adds an attachment to weave harvested hay into an obviously biodegradable bale wrap. A patent is being sought for the device.
Other 2003 competition winners included:
--Christopher L. Walker, a chemical engineering major from Brandon, who took second-place honors and $300 for proposing a new process by which California-based CIFCO Industries can develop the chemical compound 4-FBA at a cost 20 percent lower than existing processes. Short for 4-fluorobenzaldehyde, 4-FBA is found in pharmaceutical and agricultural products.
--Steve Ciaravino of West Point, Jed Seal of Saucier and Mike Suttlar of Yazoo City, all electrical engineering majors, teamed up to take third place and $200 for proposing a key-chain locator. Their product helps forgetful owners find misplaced keys by blowing a whistle provided with the product.
--Kevin Brumfield, an electrical engineering major from Jackson, whose interactive motorized duck decoy did not win a prize but drew a lot of interest. Controlled wirelessly through the use of radio frequency technology, his proposed product enables hunters to mimic the movements of real ducks from as much as 100 feet away.